Daniel Betty

Co-Founder and Creative Leader

Daniel Betty has worked as an actor, producer, director and musician throughout New Zealand and Australia. He has graduated from Unitec in Auckland with a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts and has a Post Graduate Diploma in Secondary teaching from Massey University.

Daniel is the Creative Director for Dream Big a company that champions creativity and supports creatives to tell their story. Currently Dream Big has two short films on the festival circuit OPIA and FRISKY. OPIA is a mysterious love story where two disconnected youths come together through graffiti art. FRISKY is an exploration of Alex, a transgender person looking for acceptance and Mick, a farmer struggling with mental health who overcome prejudice to save the farm and each other. RECOGNITION a feature film is in production and working to gather funding. Dream Big also supports artists through the ELEVATE PROJECT, actors through SCENE WORK and post-production through POST and CAMERA workshops. Dream Big focuses on telling great stories on screen, on stage and online. They have a strong social focus and champion creativity as a vehicle for social change.

Upon returning to Hawke's Bay Daniel has been at the birth of many great artistic initiatives. He championed community and education at Hawke's Bay Arts Festival and Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre. He assisted in the establishment of the Eastern Screen Alliance and has sat on a number of boards to grow events, funding opportunities and national/International connections.