The Guild exists to guide, protect and support our members; to represent their aims; to teach and exchange ideas and to grow recognition for the value we bring to our industry.
SMSG priorities are:
- Financial sustainability and security
- Creative and technical excellence
- Representation
- Promoting our craft
- Building diversity
- Health and wellbeing
- Collegiality and community
For more details on our aims and objectives please read The Constitution here.
We invite all NZ screen composers, screen music professionals and sound professionals to be involved in the Guild for the good of our collective craft. So join our membership to be part of a dynamic group of professionals who are helping shape the future for our sectors.
Members and interested parties are welcome to sign-up to the Guild’s Facebook page and the monthly email newsletter to keep up to date with general news.
Please get in touch with any enquiries regarding membership, suggestions, requests and general help at admin@smsg.org.nz
SMSG’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi statement
Te uepū Kaitito Whakaata, The Screen Music and Sound Guild of Aotearoa New
Zealand, recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation of the relationship
between Tangata Whenua and the New Zealand Government (Crown) and all who now call Aotearoa New Zealand home.
We recognise that Te Tiriti provides for Māori:
- Tino Rangatiratanga / Unqualified exercise of chieftainship
- Governance
- Ōritetanga (equity)
- Protection of taonga, whenua, fisheries, customs, knowledge.
As practitioners in the Screen Music and Sound arts, we have a unique role as
recorders and communicators of culture and stories. We regularly participate in
productions that receive funding from the New Zealand Government. As Tiriti
partners and allies, this means that:
- We commit to building relationships and partnerships that will ensure our
members have access to the necessary knowledge and connections to work appropriately with Te Reo Māori content, Waiata, and Taonga pūoro. - We recognise Māori Data as a taonga protected by Article 2 and are
committed to the development of policies and practices that honour it as such. We consult and draw on the work of leaders in the domain of indigenous data sovereignty to inform us around this. - We commit to nurturing Māori talent in the screen music and sound
professions. - We commit to advocating for the use of Te Reo Māori in all Aotearoa screen content.
- We commit to continuing our Te Tiriti journey authentically and standing as allies.
Committee Members
John McKay – Co-chair
SMSG founding member, John McKay has more than 40 years’ experience in the screen industry, primarily in Sound Post Production. He is the founder / CEO of POW Studios in Wellington, a soundpost company.
He is a recipient of sound editorial awards for Footrot Flats, Jubilee and A Soldier’s Tale. Also, he was a Golden Reel Award-nominee for The Lord of the Rings. Recently, he supervised sound on the animated Chinese feature film I Am What I Am, and on local acclaimed features such as Coming Home in the Dark.
“I see the formation of the Guild as a sign of the sound and music community maturing, with a focus on growing sustainable career pathways for current and new entrants to the profession,” says John.
Melissa Conway – Executive Director
Melissa is a Producer with 25 years’ experience in the screen sector. She has worked in a range of roles in film and TV production, as well as organisational/infrastructure development, programming and education, large scale project management, building partnerships and multi team/crew management. “I’m excited to be leading the expansive programme of work for SMSG and to be part of building recognition and sustainability for music and sound postproduction.”
Amelia Addis – Communications Administrator
Amelia is a scriptwriting graduate from Victoria University’s IIML, and was the co-recipient of the 2024 Write Room Residency.
Her understanding of sound as a storytelling tool in her scripts fuels her passion to support and advocate for sound and music production workers in Aotearoa. Her background in events and small business management has provided her with a varied skill-set across administration, customer liaison and event management, enabling her to serve the SMSG and its members.
Phil Gore – Treasurer
Phil Gore is an Associate Director with VCFO Group Ltd, an accounting practice in Auckland.
Phil has a deep understanding of the screen industry from working as a film production accountant in NZ and Australia for 10 years. Since 2008, Phil has specialised in screen industry work with the accounting firm Pieter Holl & Associates, and now with VCFO.
Phil has a close working relationship with overseas studios, producers, production accountants and legal advisors, plus the NZ Film Commission through his numerous NZ Screen Production Grant vetting and grant applications. He is also a Board member (and Treasurer) of the Directors & Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand.
William Philipson – Secretary
William Philipson is a composer and music editor based in Wellington, New Zealand.
He is a relatively new member to the industry. He graduated with a masters degree in music in 2019, and since then he has been working in the industry in Wellington as music editor, composer, and as a composer’s assistant. He has worked under a number of established New Zealand composers, and he has written music for two feature films.
He is passionate about helping to create clear and accessible career pathways into our industry. He would like to be an advocative for the young and emerging members of the guild, with the goal to create a diverse and inclusive industry with opportunities for newcomers, as well as support for those who are struggling financially.
Graeme Revell – Committee Member
Between 1989 and 2017 Graeme Revell enjoyed a 25 year plus career as a film, television, gaming and advertising composer, predominantly in the USA but also Australia, the UK and Germany. So far, he is unique among NZ composers in the extent of this overseas experience.
He was brought up in South Auckland and took with him an unusual mix of influences: some traditional training but, more relevantly, a keen appreciation for our cultural diversity and sound design of all kinds. This afforded him a niche at the highest levels of a very competitive and crowded industry.
The variety of skills across both the sound and music fields that he developed gave him a deep insight into the connectivity of opportunities in this complex field. He is keen to pass on that perspective in the educational field. There is a current lack of knowledge among students of the range of different job opportunities.
He has gained a profound understanding of producers’ and directors’ needs which can be imparted to them to advocate for a greater valuation of music and sound in the overall film product.
Janet Roddick – Committee Member
Janet Roddick has been working as a professional musician for 35 years. She has been composing for screen, installation, and theatre and dance in partnership with David Donaldson and Steve Roche as Plan 9 since 1996.
Plan 9 have composed scores for over 30 feature films and have won numerous awards for their work.
“For most of my working life I have been the only woman on music the team and am disappointed that is still the case. Diversity and inclusion is a major issue in our part of the screen sector and I support efforts to improve representation and recognition.”
Marius Hoffmann – Committee Member
Marius Hoffmann is a German Wellington-based media composer. After successfully finishing his postgraduate degree in Psychology and working on emotion focused neuroscientific research, Marius decided to follow his passion to become a composer as he arrived in New Zealand in 2016. He studied Music production at Middlesex University London and recently finished his Master of Fine Arts in Film music at Victoria University Wellington.
Marius is fascinated by the poignant power music has in cinematic storytelling. He is focused on neoclassical, hybrid, and ambient music styles. Being new to the industry, Marius is currently working on his career as a media composer.
Jeff Wragg – Committee Member
Jeff Wragg has composed music for feature films, independent films, television, and theatre, working on productions both in New Zealand and in the USA. He is also a composer of classical music and has had his works performed by the Auckland Philharmonia and the NZ String Quartet.
He completed a Bachelor of Music degree at Berklee College of Music and a Masters and PhD from Waikato University. He is the former Programme Manager at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ) and the School of Music at the Southern Institute of Technology. He remains active as an educator, guest lecturing at a number of institutions around New Zealand, while continuing to compose music for a wide variety of projects.
He is passionate about supporting others in their musical journey and believes in the strength of collaboration and cooperation.
Tom McLeod – Committee Member
After graduating, from the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, where he majored in jazz piano, Tom spent several years performing at festivals around NZ with many acts – including his own comic persona Tommy Love,before going to work with composer/arranger Terry Gray – producing and arranging music for television.
Through this, Tom discovered a passion for narrative composing, and has since established a career composing music for numerous films and television shows, as well as stage musicals such as the large scale 2018 stage production City Of 100 Lovers, and his collaboration with composer Tim Finn to create the opera Ihitai ‘Avei’a – Star Navigator – which recently premiered on ABC Classic (West Australian Opera & West Australian Symphony) after performances by New Zealand Opera in 2021 and 2022.
In 2023 Tom won the APRA Best Original Music in a Series award for the Netflix docu-drama series Blood, Sex and Royalty. Tom also won Best Original Score for at the 2021 NZ TV Awards with the documentary series Fight For The Wild. He has been a multiple finalist at the APRA Awards, and has twice previously won the APRA Best Original Music in a Series award for TV comedy Girl Vs Boy.
Chris Cozens – Committee Member
With a career spanning four decades from rock bands to session player, arranger, composer & songwriter, Chris has been involved in some of the biggest franchises in the history of TV and film including Band Of Brothers; James Bond; Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts; Hunger Games and Lord Of The Rings.
One of the first artist/producers to have a UK “top-ten’ hit album recorded in a home studio, he has remained at the cutting edge of the music industry and is a specialist in record production & synth programming as well as technical film scoring, hybrid scores & mock ups.
A graduate of Leeds Music College, he has an international reputation with over 200 film/TV credits & over 150 albums with extensive multi-project relationships with A-List composers including David Arnold, James Newton Howard, Rachel Portman & Howard Shore.
He has performed production duties for Peer Southern and Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, composed scores and jingles for the BBC; Granada; HBO; EMI and LBC. In 2016, Chris set up tMiM, a non-profit that delivers the therapeutic benefits of music through a multi-platform music streaming app.
Chris divides his time between his home in Aotearoa New Zealand, the USA, and the UK.
Jordan Smith – Committee Member
Jordan Smith is a versatile and accomplished audio post professional with over a decade of experience in crafting sound for a wide array of media. As a key member of the team at Native Audio, he has contributed his skills as a dialogue supervisor, editor, ADR mixer and mixer to numerous projects across feature films, factual television, video games, and installations in both New Zealand and Canada.
Jordan’s expertise in dialogue editing and ADR mixing ensures clarity and emotional impact, while his re-recording skills bring narratives to life.
Beyond his technical proficiency, Jordan is recognised for his exceptional communication and collaborative spirit. His friendly and professional approach makes him a valued partner for both talent and creative teams.
Hamish Oliver – Committee Member
Hamish has enjoyed a thirty-year-long career as a composer, sound designer, musical director, arranger and performer for television, film, video games and theatre, and has a Master’s degree in composition. He is a Screen Sound lecturer at Canterbury University, working in areas like sound design, music composition, implementation of interactive audio, production, mixing etc. In 2015 Hamish was the recipient of an APRA Professional Development Award to further his career in music composition for video games.
Hamish has toured internationally with Elaine Paige, Aled Jones and Hayley Westenra and has performed with Serj Tankian, Shapeshifter, Tiki Taane, Bic Runga, Julia Deans, Anika Moa, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra among many other artists. He plays piano and celeste for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and has had several composition commissions from them.
Hamish has composed for several TV series, many short films and documentaries, a feature film, and has been composing music and creating sound designs
for theatrical productions since the mid-90s.
His musical arrangements have been performed by The Phoenix Foundation, Brooke Fraser, Alien Weaponry, Shapeshifter, Tiki Taane, Julia Deans, Anika Moa, and the major orchestras of New Zealand.
Ben Sinclair – Committee Member
Ben Sinclair’s beard has worked across a wide range of disciplines within audio post production for over 25 years.
Starting out as a fresh-faced dialogue editor (beardless), he took a stroll through Foley (performing and recording), made weird noises as a sound designer, with a small detour through composition, before finally finding himself propped up behind a mixing console at Images and Sound in Auckland.
His work ranges across a wide range of media as well- commercials, long-form TV drama, skit comedy, international art exhibitions, an expo pavilion, a handful of games and interactive museum exhibits, a respectable catalogue of kids songs (including the APRA award winning ‘We Love Pets’), and a growing number of feature films that screen all over the world.
These days, Ben can be found making twangy surf guitar music when he isn’t pushing faders around, but don’t ask for surfing advice, because he wouldn’t have a clue how to actually do it.
Yvonne Morrison – Accounts Manager
Yvonne is a seasoned finance professional with a passion for making “the accounts” easy for purpose led organisations. Discovering the Creative and Arts sector, eight years ago, when temping at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and hasn’t looked back since. She supports Orchestras and Theatre, mental well being for Rangatahi as well as volunteering locally to feed families with newborns.