James Griffin
Exec. Producer, Co-creator, Writer, Script Editor
In addition to being one half of the creative pair force behind the award-winning OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, James Griffin also created and co-wrote New Zealand’s latest comedy series, Diplomatic Immunity for South Pacific Pictures.
Griffin also co-wrote the 2006 New Zealand blockbuster hit Sione’s Wedding with Oscar Kightley.
In 2008 James was nominated for Best Script (Drama/Comedy Programme) at the Qantas Film and Television Awards alongside co-creator Rachel Lang who took out the title. The pair is clearly a force to be reckoned with as James won the 2007 Air New Zealand Screen Award for Best Script Drama/Comedy for the series two OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE Christmas Special. This same episode won him the Best Script award at the 2007 Qantas Television Awards.
James has been a scriptwriter since 1985, when he joined the TVNZ Drama Department. His first writing credits were on the drama series Gloss and the sketch comedy series Funny Business. Since then his name has appeared as a writer on many shows including Marlin Bay, More Issues, Plainclothes, That Comedy Show, Citylife (which he also devised and was Associate Producer), the mini-series The Chosen, Jacksons Wharf, Shortland Street, Street Legal and Being Eve. He also wrote the one-off drama The Possum Hunter and the comedy playhouse Double Booking, which won Best Script, Comedy at the 1999 TV Guide Television Awards.
James is now Head Writer at South Pacific Pictures. Until 2007 he was Head of Development, overseeing the initial script development of such projects as Maddigan’s Quest, Interrogation and We’re Here to Help.
Serial Killers, a television series based on James’ award-winning play screened on TV One in 2005 to glowing reviews. The play itself has been performed by four major New Zealand theatre companies and was the winner of the 2000 Chapman Tripp Award for Best New Writer. Serial Killers has also had seasons in the UK and Australia.
James’ other writing credits include the award-winning television drama series Mercy Peak and the weekly satirical series Spin Doctors, which won Best Comedy Script at the 2003 AFTA awards. He was story producer for the hit animated televsion show bro’Town and writes James Griffin Strikes Back, a weekly satirical column in the weekend edition of the New Zealand Herald newspaper.
