SWEET EXPORT AWARD FOR THE SWEET SHOP

High end production house The Sweet Shop has been named Creative and Design Exporter of the Year in the 2005 New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Export Awards. The Sweet Shop, still in its infancy at just three years old, won the national award in recognition of its success as a profitable, innovative and fast growing company.

The Export Awards judges congratulated The Sweet Shop on its success and said the Auckland enterprise was a truly global business, with most of its operations offshore.

“In just a few years of business this young company has built a strong customer base. Its ability to build relationships is a particular strength,” the judges said.

NZTE CEO Tim Gibson said the outstanding achievements of The Sweet Shop and the other Export Award winners in the intensely competitive international market should make all New Zealanders proud. “Our 2005 export award winners show that with vision, passion and skill, innovative New Zealand exporters can achieve on the world stage, often against much bigger and better resourced competitors.”

Managing Director, Paul Prince (pictured), was very pleased the Sweet Shop had the opportunity to go through the three stages of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise awards commenting ‘it was a great chance to analyse the entire business above and beyond producing commercials.’

Business has rocketed since The Sweet Shop was established in 2001; staff numbers have increased from 3 to 22 with seven directors now on its roster. Prince credits part of the Sweet Shop’s international success to its collaboration with powerful production houses Czar.US and Partizan. The Sweet Shop has also just opened its own office in London giving its directors closer access through the doors of European agencies.

This win is the latest in a string of successes. In January it was named one of the top 20 production houses in the world by leading international advertising industry publication Boards magazine. At Cannes, director Steve Ayson won a Film Lion, for Marmite “Blob” commercial while Kezia Barnett was the only director from the region presented in the Saatchi and Saatchi Young Directors Showcase.

At the inaugural advertising award show The Kodak Gongs in Sydney this September Barnett was awarded ‘Young Director of the Year’ award, while her commercial “Love Story” for Herringbone won a Gong for Production Design. Ayson also won a Gong for Casting with his “Lion” spot for Centraal Beheer. The Sweet Shop was also a winner at the Clio Awards, and gathered 5 awards and 3 trophies at the Australasian Television Awards.