Press Release from NHNZ
Production company NHNZ was last night (12 May 2011) awarded the Cathay Pacific NZCTA China Trade COSCO Business Excellence Award.
NHNZ CEO Michael Stedman describes the award as fantastic recognition of the large effort the company has made in China.
“After 12 years developing our business in China, we have produced 48 documentaries – largely untold stories – on China that have gone to air all over the world. To have been able to take truly remarkable stories about China to relatively uninformed markets in the US and Europe has been extremely gratifying.
NHNZ has also done more than any other company in New Zealand to tell stories about this country to the Chinese, with our New Zealand Journeys: The Chinese series which aired to an audience of 300 million. And it aired nine times.”
Stedman, who steered NHNZ’s business in China, says the company has always seen itself as part of Asia.
“It’s our natural home. The journey in China has been like everything else new we’ve tackled. We have never underestimated the importance of connections, gradually building strong business relationships many of which have grown to become friendships. We’ve also been patient, but persistent.
After more than a decade, our Chinese foothold has positioned our company uniquely internationally as we are now far and beyond the largest producer of documentary programming out of China.”
The latest production to come out of China, and with which NHNZ made history, is the first 3D documentary China Revealed: The Great Wall of China that debuted on one of the world's first full-time 3D networks – 3Net. This was the first episode of a 10-part series which is a co-production between NHNZ and the China Intercontinental Communications Centre (CICC).
Stedman says NHNZ’s efforts will continue in China via its Beijing office with a wealth of stories yet to tell.