Award-winning New Zealand-based comedy producers Kevin & Co have appointed WIFT member Joanne Law as Commercial Development Director. Kevin & Co, led by producer, and WIFT Member Bronwynn Bakker, and Cam Bakker. The company has traditionally specialised in comedy content, and also takes an active interest in diversity with a passion for developing talent and ensuring women have a strong presence in creative industries.
Joanne brings to the newly-established role her extensive media experience and a proven track record in the development, financing and commissioning of unscripted programming. She shared, “I’m looking forward to working with the Kevin & Co team to connect with buyers and investors in New Zealand and globally. My goal is to help develop and build on the company’s successes, with a focus on growing the unscripted slate and deliver more of what Kevin & Co do best - bringing boldly original stories to audiences worldwide.”
Kevin & Co’s Bronwynn and Cam Bakker say: "We are extremely excited to be working alongside Joanne. She brings to Kevin & Co an extensive knowledge of the market both locally and internationally. We feel very grateful to have Joanne join the team, and look forward to creating new pathways together to develop and finance local content."
Law recently departed Warner Bros. International Television Production NZ after nine years as the Head of Unscripted Development & Format Sales, overseeing the adaptation, development and sale of programming based on formats and original concepts, within the WBITVP group and from third party producers. During her WB tenure, Law played an integral role in the acquisition, development and sale of numerous television successes, including The Great Kiwi Bake Off, The Masked Singer, Glow Up, Couples Therapy, First Dates, New Zealand’s Most Endangered Species, Passengers, The Bachelorette and Married at First Sight; and development and sale of original unscripted IP My Dream Green Home, High Country Farm, My Family Mystery, BossBabes, 60 Seconds, Heaven & Hell - The Centrepoint Story, The Black Ferns – Wāhine Toa and Escaping Utopia.
Kevin & Co have fast become one of the country's leading production companies with over 190 hours of television produced in that time. The company has received multiple awards, including Best Drama, Best Comedy, and Best Entertainment Programme wins across the last three New Zealand Television Awards.
Recent highlights include producing five series of Taskmaster New Zealand, four series of Taskmaster Australia, two series of award-winning scripted series Double Parked, two series of award-winning scripted series Creamerie, and three series of Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont Spelling Bee across both New Zealand and Australia.
We congratulate this evolution for you all, and wish you the very best!