John A Givins Head of On Screen Acting John A Givins features in a documentary series on the history of NZ television. The documentary, produced and directed by John Bates of Cream TV, is the wonderful Prime Presents: 50 Years Of Television.  The series celebrates half a century of New Zealand TV and shows how it has affected our culture and the way we see ourselves. Head of On Screen Acting at South Seas, John A Givins (or Johnny as we affectionately know him) is a veteran of television in New Zealand, so appears in several episodes of the series. "My first reaction when they asked me to appear was, 'Why me?'" he says. "Then I realised I really have been around in the industry for a very long time!  I've also been involved in a lot of aspects of television - things like acting, directing, producing and television as a medium for social change." As a result, several clips of Johnny are featured in the series as well as a recent interview that was filmed in the South Seas studio.  "It's almost like 50 years of my life!" jokes Johnny.  "I still remember my first TV set..." Johnny is shown acting in a play called The Protesters, then as a drama director on the highly successful Country GP series.  He was also involved in the development of gay TV in New Zealand with credits for Queer Nation, televising the annual Hero Parade and documenting the homosexual law reform movement in the 1980s and 90s. "It was through issues like this that we began to see TV as advocacy," he says. "The stories of protest were stories that really changed New Zealand." The series screens on Prime on Sundays at 8:40pm and is repeated the following Saturday. Episodes are also available to watch online.  For more information, see the Prime TV website. Back to News...