Moderator: Sarah Thomson
If it was released in the last twenty years, there's a middling chance that someone within the media of Aotearoa may have allowed Sarah to: programme the music video; introduce the live-to-air; write inches about the album; playlist the single; and/or interview the bass player. Sorry about that. With a background that includes stints in music television, screenwriting, radio programming, music journalism and television puppetry, Sarah is currently the Music Funding Advisor at NZ On Air.
Funding Advisor, NZ ON Air
If it was released in the last twenty years, there's a middling chance that someone within the media of Aotearoa may have allowed Sarah to: programme the music video; introduce the live-to-air; write inches about the album; playlist the single; and/or interview the bass player. Sorry about that. With a background that includes stints in music television, screenwriting, radio programming, music journalism and television puppetry, Sarah is currently the Music Funding Advisor at NZ On Air.
NB: You may know Lorde's cousin, but Sarah's mates with Big Bird.
Abigail Knudson
MISSY (aka writer-producer Abigail Knudson) delivers a distinctive, idiosyncratic blend of electro-baroque goth-pop. As one reviewer commented: “If Kate Bush and Brian Eno had a baby, it would be MISSY.” MISSY has released three albums to date: 2022’s Total Nightmare, and the twin-album release, Major Arcana and Minor Arcana (2021). The albums follow-up her critically acclaimed EP (Strange, 2019). She regularly features on Spotify editorial playlists, and the single Dark Side is currently the most popular with Spotify listeners with over 700,000 streams.
Artist MISSY, Producer
MISSY (aka writer-producer Abigail Knudson) delivers a distinctive, idiosyncratic blend of electro-baroque goth-pop. As one reviewer commented: “If Kate Bush and Brian Eno had a baby, it would be MISSY.”
MISSY has released three albums to date: 2022’s Total Nightmare, and the twin-album release, Major Arcana and Minor Arcana (2021). The albums follow-up her critically acclaimed EP (Strange, 2019). She regularly features on Spotify editorial playlists, and the single Dark Side is currently the most popular with Spotify listeners with over 700,000 streams.
Hailing from a musical upbringing in Dunedin, New Zealand (her mother is Choir Director for Knox Church, her uncle Todd Knudson is drummer for the legendary indie band The Chills), Abigail moved to NZ’s music capital of Auckland and quickly established herself as both an electric performer and a talented producer/composer/writer.
Abigail has been a producer-participant at Mind Your Music’s Aotearoa Sync-Posium (Auckland, 2021 and 2023), a producer-facilitator at APRA (writer PRO) Songhubs The Tower (Sydney, 2021), Songhubs Auckland (2020), and Songhubs Dunedin (2022); a writer-producer participant at the all-female Songhubs Spheres (Auckland, 2018), a producer participant at the Aotearoa Music Producer Series 2018, and an artist participant at the same event in 2019 working alongside 3-time Grammy winner Andrew Scheps. She also sits on the artist advisory boards of SAE Media Institute and the Music Producers Guild NZ.
“As a producer, I find that nurturing confidence is a crucial part of my work, especially with younger musicians. Letting them know they can take charge, explore sounds and styles & discover for themselves what fits into their world, and how not to get dominated others opinions.”
Anna Duckworth
Anna is a firm leader who worked in film and television for almost a decade, in both NYC and Auckland. Anna has written and directed several short films including PAIN screened as part of 2020 NZIFF‚ NZ Best’s Programme, and MUM JEANS which screened at the 2018 NZIFF. PAIN has gone on to be selected at Busan International Film Festival, AspenShorts, Stockholm International Film Festival and Bogot√° Short Film Festival.
Film Maker, Director
Anna is a firm leader who worked in film and television for almost a decade, in both NYC and Auckland.
Anna has written and directed several short films including PAIN screened as part of 2020 NZIFF‚ NZ Best’s Programme, and MUM JEANS which screened at the 2018 NZIFF. PAIN has gone on to be selected at Busan International Film Festival, AspenShorts, Stockholm International Film Festival and Bogot√° Short Film Festival.
Anna directed comedy webseries PSUSY S2, which screened at numerous festivals and won Best Episodic Jury Prize at the 2018 LA Film Festival.
Anna was selected to take part in the DEGNZ Women Filmmakers Incubator and the NZAPG Commercial Directing Mentorship. In 2020 she was signed with Thick as Thieves for representation as a Commercial Director. Critically acclaimed, Anna has also produced a myriad of music videos, winning Show Me Shorts’ Best Music Video multiple times, as well as nominations at both NZ Music Awards and UK Music Video Awards.
Reshma Martin
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Reshma followed her roots to kick-start her creative pursuits and quickly made a splash in the country of over 32 million, appearing as a teenager in the final season of hit Malaysian reality singing competition, "Akademi Fantasia", in which she placed third. She was the only female minority representing her ethnic group to ever compete on the show in its 13-season entirety, and became a figurehead of unity and change in the local entertainment industry.
Artist
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Reshma followed her roots to kick-start her creative pursuits and quickly made a splash in the country of over 32 million, appearing as a teenager in the final season of hit Malaysian reality singing competition, "Akademi Fantasia", in which she placed third.
She was the only female minority representing her ethnic group to ever compete on the show in its 13-season entirety, and became a figurehead of unity and change in the local entertainment industry.
However, she's always held a burning ambition to release consistent music in New Zealand, the country she grew up in. With full backing from her Malaysian fan base, Reshma has been writing music that can relate to both audiences, aspiring to create a link between the two communities that make up her identity.
Paying homage to her Malaysian roots, whilst staying true to a commercial pop sound, Reshma aims to add colour and diversity to Aotearoa's music industry, whilst paving the way for a larger South East Asian presence in the mainstream music culture worldwide.