# Alex Breingan

Alex Breingan is a UK-born New Zealand television executive producer, television writer and former radio producer and host.
Starting his career in UK commercial radio and later as a producer at the BBC, Breingan moved to New Zealand in 2002, where he worked in radio management before transitioning into television. He co-founded Choice TV, now known as Eden in 2012, which was later acquired by international media companies, and established Stripe Studios, a production company responsible for various TV series in New Zealand.

## Personal life

Breingan was born in Lyme Regis in the United Kingdom, and educated at Woodroffe School and Durham University. He is married to former Three News reporter and food blogger Rachel Hart. Along with his wife Rachel, they were both a subject for the 2019 series 100 Day Renovation.

## Career

He began his career in the mid 1990s in UK commercial radio and later as a producer at the BBC before moving to NZ in 2002. He spent 10 years in NZ radio including as Mediawork's Radio Operations Manager and Assistant Programme Director for both More FM and RadioLIVE. Breingan then moved into TV as Channel Manager for SKY TV's Food TV and The Living Channel.
In 2012 Breingan co-founded free to air TV channel Choice TV which launched on Freeview and Sky that year. Canadian Media company Blue Ant Media acquired the channel in 2014. Discovery Inc. later acquired Choice TV in 2019.
In TV production, Breingan established production company Stripe Media in 2014, also known as Stripe Studios. The production company produced various television shows across New Zealand including the TV3 morning series, The Cafe which aired from 2016 until 2020.
Stripe Studios production includes series previously on SKY Open New Zealand, Discovery Australia New Zealand, TVNZ and NBCU NZ for the channel Bravo. Breingan created, co-wrote and produced The Circus, Rich Listers, and Discovery's Great Southern Truckers. Rich Listers received criticism after Breingan publicly mentioned that the show was fictional.
Since 2019, Breingan has been a semi finals judge for the International Emmy Awards and later a finals judge in 2022.
In February 2024 reports emerged that Stripe Studios had failed to pay post-production companies and visiting actors for their work. In March 2024 one of the company's production entities, Stripe Studios (Comedy) Ltd was liquidated by the court, and Stripe Media went into receivership as well as voluntarily receivership. A receivers report found over NZD $20 million outstanding due to unfinished productions, as well as "irregularities" in the companies' finances which were then referred to the Serious Fraud Office. Additional companies associated with Stripe Studios were placed into liquidation due to unpaid taxes and outstanding debts to creditors in July 2024.
Breingan has said that a U-turn decision by the New Zealand Film Commission was a cause for the financial issues. The Commission has denied this. Breingan has also stated that such allegations were false and defamatory, writing that the NZ Herald was provided with false information.
During the liquidation process Breingan attempted to re-establish himself overseas, establishing two production companies in the UK. An attempt to raise money for a documentary film about the English singer Tony Hadley was aborted after it was reported in the New Zealand media. He later moved to Los Angeles.
In September 2024, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) Integrity and Enforcement Team confirmed that they were investigating if Breingan should be disqualified from directing New Zealand companies.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2015 | 100 Day Bach | Executive producer |
| 2017 | Slice of Paradise | Associate producer |
| 2016–2020 | The Cafe | Executive producer |
| 2019 | 100 Day Renovation | Executive producer |
| 2020 | The Bach that JK built | Producer, director and writer |
| 2020 | Dream Home Dilemma | Executive producer |
| 2021 | Uncharted New Zealand | Executive producer and writer |
| 2019 | Great Southern Truckers | Executive producer, director and writer |
| 2020–2024 | The Circus | Executive producer and writer |
| 2022 | Reunited | Executive producer and cowriter |
| 2022 | Rich Listers | Executive producer and writer |
| 2022 | Clubhouse Rescue | Executive producer |
| 2023 | Snow Crew | Executive producer and writer |