Dana Youngman

Dana Youngman is a New Zealand television and screen executive. A Samoan New Zealander, she won a 2021 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.

Biography

Youngman spent her early years in the Auckland suburb of Avondale.[1] Her mother, Mata, had emigrated from Samoa to train as a nurse, and her Pākehā father, Brian, was a police officer. The family moved to Dannevirke in the Hawke's Bay region when she was at primary school.[2] During high school, Youngman attended the National Youth Drama school and studied documentary-making with Bruno Lawrence and Chris Verberg. After leaving school she returned to Auckland to study television directing and production management at Unitec Institute of Technology.[1]

While a tertiary student, Youngman had work experience placements at TVNZ, and on graduating was employed as a production co-ordinator. In 1997, she joined the morning television show Good Morning. She became one of New Zealand's youngest and first prime time television producers of Pasifika heritage in 2001 and in 2004, she was appointed head of the network's lifestyle unit and produced a number of drama, documentary and animated television shows until moving to Sky TV as an Entertainment Commissioner in 2019.[1][3] After three years at Sky, Youngman was appointed strategic advisor to the chief executive at the New Zealand Film Commission.[4]

Youngman has been nominated for television awards. In 2003, she was nominated with Lisa Pringle for the Best Lifestyle Series Award at the New Zealand Television Awards for Maggie's Garden Show. In 2019, she was nominated with Damon Fepulea'i for the Best Pasifika Programme Award and the Best Sports Programme Award for Life After Footy – Legends of the Pacific at the New Zealand Television Awards.[5] Her commissioned series INSiDE won an International Emmy Award for Best Short-Form Series in 2021.[2]

Youngman is one of three New Zealand members of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[2] In 2021, she won the Diversity Award at the prestigious New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.[2]

Screenography

Year Title Role Format
2022 A Question of Justice Network executive Television
Raised by Refugees Network executive Television
2021 Teine Sā – The Ancient Ones Network executive Web series
Inked Network executive Television
Designing Dreams Network executive Television
A Mild Touch of Cancer Network executive Film
2020 Tales of the Moana Creator, director and producer Television
SIS Network executive Television
INSiDE Network executive Television
This Could Go Anywhere Executive producer Television
Living with the Boss Writer Television
2019 Legendary Polynesia Creator, director and producer Television
2018 Life After Footy: Legends of the Pacific Creator and producer Television
2016 Sidewalk Karaoke Executive producer Television
2015–2016 Kiwi Living Director and producer Television
2014–2017 Whānau Living Creator and executive producer Television
2014 The Art of the Architect Creator and series producer Television
Real Pasifik Producer Television
Fresh Producer Television
2010 Inside Nature's Giants – The Giant Squid Line producer Television
2010–2014 Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook Creator, director and producer Television
2008 Build Up To Beijing Creator, director and producer Television
New Zealand's Got Talent Writer, director and producer Television
2007 A Taste of Home Creator and producer Television
Are We There Yet? Executive producer Television
2006 New Zealand House and Garden Creator, director and producer Television
New Zealand's Brainiest Kid Development producer Television
2005 Taste Takes Off – Beijing Executive producer Television
2005 and 2007 Dancing with the Stars Executive producer Television
2004 and 2007 Mucking In Executive producer Television
Good Morning Executive producer Television
2004 Ground Rules Creator and executive producer Television
Tomb of the Unknown Warrior Producer Television
Flipside Executive producer Television
Hum Producer Television
Country Calendar Executive producer Television
2002 Angela D'Audney – A Tribute Production manager Television
Bouncers Network executive Short Film
2000 Maggie's Garden Show – Ellerslie Flower Show Special Compilation director Television
United Travel Getaway Associate producer Television
1998–2003 Maggie's Garden Show Director, producer and production manager Television

References

  1. ^ a b c "Dana Youngman – Biography". NZ On Screen. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Fruean, Adel (19 February 2022). "Dana Youngman, a Woman of Influence, a daughter of Samoa". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Dana Youngman". AIDC. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Kōpere Ake 2024 Judges Panel". New Zealand Writers Guild. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Dana Youngman – Awards". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
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