WHERO FILMS

Inspired by early Top Gear and New Zealand’s most popular TV show, Country Calendar. Motoka has a simple philosophy that blends the two winning formulas together to attract a wide audience.
Hatching a TV show form initial idea to broadcast takes a lot of time and effort. Like building a house, the timeline can appear overwhelming. But when you break the process into each step and put a nimble team together it can be amazing what can be achieved on limited resources.

After a few camera tests. A morning was set aside to capture Andy pitching the show to sponsors and broadcast partners.

The theory for Motoka is simple. To create genuine kiwi stories about relationships, loved cars, and lifestyle. Mixed with local humour, and a road trip that shows off New Zealand’s amazing scenery.
Hosted by ex All Black, Andy Ellis, New Zealand Rally Champion Hayden Paddon and Motoka Producer, Kris Green. Casting the hosts was fairly organic.

Originally Andy and Red produced landscape advise videos that led to a TV1 segment on the primetime show Seven Sharp. About Kiwis and their backyards. That later became a book ‘Kiwi Backyard’. So we just moved from the backyard – to the garage driveway.

Executive Producer Blake had a friend named Hayden who was taking a break from the WRC scene. And to balance the “everyday” factor our producer Kristen Green stepped up to any interviews the boys were afraid of.

Starting in Christchurch hosts and crew zigzagged up the country. Talking with a mixture of friends, family or anyone brave enough to share an story of their vehicle and themselves. Starting with local entertainer legend Jason Gunn.

The aim was for the weekend afternoon audience to feel like they were part of a genuine conversation. A fly-on-the-wall to non-scripted discussions between the hosts. Armed with zoomed cameras, the crew recorded from a distance to help talent forget we were even recording the chats at all.

TVNZ enjoyed the first episode enough to program 7 more into TV1’s Saturday 4:30pm March and April schedule. That rated well enough for a bigger and better season 2 on the way.

For the full 8 episodes of Season 1 check out TVNZ OnDemand. Note only available for New Zealand viewers. Parade Media are currently managing the distribution of the show internationally.