User:Lestatnz

Darren Ludlow is a broadcaster, Invercargill City Councillor, media commentator and theatrical actor from Invercargill, New Zealand. Currently employed by The Radio Network as a Media Consultant, he also broadcasts The Southland Saturday on Classic Hits from 6am -10am each Saturday morning. Originally trained by Radio New Zealand, he was first posted to Radio Caroline in Timaru before being relocated to Invercargill. He spent six years at 4ZA before becoming the Breakfast Host on opposition station Foveaux Radio for ten years. After a short sojourn to London in early 2002, he returned to Invercargill and ended up tutoring Media (Newspaper, Radio & Television) at the Southern Institute of Technology for four years. He first became an elected member of the Invercargill City Council in 1998, but did not seek re-election in 2001 to facilitate his overseas travel. He was re-elected to Council in 2004 and chaired its Environmental and Planning Services Committee (EPS). He also eventually came to chair The Southland Museum and Art Gallery Trust Board (SMAG)in 2006. As the highest polling candidate in the 2007 local body elections, he was returned to chair EPS and SMAG. Darren has featured regularly on Southland Regional Television since its inception as Mercury Television and through its evolutions to Southland Television and Cue TV. He has a fortnightly column published in The Southland Express called Telling Tales. He has appeared regularly on stage for The Invercargill Repertory Society in a variety of roles, the majority of which have been comedic. His dramatic performances, however, in productions of Equus and The Night of the Iguana drew critical praise. He has also appeared in a variety of locally produced short films.