Dr Gabriel Reid - BA, MA, PhD

Dr Gabriel Reid holds a Ph.D. in Film, Television and Media Studies. He secured his BA in 1997 and his MA (First Class Honours) in 2000. His MA thesis examines film adaptations of works by Shakespeare. Reid undertook research at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and Renaissance Films.

Reid was awarded a Bright Futures Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship in 2001. His Ph.D. thesis evaluates the impact of digital technologies on feature film production. Reid’s research interviewees included leading filmmakers at such companies as Blue Sky Studios, Industrial Light and Magic, Pixar Animation Studios and Weta Digital.

As vice-chair of the University’s Theatre Workshop, Reid oversaw productions of As You Like It, Salome and The Revenger's Tragedy. As a grandson of Mercury Theatre founder (and former UoA lecturer) Professor John Reid, his interest in the performing arts was nurtured from an early age. Commencing his career as a child actor on stage and television, he earned critical acclaim in his twenties for directing theatre. Invited to join the staff of the newly-founded Auckland Metropolitan Opera, he remained with the company (now known as NZ Opera) until 1995. Reid was an assistant director on notable television and film projects, including The Chronicles of Narnia. As an actor he has played featured guest roles in television series and films. His short film, As Dreams Are Made On, was invited to screen at several international festivals.

In 1999 Reid founded Pageant Films. The company has created several thousand on-air promos for New Zealand's largest television broadcasters; TVNZ, MediaWorks and their subsidiary networks.