If Jacob White knows one thing to be true of his Thames Music and Drama (MAD) crew it’s that “we pull off some pretty cool stuff”.
The 16-year-old told The Profile his official role in the group was technical crew member but he could also be referred to as production technician, who worked in the areas of wardrobe, props, set design, lighting design and/or operation and sound design and/or operation.
The young tech said he often reminded his crew they pulled off excellent work considering the size of their theatre.
“We’re surrounded by a great team of people at each event making sure everything is done on time. MAD is often referred to as one big family and everyone would be able to agree that everyone is always looking out for one another.”
It’s what makes his recent achievement so special.
The year-12 Thames High School student was nominated by a few “secret squirrels” in his crew for the Entertainment Technology New Zealand (ETNZ) Community Technical Achievement Awards for 2025, where he snapped up the Technical Achievement Youth Award.
Former Thames MAD technical liaison Tina Haakma said society president Diane Connors and vice-president Martin Rodley approached her with the idea of putting Jacob’s name forward for the award.
“We wanted to nominate Jacob because we see how he puts in effort above and beyond what is expected, and whenever there is a task that needs doing he will be on hand to help.
“Jacob’s ability to plan ahead with programming and design work and work with the team for the benefit of the show/event is amazing to watch and we wanted to acknowledge that behemoth effort.”
Tina said the award was an opportunity to recognise all the hard work the young technicians put into each show, and there was a massive pool of people nominated, which made it “even more special” when Jacob won.
The award-winning teen said he was quite surprised but also grateful when he heard the news.
But it was more than just a win.
Jacob was in his fifth year at Thames MAD and he said the award was an overview of his time involved there.
“It hasn’t only given me a boost of encouragement but also the chance to reflect on the years that have passed and how much I’ve grown since I started.”
One thing Jacob was currently learning was how MAD could improve in the organisation aspects of their events, he said. “This has included creating different types of documentation and learning how we can better manage our equipment.”
His dream was to pursue a career within the entertainment and event production industry, and it was evident he was on the way to making it happen.
He recently signed up to do the NZ National Certificate in Entertainment & Event Operations level three course through ETNZ, which he will complete through Thames High School and different events with MAD.
“There are some pretty cool events and projects out there.”
Even though he hadn’t set his sights on any specific areas in the industry just yet, one thing was certain – “I’ll be staying ambitious”.
