News

Welcome to McDaniel & Power’s new website beautifully designed by the fantastic Olivia Young - a soon to be graduate student of Aoraki Polytechnic's "Certificate in Multimedia & web design" program offered at Dunedin Campus, led by Archana Dhanda.

In May Automatic Films - based in Auckland. www.automaticfilms.tv - filmed segments of a Rugby World Cup TVC in Dunedin, they then hit Dublin, Paris and London to shoot the remainder of the footage. The shoot in Dunedin used McDaniel&Power actors exclusively.

Also during May, Mark Neilson, Joel Rees, Kirk Bremner, Ian Loughran, Steven McNamara, Harley Neville all secured roles in the NZFC funded short ‘Running Stitch’, the short was shot at the old Dunedin Prison, Automatic Films produced. Dunedin Casting Services headed an impartial casting team and all supporting roles in the film were filled from within the Dunedin community of actors and other characters.

The Dunedin Actors Studio has begun a 6-week workshop ' Actors Truth' with Barbara Power coaching. TDAS are also in negotiation with other leading practitioners keen to hold workshops at the studio over the coming months. TDAS intention is to provide ongoing opportunities for professional development. TDAS warmly invites practitioners wanting to hold workshops to make contact with us.

We welcome recent signings Hana Aoake and William Tait Jamison to the books - both appear in the Actors 18+ frame here on the new website. McDaniel&Power has audition criteria for entry onto our books.

McDaniel&Power are currently in negotiation with select Auckland agents with a view to developing a co-representation deal for those actors based in or interested in auditioning in the North. More news regarding these developments will follow soon. McDaniel&Power’s MO is to support Southern performers in the application of their craft, to get them noticed and awarded their worth.

The Design Department at The Otago Polytechnic currently employ McDaniel&Powet Actors for work shopping projects aimed at their students involved in film and media projects.

Testimonials

- Declan Cahill, Executive Producer. Automatic Films.
"Automatic are an Auckland based Production company with a significant history in commercial film production. During April, May and June 2011 we shot a series of commercials for the Rugby World Cup. A significant proportion of the shoot was set in Dunedin and cast was required. Barbara at McDaniel&Power provided an exceptional service. supplying fantastic actors many of whom finished up as a major element in the final edit. The casting and follow up was as good as anywhere I have encountered and in fact better than most.

During the same period at Automatic we were in preproduction to shoot a NZFC short ‘Running Stitch” also in Dunedin, our location was the Old Dunedin Prison. It was great to have Barbara Power and Lisa Hastie from Dunedin Casting as our casting team in the South. Among those they auditioned were actors from McD&P’s roster alongside other actors from the wider community + a strong dose of serious street casting, the task was performed with a great passion and professionalism. I cannot recommend Barbara and Lisa’s casting services highly enough if you are shooting in Dunedin or in fact anywhere in the Deep South."

- Cameron Bennett, NZ Network.
"Turning down town Dunedin and Oamaru into New York in the 1950s to film the Japanese TV drama 'Wastelands' was never going to be easy but by asking McDaniel+Power to sort out all the local casting a huge organisational, communication and logistical worry just seem to vanish."

Wonderful feedback from our Acting Workshop run by Miranda Harcourt;

- Craig Storey, StoreyTeller Films, TreeFrog Video.
"Let us congratulate Barbara and Aliana for sustaining the tremendous efforts it requires to bring such a scintillating light as Ms Harcourt to Dunners. Well done and may the event be repeated often, with verve and a bigger audience."