Joanna MacIver Millan
- Additional Crew
Joanne has been a part of the South African television and film community for the past 30 years, working as a scriptwriter, researcher, concept and content developer. Having studied drama, political science and economic history at UKZN (Howard College) she initially worked in the corporate research environment before consolidating her personal passion with her business experience entering the media industry as a researcher for a number of production houses in the late 1980s.
Her research and subsequent writing credits include 8 years as the Senior Researcher and Head Writer for SABC's Lebone: Women on the Move, 3 series of Netcare Emergency 911, a 12-part Africa Unbottled wildlife and travel documentary series produced by Val Kilmer, and working on features including Long Walk to Freedom, award winning The Man Who Drove Mandela and a variety of short films. By the mid-1990s she had begun to focus on social development issues with a specific interest in education which led to a partnership with Selvan Munsamy of Blue Wizard Productions and the development of multiple early childhood development programming for the national broadcaster, including The Sunny & Spike Show, Mashaleng and Umnotfowame.
Today Joanne researches and writes SABC 1's 2015 SAFTA award winning youth programme iSpani, currently entering its 7th season as well as the 2016 SAFTA winning SABC 2's Each One Teach One weekly show. She has expanded her scope to include religious and esoteric documentaries, and works as a consultant for independent producers developing new projects across the spectrum of South African life.
Corporate communication, training and awareness programmes for Nestlé, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Provincial Government, Legislature and Treasury, Denel, Gauteng Department of Education, RMI, ETDP and MERSETA have ensured she stays in touch with the economic and political realities. These projects pay the bills and also ensure that her work remains anchored in the realities of the audiences lives.