INTERVIEW: David Gibson On The Smirnoff Night Project

Last November saw Smirnoff embark on a quest to find New Zealand’s most original, off beat ideas to create four unforgettable events that would culminate in a television series for FOUR hosted by Elemeno P front man, Dave Gibson. We wanted the 'inside word' so got in touch with Dave Gibson to find out more about the winning entries and what people can expect from the 4 Smirnoff Night Project Events.

G’day Dave, can you give us a bit of an overview of the Smirnoff Night Project?

Last November saw the good guys at Smirnoff put a call out to find New Zealand’s most original, off-beat ideas to create four unforgettable events that would culminate in the Smirnoff Night Project and a television series for FOUR. Smirnoff then picked four winning entries that were innovative, original and creative – each of them getting a share of a $100K prizepool to help bring their ideas to life.

The Smirnoff Night Project is an ambitious concept. How did you get involved in being part of the fun?

I did a bit of work with Special Problems (the production company behind the Smirnoff Night Project) when they made an awesome video for our song Louder Louder. We worked together really well so when they were asked by the team at FOUR for recommendations for a host for the series, they suggested I might by a good choice. Thanks guys!

New Zealand's Smirnoff Night Project is part of Smirnoff's global "Be There" campaign running in a number of international markets. How do you think us Kiwis stack up against other countries in terms of putting on a party?

Well I think Kiwis are really good at hustling and getting stuck in and doing everything themselves because you just have to in New Zealand - there’s hardly any money around! This is a quality that the winners will all need to help make their ambitious ideas happen and hopefully they’ll do our country proud.

Having travelled the world with Elemeno P, I'm sure you've been to a fair few parties in your time. What do you think makes a party memorable?

A good vibe, strong energy and a good angle.

Tell us a bit about each event…

The first event is happening on the 19th of February and will see Wellington become overrun by zombies. Guests will arrive at the secret location as the living but will leave as the living dead as they are challenged by zombies - you’ll have to watch out or you could become one! Survivors will be rewarded with appropriate refreshments at the post Apocalypse party.

The second event will be held in Auckland on the 26th of February and will see people experiencing the Greatest Shark Movie at Sea Ever. This is no ordinary trip to the cinema -you’ll be watching a classic shark movie while you’re floating in the sea with your legs dangling down like meaty morsels. Bring along your favourite flotation device and gear up for not just a movie, but a wicked experience.

Located somewhere in the North Island on the 6th of March, the third event keeps things mysterious. A private gig with a top billing name will be announced and to get tickets to the event you need to apply online. Getting to the event is a different story. The location will by no means be easily accessible so guests will need to get their maps, compass and satellite navigation ready.

You’ll have to leave your good clothes at home for the last event in the series because come the 12th of March, the town will be painted white. An environment in Auckland will be painted totally white and become a blank canvas, but the creativity really comes out to play when colour is introduced.

Out of all the winning entries which event are you most looking forward to being a part of?

The Greatest Shark Movie At Sea Ever – I can’t wait to be floating in the ocean, not knowing what’s under my feet and watching a shark movie - it will be truly terrifying.

Each of the four winners will be taking quite a hands on approach to organising their event. How do you think each of them will cope?

They all have really different personality types so some will need a rocket up their wazoo to pull it together in time while others will need to relax a little and give themselves a break. We’ll just have to wait and see how they act under the pressure.

As part of your role in fronting the show you will be right amongst each of the four events. If you could offer one piece of advice to each organiser what would it be?

Write extensive lists. The thing about event planning is that even the smallest thing can bring the whole event to a halt if it's forgotten. Extension leads, ice, spot lights, gaffer tape - all these small things are deceptively important.

If I was organising an event I would want to do a Giant Spaghetti Wrestling fight. If you had the chance to organise an event like this, what would your idea be?

Well I actually put up an idea to get the ball rolling just for fun - my idea was called Gibbo & The Giant Peach. Basically we took 100 zorb balls, painted them peachy and took them to the steepest street in NZ – that one in Dunedin. Then 100 lucky scarfies got to roll down the hill inside of them.

Even as I was thinking of this idea I realised it was basically ripping off that Sony Bravia ad where all the coloured balls bounce down the street in slow motion so I thought why not go with it and fly Jose Gonzalez down to play the song from the ad - Heartbeats. We could film it, play it back in slow mo and feel like buying material objects like TV’s really matter.

One of the cool things about the Smirnoff Night Project is that anyone can apply for the chance to go along to these events. Any advice for people who are lucky enough to get selected?

Make the most of the experience because no matter which event you go to, it’s going to be awesome. I guarantee you won’t have been to any events like these!

Where can people head to register for tickets?

It’s easy as. Log in to Facebook and search SmirnoffNZ. From there follow the prompts that tell you how to register for tickets. If you already ‘like’ the Night Project and have been following the updates over the last few weeks, you’ll know that on the SmirnoffNZ page on the left hand side, there’s a small tab labelled Smirnoff Night Project- click and follow the prompts.

For more info and to apply for tickets visit facebook.com/smirnoffnz.

Interview by Luke Winslade.