They’ve helped us invest during the good times to provide a buffer during more difficult periods…

Roger Murray’s experience in the prop-making and film industry is robust. But when it came time to build his own business, he and his wife and business partner, Felicity Letcher, knew they needed someone to work behind the scenes with them. That’s where MGI Auckland came in.

After wrapping up work on Xena: Warrior Princess in 1999, Roger knew he wanted to establish his own workshop for prop makers. He set out establishing a workshop complex that overseas productions could utilise when they came to New Zealand, knowing that it had the skills, experience and the safety and health standards that they needed.

With experience as a theatre and short-film producer and television company manager, Felicity joined Roger as the business manager for their new company, Main Reactor.

Recruiting the right talent — and the right accountancy partner

As a team, Roger and Felicity had the talent, experience and expertise to earn them a well-respected spot in the entertainment industry. But, as the business grew from a props workshop to a full-service creative solutions company that provides design and manufacture for props, makeup effects and models, Main Reactor needed an accounting firm to join them on the journey.

True to the industry, it’s all about who you know. Thankfully, Felicity’s entrepreneurial parents connected Main Reactor with MGI Auckland.

“The screen sector is an extremely challenging environment to run a service supply company,” Roger says, continuing: “MGI Auckland gave us invaluable advice around tax, budgeting, costing and infrastructure investment that has seen our business grow and develop over the past 20 years.”

While Main Reactor has been busy working with clients from small-budget New Zealand features to large international projects such as The Meg and Mulan, MGI Auckland has continued to help the company make strategic decisions around debt burden and repayment.

Roger adds: “They’ve helped us invest during the good times to provide a buffer during more difficult periods when work was uneven.”