Linda McLaughlan

After a job in a honey factory and travels in India, Linda McLaughlan fell into a job as a production manager on series The Big OE, produced by Michelle Fantl. The gig begat a long collaboration with Fantl and director Stewart Main, from a documentary on young offenders (Make or Break) to 2005 movie 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous. Credits from McLaughlan's own extended OE include 2012 BBC2 documentary Family Guys? What Sitcoms Say about America Now. Paekakariki-based McLaughlan has also produced short films (The Freezer) and written fiction. She was formerly known by her maiden name, Linda Keown.

I think the word that sums up this mad industry of ours is unpredictable. The weather, the funding, the ratings, the light...the list goes on. What's lovely about this, however, is with things being so unpredictable, no two days are the same, and you get to work with a bunch of mad unpredictable people, which can make life tough sometimes but also means it's a lot of fun. Linda McLaughlan, on working in the film and TV industry