Welcoming our second Judge - Louisa Tipene Opetaia
Louisa is a communications specialist with over 20 years of international experience in public relations, marketing; broadcast, print and online media.
She runs Glorious Inc. a business incorporating her passions for publicity, tourism and events. As a publicist, she empowers creatives by bringing media attention to their work and uses social media as a tool to inform, engage, connect and communicate.
Her superpower is being a kaihononga (connector) - connecting creatives with media - and connecting brands with audiences. She has worked on the marketing, publicity, and/or social media for NZ feature films One Thousand Ropes, Waru, Gary of the Pacific, Māui’s Hook, The Breaker Upperers, Brown Boys, Loimata: The Sweetest Tears, Tupaia's Endeavour and the annual Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts at the Whānau Mārama, New Zealand International Film Festival.
As an event manager she runs the annual Wairoa Māori Film Festival, Māori Film Week (part of Auckland Council’s Matariki Festival) and in 2012 she founded the Aotearoa NZ Film Festival in Honolulu, Hawai'i. She produced the short film Native in Nuhaka and currently sits on the boards for Ngā Aho Whakaari and Kaporangi Kiriata. She was previously on the board for PIFT (Pacific Islanders in Film & Television).