Vincent Burke (14 February 1952 – 17 February 2022) was a New Zealand television and film producer. Burke was the founder of Top Shelf Productions which was established in 1988. With a career spanning thirty years, Burke was noted for his documentary work and television productions which addressed social issues and everyday life.

Early life and education

Burke was born in

Waimate Waimate is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand and the seat of Waimate District. It is situated just inland from the eastern coast of the South Island. The town is reached via a short detour west when travelling on State Highway One, the main No ...

, in the South Island of New Zealand. His family moved to

Tokoroa Tokoroa ( mi, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere) is the fifth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the M ...

when he was ten and later to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. He attended

Hamilton Boys' High School Hamilton Boys' High School is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand and is the largest secondary school in the Waikato region. The school was established as Hamilton High School in 1911 but was later split into separate boys' and gir ...

and Victoria University graduating with a BA (Hons) in music. After that he grew an interest in research and arts management.

Career

With his work arranging tours for theatre groups and bands for various universities and working as an arts administrator, Burke joined the

NZ Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended ...

as a policy advisor and researcher. Burke launched the New Zealand Television production company, Top Shelf Productions in 1988 which he ran until closing it down in 2019. He raised his own finance in the company to fund his first short film, ''Gordon Bennett,'' which was released in 1989. Burke’s first documentary, ''I Want to Die at Home'' was released in 1990. He made seven more films about death and dying which were used in nurses' training. The documentary won a Jury Award at the Montreal Women’s Festival in 1991. ''All About Eve'', a documentary about the HIV-infected child Eve van Grafhorst was released in 1994. In 1995, ''Cinema of Unease'' was released which covers the beginnings of New Zealand films around this time. Burke was the executive producer and it won Best Documentary at the 1996 NZ Film Awards. During the 1990s Burke expanded further with Top Shelf Productions, producing shows and documentaries such as ''Target'', ''An Immigrant Nation'' and '' Flatmates.'' During the early 2000s, Top Shelf Productions released the show ''Making New Zealand.'' Burke and Laurie Clarke founded the free-to-air New Zealand TV Channel,

Choice TV Eden (stylized as eden and formerly known as Choice TV) is a privately owned, national free-to-air television channel in New Zealand and has been on air since 2012. The channel features programs on topics such as: lifestyle, news, travel, reali ...

in late 2011. In 2012, Burke was appointed one of the directors and the channel was launched on 28 April 2012. It was sold to

Blue Ant Media Blue Ant Media Inc. is a Canadian broadcasting and media company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The company was founded by Michael MacMillan and formed in 2011 following the acquisition of Glassbox Television. Its name was chosen in referenc ...

in 2014, then to

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

in 2019. In the last few years of his life Burke worked as an executive producer at the

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

studios in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

Selected credits

* ''Gordon Bennett'' (1989) * ''I Want To Die At Home'' (1990) * ''Sisters of the River'' (1992) * ''An Immigrant Nation'' (1994-1996) * ''All About Eve'' (1994) * ''Flight of the Albatross'' (1995) * ''Velvet Dreams'' (1997) * '' Flatmates'' (1997) * ''Target'' (1999-2012) * ''Frontier of Dreams'' (2003-2004) * ''100 Men'' (2017) * TEAM TIBET - Home away from Home (2017)

Personal life

Burke was married to, and later divorced from, Monique Oomen who was a TVNZ current affairs director. He died on 17 February 2022 from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...

References

External links

Vincent Burke on NZ on Screen
* {{imdbname, 0121899 1952 births 2022 deaths New Zealand television producers New Zealand film producers People from Waimate People educated at Hamilton Boys' High School Victoria University of Wellington alumni