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 placed into court-ordered liquidation, and Stripe Media entered both receivership and voluntary receivership. A receiver’s report initially identified over NZD $20 million in outstanding debts due to incomplete productions, along with financial irregularities that were subsequently referred to the Serious Fraud Office. Additional companies associated with Stripe Studios were placed into liquidation in July 2024 due to unpaid taxes and outstanding debts to creditors.

Breingan has claimed that a U-turn decision by the New Zealand Film Commission was a cause for the financial issues. The Commission has denied this. Breingan also stated that such allegations were false and defamatory, writing that the NZ Herald was provided with false information.

In September 2024, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) Integrity and Enforcement Team confirmed that it was investigating whether Breingan should be prohibited from directing New Zealand companies in New Zealand.

In March 2025 Stripe Media's liquidators reported that no assets had been recovered, and that Breingan could not be located.

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.

Filmography

Television

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breingan, Alex
Living people
1972 births
People from Lyme Regis
Alumni of Durham University
New Zealand television producers
New Zealand radio presenters
Place of birth missing (living people)