Heavyweight Media.

Heavyweight Media was built with purpose: It wasn't just about making a show, but about creating a platform for real conversations around tough societal issues. We think this is important.

 

Heavyweight with Dave Letele was conceived by These Guys I Know to raise Dave Letele’s profile and amplify the impact of his community work through our pro bono 1000 Hours initiative. Designed as a platform for sharing lived experiences on critical societal issues, the series tackled addiction (Down and Out), gang life (Patched), and obesity (Tipping the Scales), featuring voices like advertising executive Kate Smith, former All Black Zac Guildford, and former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett.

 

These Guys I Know concepted and delivered all parts of Heavyweight with Dave Letele - including creating strategic partnerships with South Pacific Pictures, broadcast partner TVNZ and funding partner NZ On Air.  Executive Creative Director Ant Farac wrote and directed the series, which was built not just for ratings but for real societal impact. Leveraging our full suite of services, These Guys I Know led the concepting, branding, strategic partnerships, communications, PR, social media, and business management, as well as securing out-of-home support from Go Media to drive visibility.  We put together an incredible team including Tuki Laumea, Eileen Lee, Mario Gaoa, Kanoa Lloyd, Natalie Wilson to bring this project to fruition - delivering ratings success across both linear and on-demand viewing. 

 

Heavyweight with Dave Letele has had society impact, beyond ratings, which is what it set out to do. “We have received deeply personal messages about how lives have been impacted and cycles broken. That has made the hard work well worth it”.

 

Says Executive Producer Amanda Wilson “When it comes to sharing these stories, visibility matters. It is important to see others talking through their experiences - Dave leads by example in that sense”.

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