Michelle Walshe
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2025) |
Michelle Walshe | |
|---|---|
 Michelle Walshe | |
| Born | Canberra, Australia |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse | Leon Kirkbeck |
| Children | 4 |
Michelle Walshe is an Australian-born, New Zealand film director, producer, and entrepreneur. She is best known for directing documentary 'Chasing Great' (2016), a documentary about All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, and co-directing Prime Minister (2025), a documentary about Jacinda Ardern that won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2025 Sundance.[1]
Early life
[edit]Walshe was born in Canberra, Australia. During her childhood, she lived in Canada, where her father served as an Australian diplomat. She later relocated to New Zealand, where she is now based.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Walshe began her professional life in publishing, working in Sydney with Murdoch Magazines and Hachette Filipacchi Australia, and later at Simon & Schuster in London. She then transitioned into film and television production, starting in post-production while based in the UK.[citation needed]
In 2003, she relocated to New Zealand and joined Touchdown Television (now part of Warner Bros. International Television Production), working on unscripted and reality series. She later moved to Greenstone TV, a company specialising in factual television and documentary.[citation needed]
In 2008, she co-founded Augusto, a creative and production agency. The company works across brand storytelling, sports content, and original formats.[citation needed]
In 2014, she directed Short Poppies, an eight-part comedy series created by and starring Rhys Darby. The mockumentary-style show aired on Netflix and featured guest appearances from Sam Neil, Karl Urban and Stephen Merchant.[citation needed]
Her feature documentary debut came with Chasing Great (2016), which became the highest-grossing documentary in New Zealand history.[citation needed]
Walshe also served as executive producer on Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles (2023), Girl on the Bridge (2020), and Jessica’s Tree (2019), which won gold at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. She also executive produced Black Coast Vanishings (2023), a true-crime docuseries exploring mysterious disappearances along New Zealand’s West Coast.
In 2025, Walshe directed Prime Minister with American director Lindsay Utz. The film explores Ardern’s leadership during major national events including the Christchurch mosque shootings and the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. It premiered at Sundance and won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary.[1]
Business ventures
[edit]Walshe co-founded several ventures with her spouse Leon Kirkbeck: Creative Agency, Augusto; Content Agency, Cornerstore; Production Company, Dark Doris Entertainment; and event business Ballyhoo. She co-founded the sports ed-tech platform CoachMate with Leigh Kenyon and Michael Ramirez.[citation needed]
Augusto is known for brand storytelling, producing campaigns for Adidas, AIG, the All Blacks, Tourism New Zealand, Brooklyn Nets and New York Red Bulls to name a few.[citation needed]
Dark Doris Entertainment (previously Augusto Entertainment), co-produced the documentary Prime Minister (2025), which won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.[2] Its earlier projects include Girl on the Bridge (2020)—an official selection at the New Zealand International Film Festival—and Jessica’s Tree (2019), which received a Gold Award at the 2020 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.[3]
Ballyhoo organised the world’s largest haka at Eden Park in 2025, setting a Guinness World Record and earning national media coverage.[4]
CoachMate is a digital learning platform for grassroots coaches and parents. It partners with national sports bodies such as New Zealand Football, Basketball New Zealand, Golf New Zealand, Cricket Australia, Golf Australia and the Halberg Foundation to help kids have better sports experiences. In 2023 it won ANZSTA Award for Sports Performance & Coaching Technology,[5] and was shortlisted for the 2024 Leaders Sports Awards in the Tech Breakthrough category.[6]
Awards and nominations
[edit]- 2017 New Zealand Film Awards – Nominated: Best Documentary, Best Documentary Director for Chasing Great
- 2017 Leaders Under 40 – Honouree[7]
- 2020 New York Festivals – Gold Award for Jessica’s Tree
- 2025 Sundance Film Festival – Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary for Prime Minister[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "2025 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "2025 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "New York Festivals 2020 TV & Film Awards Winners" (PDF). New York Festivals. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Haka at Eden Park breaks world record". RNZ. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "2024 Winners". ANZSTA. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "CoachMate nominated for Tech Breakthrough Award". CoachMate. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Leaders Under 40 Class of 2017". Leaders in Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "2025 Sundance Film Festival Awards". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 3 June 2025.