Kat Gawlik

After leaving high school in 1997, I knew I wanted to have a career where animals were involved, so I spent 4 years at Waikato University studying a Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology.

After many an animal dissection and late nights partying, I graduated in 2001 and moved back to my hometown of Rotorua where I started working at Rainbow Springs Nature Park as an animal keeper and tour guide. Over the next few years my interest in wildlife and conservation grew and for the next year I volunteered at the Hamilton Zoo and joined the committee of the Rotorua Branch of the Forest & Bird Society.

My interest in still photography also developed. It was time for a change, so i moved to Queenstown in 2002 where I could get my snowboarding fix, and I continued working with New Zealand natives at the Kiwi and Birdlife Park, and also as a Conservation Officer at the Department of Conservation giving information to tourists about Mt. Aspiring National Park and selling hut tickets for the Great Walks.

While in Queenstown for 3 years, I did a bit of 'extra' work for TV commercials, programmes and advertisements. It was through this exposure that I learnt about the TV industry and realised that I wanted to combine my love of the environment and animals with filmmaking. The next great opportunity was through a 'chance' meeting when I registered with a babysitting agency to get some extra cash and I went to a babysitting job for the Managing Director of the television company Great Southern Television, who make Eating Media Lunch and the Lion Man to name a few.

I became a production assistant on the series "Remarkable Vets", and got the opportunity of a lifetime- to handraise 2 Bengal tiger cubs, and 2 white tiger cubs at Zion Wildlife Gardens on The Lion Man series 2. I gave up a permanent job at Zion to study Natural History Filmmaking & Communication at Otago University from 2005 to 2006, and during the year of study made a music video using stop-motion animation, a short film about an escapee tuna can, and a 22 minute documentary about New Zealand's burping cows and sheep (www.burpingbovidae.com).

After graduating with a Postgraduate Diploma in Natural History Filmmaking & Communication with distinction I mentored 3 students from Pakuranga College, Auckland, throughout the making of a 10 minute documentary about Stephens Island Tuatara for the Royal Society of New Zealand's Big Science Adventure competition.

I am currently living on the Gold Coast, Australia, trying to get Green Screen Productions (www.greenscreenproductions.com) off the ground, and at this stage I'm taking any film work I can get to allow me to gain industry experience and fund my own film projects. I want to make films that open peoples’ minds, change ways of thinking and make a difference in the world, even if it is only a small difference.