Whisper International: New Zealand

Whisper now produces entertainment across the globe, with busy, working offices in Wales and New Zealand, as well as in Manchester and London in the UK. It also operates from several international Sony Hubs. ??

With clients like NZR and a range of content genres to date, we spoke with Whisper Australasia MD, James Gemmell.

Tell us what's happened since you opened your doors in New Zealand.

We set up our office in Auckland initially to support Whisper’s live cricket production contract here (now with TVNZ) a couple of years back, and I moved back from the UK to build a team and explore opportunities in this market.

We’ve been blessed with some great events on New Zealand soil in the last couple of years and had the chance to work with some incredible partners.

What has it been like working with the All Blacks???

Working closely with New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks has been a highlight for us all, particularly as NZR have recently launched their own content platform, NZR+, to connect more directly with their global fan base.

The All Blacks as a team, and an organisation, are the caretakers of a legacy that stretches back well over a century and has, over that time, helped shape the identity of this young country. The opportunity to help tell some of their stories over the last couple of years has been a great privilege and responsibility.

What have you been doing with them and what are your future plans??

We have worked on multiple projects with NZR, but highlights over the last year have included the documentary series ‘All Blacks: In Their Own Words’, which chronicled the team’s 2022 season, and ‘The Front Row Daily Show’ from the Rugby World Cup in France. That was 53 straight episodes of life in-camp and on the road during the tournament. It was a huge team effort, and challenging in many ways, but highly rewarding.

We’ve also worked closely with several of NZR’s commercial partners and have thoroughly enjoyed bringing their messaging to life in conjunction with both the All Blacks and Black Ferns.

Are you involved with Whisper Cricket New Zealand contract?

We provide production support to the wider Whisper Cricket Team who lead the live production here on the ground, alongside a host of top contractors from here in New Zealand. For the upcoming Tests we’re involved in delivering some of the features. We’re excited to be part of the new partnership with TVNZ from this summer forward.

How many team members are we there now??

We have six full-time team members in the office, and a growing portfolio of highly-trusted contractors.

What's been your biggest success so far??

I would say it has been the diversity of our portfolio, which is a product of the team we have here. All are multi-talented, incredibly hard-working and have a great attitude towards building something special.

In such a short space of time here we have been able to deliver a range of content, including documentary series, TVCs, branded content, podcasts, digital strands and more.

And what's been Whisper New Zealand’s biggest achievement?

When I moved back from London, Sunil (the company CEO and Co-Founder) said he wanted to be working with the All Blacks within five years… we got there slightly earlier!

What's next for Whisper Australasia??

I feel very proud of the work we’ve done so far and the relationships we’ve built, and as part of the wider Whisper Group, we are cementing our reputation in this market and extending our reach into Australia.

As part of the Whisper business, we offer truly global support to our clients with world class standards. I want to grow our team to continue to deliver standout content for our clients and set the standard for what a production partnership looks like in this region.?The teams and organisations we work with all have a global outlook and so do we.