Collective Conversations: Victoria Boult
Victoria Boult (right) in conversation with SFC Coordinator Amalia Schroeder (left), at Schoolhouse Studios, Queenstown.
In September, SFC were thrilled to host young Queenstown-born filmmaker Victoria Boult live in conversation with Amalia Schroeder in Queenstown and online.
Victoria joined us hot off the heels of the success of her debut series n00b, the TikTok hit series that became a TV Three show and was selected for the prestigious CANNESERIES and Berlinale festivals, as well as being picked up by Netflix.
Victoria shared her journey, from early days of performing arts enthusiasm to breaking into the industry, the hustle behind success, and why she’s passionate about seeing more screen stories from the South.
Read our article below or check out the full video talk to hear all about:
Victoria’s early life & Queenstown roots
Path into filmmaking
Mentorship and first industry steps
Creating n00b
Festivals, international recognition, the myth of “making it” and importance of ongoing hustle
Funding and low-budget filmmaking in NZ
Crowdfunding & building audience
Shooting in the South Island
Balancing artistic vision & marketability
Micro-dramas & TikTok as a platform
At just 27, Victoria has already made a remarkable splash into the screen industry. Born and raised in Queenstown, she’s gone from local theatre kid to development executive, co-creator of n00b, funded short film maker, and writer on multiple NZ television series.
But Victoria’s success hasn’t been a random stroke of luck, nor has her journey been straightforward. Bold decisions, following her heart, purposefully connecting with people as much as she could, and working extremely hard, have put Victoria on the trajectory of a professional writing and directing career.
“I actually thought I was going to be a theatre actor,” she laughed during our chat. She then did the ‘responsible’ thing and began a degree in socio-legal studies, and at a dejected time in her university life, signed up for a film class as a distraction and changed her major the next day. She spent years in the academic world of film theory before being tempted by becoming a creator herself.
That spark of inspiration has led to an exciting start to her career that already spans writing, directing, and development producing. Besides the success of n00b, her short film Invisible Dragons, funded through the New Zealand Film Commission’s Fresh Shorts programme, is debuting internationally at Bend, then Hawai‘i International Film Festival.
Breaking through into Development Producing
Victoria’s industry breakthrough opportunity came from an email to Great Southern Television’s Phil Smith after plans to head to the US post-Uni were derailed by Covid. Phil brought her on as a personal assistant, and soon realised she was meant for a more creatively-involved role. Victoria recalled thinking she was being fired, when in fact, her potential has been recognised and she transitioned into the Development team at Great Southern.
Phil has said if she didn’t move to America, he would make it worth her while. She didn’t, and it was in deed worth her while.
Victoria hugely credits the mentorship she received as she grew in the industry, including not only Phil, but n00b co-director and mentor Josh Frizzell.
TikTok to TV: Breaking New Ground
Victoria’s breakout success came with n00b, co-created with producer Rachel Fawcett. Starting life as a TikTok series, it was a bold move at the time.
“All my friends call me a grandmother because I don’t like social media,” she admitted, but producer Rachel was deep in the world of social media marketing and the pair “found that New Zealand On Air had this very specific funding round just for TikTok series. And at the time, that was groundbreaking. And also, it wasn't very popular because a lot of people didn't really know what a scripted TikTok series would look like. And so as a result, that funding round was not the most competitive. And what that meant is that we kind of found this opportunity in a space that a lot of other people weren't looking at.”
The gamble paid off. With just $50,000, the team produced a total 20-minutes of content over short episodes that went viral, racking up over a million views. The fan response, including many comments demanding a longer series, helped convince funders that there was already an audience. Soon after, Warner Bros. Discovery asked the pair for a TV pilot.
“I literally locked myself in my parents’ basement in Queenstown for five days and wrote a script,” she said.
Even with a $1.5 million budget for six episodes, the production was still considered “shoestring.” Victoria recalls having to rewrite entire scenes to cut costs. Yet she credits those restrictions with sharpening her writing: “If you can make a scene work in a totally different context, it’s a good test of your craft.” Among the practical budget realities of the budget was producing the series in Auckland, not Gore where it is set.
The Reality After Cannes
n00b’s international success might sound like a golden ticket, but Victoria is candid about continuing to work and build connections, she “basically just pretended like nothing existed and continued to hustle at that same level.”
She didn’t work for three months, and in reflects that ”there's an over-saturation of incredible writers, directors, producers, filmmakers, people in this country and there's not very many jobs and so I'm not surprised in retrospect that no one came knocking on my door.”
She’s invested heavily in her own persistence - signing to an agent, buying tickets to industry events, countless emails, coffees, and continuing to write and develop her own projects.
A Champion for the South
Despite the practical realities that led n00b to shoot in Auckland, Victoria remains committed to telling stories rooted in the South Island, and is constantly writing scripts set in her hometown.
“Queenstown is the most beautiful place in the world,” she said. She’s always advocating for projects to come to the South, and sees every show made here as building the case more and more.
Looking Ahead
What’s next for Victoria Boult? She’s heading to Oregon for a film festival and writers retreat, diving into lead writing on new series Child of Pop, has recently completed another short film (Lads), and has more secret projects in the works.
Her grounded and inspiring advice to filmmakers weighing up audience appeal and telling stories from their heart:
“I think it’s not so much about sacrificing your artistic voice for commercial viability, it’s about figuring out ‘what are you trying to say with each project’ and how to make it attainable.”
For a young filmmaker still early in her career, Victoria has already shown extraordinary tenacity and vision. Her journey is a reminder that there’s no single path into the industry, and persistence, creativity, and community support can do incredible things.
