Samoan Producer Brings Heart to Heavyweight with Dave Letele
When Heavyweight with Dave Letele: Tipping the Scales premieres this Thursday on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+, audiences can expect more than just hard-hitting stories, they’ll see heart and authenticity.
At its core, Heavyweight with Dave Letele is about sharing stories with heart, depth, and authenticity. The latest chapter continues to spotlight voices often unheard, offering fresh perspectives on critical issues.
“I feel grateful to be part of a team amplifying Pasifika and Māori voices on screen and behind the scenes,” says Eileen Lee, Heavyweight’s co-producer. “Dave isn’t a journalist, and that’s exactly why he's perfect for leading these conversations. He creates a space where people feel comfortable sharing their stories authentically.”
Lee joined the Heavyweight team in 2023 as a Researcher and Production Manager. Her dedication and storytelling instincts quickly earned her a producer role for the second and third instalments. For Eileen, Heavyweight is a platform to explore critical issues, from substance abuse and gang culture to obesity, through a lens grounded in lived experience.
Her journey into factual storytelling began after graduating from South Seas Film and Television School in 2018. Starting as a Production Assistant at Great Southern Television, she cut her teeth on investigative health series The Check Up. Eager to broaden her scope, Lee moved to Ruckus Media who she credits as the production company who created a space to develop her directing and producing skills. She honed her skills on several factual series, eventually stepping up into the role of Production Manager for ‘Patrick Gower On:’ a series that tackled some of Aotearoa's most pressing social issues, including substance abuse and cybercrime.
Throughout her career, Lee has been drawn to projects with purpose. She contributed to Kids Wired Differently with Sonia Gray, a heartfelt series highlighting the experiences of neurodiverse tamariki in Aotearoa. This passion for meaningful storytelling naturally led her to Heavyweight, where she found the perfect synergy between her skills and her passions.
Eileen credits her parents as her greatest inspiration. “I have always enjoyed listening to people’s stories, my parents are both fantastic storytellers who have both lived incredible lives.” Eileen’s mother, born in Samoa, migrated to Auckland in the 1960s, growing up in Grey Lynn during the turbulent dawn raid era. Her mother’s stories of resilience and strength shaped Eileen’s worldview. Her father instilled in her the values of hard work, humour, and kindness, qualities that shine through in her storytelling.
Since the release of Heavyweight’s first episode ‘Down & Out’, Lee has continued her work at the heart of Pacific storytelling, Tikilounge Productions. She co-produced the tamariki series Fresh Fairytales and recently wrapped her first featurette, First Place, a Pasifika dramedy about an unruly Samoan group navigating their way to Polyfest, set to premiere this year.
Looking ahead, Lee hopes to keep expanding her skills across both scripted and factual content. “I want to work on projects that inspire, uplift, and represent our communities authentically. Every story is an opportunity to connect, to challenge, and to celebrate who we are.”
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Heavyweight with Dave Letele - Tipping the Scales premieres Thursday February 13, 8.00pm on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+. Made with the support of NZ on Air. Other episodes are available to view on TVNZ+