Close-up of a middle-aged woman smiling, wearing a red sweater, with brown and gray hair, sitting indoors near yellow curtains.

BRINGING STORIES TO LIFE

Holli develops, produces and directs creative projects, with a particular interest in documentary and experiences that explore the human condition.

Her career spans more than 30 years across film, television and advertising, with projects developed and produced internationally. Drawn to stories that uncover hidden truths and challenge perspectives, Holli develops and produces stories, ideas and experiences in collaboration with other creatives, while also developing her own slate of film and documentary projects.

Holli began her career in Melbourne at 18, moving into production management at 21. She has since worked across Australia, Ireland, the UK, India, China and the United States, developing projects, producing content and managing productions from early development through to delivery.

Her documentary work includes MILLION DOLLAR KIDS, a philanthropic film exploring the dangers young people face in the digital age, including the rise of online and image-based abuse. The film was developed in collaboration with Yvonne Murray, RTÉ’s Global Security Reporter.

Her latest documentary project in development, TRACY, follows an Irish–New Zealand woman who, after 25 years on antidepressant medication, confronts a lifetime of trauma connected to her family’s past during the Troubles in Derry, Northern Ireland and travels to the Brazilian jungle in search of another way forward.

Alongside film and documentary, Holli has developed projects across other creative disciplines. She worked with Jeremy Massey to develop the novel The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley, a dark comedy and crime thriller published by Penguin Random House in New York in 2015, which is now being developed for television as The Undertaking.

Her recent work includes Trasnaíocht, an immersive music and performance work created with composer Benji Bower, recently performed at the Ballydehob Jazz Festival in Ireland and now seeking international touring opportunities.

She is also working with a team of film creatives in West Cork, Ireland to develop Swerve: Film, a special cinema edition of Swerve Magazine.

Holli’s creative interests span health, wellness, nutrition, psychology, the human condition and pressing global issues. She is drawn to stories that challenge conventional thinking and expose uncomfortable truths. She also has a passion for comedy and developing stories that find humour in the absurdities of life.

At the heart of it, the work is simple:

Shape the idea. Find the right people. Make it happen.

The image shows a black and white patterned book cover titled "The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley" by Jeremy Massey, lying on a cracked concrete surface.

  • “Holli Massey is one of the most kind, wonderful and inspiring humans I ever had the pleasure of collaborating with on a film set. Any film she’s ever been on, has benefited profoundly from her contribution. Holli is one of those people that listens and inspires. She brings over 20 years of experience across narrative and execution. On a personal level she brings heart and compassion to every situation and communicates with humility and understanding. She is a sister to all. She is my great friend. I would go into battle with her every time I had the privilege of being asked!”

    Jason Byrne, Executive Producer

    + Ape

  • ‘Holli brings a beautiful practicality to an artist’s process, and a catalytic energy to a project’s progress. She possesses that rare quality in a producer: the ability to see the path of least resistance to a project’s fruition, and the nouse to fully apprehend the artist’s vision along with the vocabulary to converse with them about it. She has a sixth sense regarding a project’s status, always knowing when it’s finished and what’s missing. She is a talisman and a visionary. And an indispensable component to my creative process.’

    Jeremy Massey - Writer & Executive Producer

  • “Holli Massey has a combination of the rarest of qualities in the creative industry. She has decades of industry knowledge as a Producer herself yet the selfless heart and drive to nurture the creative process in others. She is a true right brain-left brain thinker so is able to put form and process around creative ideas to really give them momentum. I highly recommend Holli to anyone who works in the creative space and is after true guidance, support and inspiration.”

    Naomi Cleaver - Film Producer

  • “There are good producers, great producers, and then there’s Holli Massey. Over twenty years, I’ve seen Holli work every kind of job and she elevates her game and everyone around her every time. If I’m working with Holli, I know she has my back and the production’s back, and no matter how curvy the ball, she gets it over the line smiling and on budget every time.”

    Fiona Mc Gregor, Executive Producer, Transmission Pictures

  • Holli Massey is an exceptional creative leader – professional, imaginative and deeply collaborative. Holli cast the special extras and extras on my award winning film Float Like a Butterfly (Feature Film, 2017), she brought clarity, efficiency and an infectious positive energy to every stage of the process. She has a rare ability to connect deeply on the ground while also thinking and operating at a broader professional level. Highly capable and extremely trustworthy, Holli is an absolute joy to work with – someone who consistently elevates both people and projects around her. I wholeheartedly recommend her.

    Carmel Winters - Award winning writer/director for stage and screen

    Float Like a Butterfly

  • “I was lucky enough to work with Holli in two different companies, the last of which was Imagination - A global communications and experience agency. She worked as our Screen Producer and was an absolute delight to work with. Holli’s great strength is interpreting a strategy and creative vision and bringing it to life. You can have as much creativity as you like, but without the right person to develop the idea and bring it to life it can so often go nowhere. But Holli’s vision, her in depth knowledge and hands on attitude can make anything work and seem easy, although to others it might look impossible. I hope I’m lucky enough to work with her again in the future.”

    Fiona McInerney - Head of ThinkOTS Immersive Experience Agency