Former True managing director Steve Kane joins Eight in business development role

(Pictured L-R: Lib Kelly, Claire Kelly, Katie Millington, Steve Kane)

Eight has announced that Steve Kane has come on board as business development director and creative consultant across the TVC and The Story Department in both Australia and New Zealand.

Kane hit the ground running production side as a marketing consultant working alongside Transmission Films to help promote Eight’s critically acclaimed documentary feature, Dame Valerie Adams : More than Gold, which premiered at Sky City on Oct 12th.

Kane is returning to the industry after a year’s sabbatical. Prior to that he was managing director of True where he departed at the end of 2021. He was MD of VMLY&R NZ and has worked in senior roles across the industry including creative director at DDB Aotearoa, TBWA New Zealand and as a PR consultant for Mango NZ and Hill & Knowlton in the UK.

Says Kane: “It’s lovely to be back in the world of production having started my career here in the 90’s as a staff writer on Melody Rules, arguably the worst comedy to ever grace the New Zealand screen. Eight is home to some of Australasia’s best talent, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with previously at various agencies, and the role feels like a natural place to put all of my past experience to use.”

Says Katie Millington, managing director and executive producer, Eight: “Steve has always been a good friend of Eight’s. I’ve been plotting a way to get him in the door for some time and frankly I’ve got far too much over him for him to have said ‘no’. Given we are strong advocates of diversity, we felt it was high time to include a straight white man on the executive team. He’ll be working across both the Australian and NZ offices, and stand by for another announcement regarding a new international office in the new year.”

Having worked on a slew of blue chips brands including Microsoft, Xerox, HP, Air NZ, McDonald’s, ANZ, STIHL NZ, Westpac, Jaguar Land Rover, ASB, Lotto NZ and Southern Cross, Kane is a welcome asset to Eight’s diverse executive team, which includes managing director Katie Millington, executive producer and head of production Lib Kelly and executive producer Claire Kelly.