Joel Corbett originally moved to Taupō to start a career in skydiving. After completing his
training in Christchurch, Joel was keen to live closer to his family in Raetihi. Taupō’s strong
skydiving reputation and central location ticked all the boxes and Joel spent a number of
years giving people the flight of their lives.
However over time Joel came to realise that his real passion was in film. “If I wasn’t skydiving, I was spending all my time shooting and editing film” Joel says. “The creativity and freedom of the process is exhilarating.” Joel began to work on local commercial filming projects and saw the size of the opportunity. “Social media was exploding, and the need for video content was growing rapidly. So I took that creativity and passion and was confident I
could produce high quality videos for clients.”
Joel’s business grew quickly, and he now works full-time at Corbie Films. He prefers to work locally, and his days are filled with writing, shooting and editing. “Inspiration is right on our doorstep and the Taupō region has amazing stories to tell. Who wants to be sitting in a car or a plane when you could be out there creating?”
Joel also loves the small-town feel of Taupō and has found it easy to connect with the
business sector. “Taupō is the sort of place where if you get stuck in and build yourself a
reliable reputation, things will happen. You don’t get lost in the noise of a big city. I’ve been
running a Taupō Film Festival for a number of years, and it all started from a quick
conversation with the local cinema. They got behind the idea 100% and helped me run with
it.”
Spending time with family is something that’s important to Joel, and he often can be found
exploring the local walks and bike trails with his young daughter. “Everything is so close
here. You can be in a café finishing your coffee and a few minutes later your paddling in the
lake or on some amazing native bush walk. It’s just a great way to live!”
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