ABOUT ZAC Wichlei
I was born in the United States to a family shaped by migration, memory, and resilience. My genealogy traces back to Poland, Czechia, and Italy, with stories passed down through generations. These histories live in the traditions I was raised with, the languages I’m learning, and the work I create.
Though I now live in Aotearoa New Zealand, my identity is layered: shaped by life between continents, grounded in connection to people and place. I’ve also lived and studied in the United Kingdom and Montenegro, and I carry these influences into my creative practice.
These cross-cultural threads are not just personal; they are the lens through which I explore storytelling, heritage, and belonging.
What I Do
I work across disciplines to explore how stories are shaped and reshaped across cultures, generations, and media. My core practice blends:
Documentary Filmmaking
Developing, directing, shooting, and editing films focused on cultural narratives and lived experience.
Photography
Capturing portraits, places, and quiet moments with a sensitivity to identity.
Academic, Cultural, & Policy Research
Investigating questions of diaspora, language, memory, and digital belonging.
Digital Strategy & Technology
Supporting communication and technology through design and narrative structure.
I’ve worked on projects spanning North London barbershops, rural communities in Türkiye, coastal towns in Aotearoa, and the mountains of Sakartvelo. Each one is shaped by curiosity, care, and respect for the people and places I collaborate with.
You can explore my recent work here, or read more in Field Notes.
MY EXPERIENCES
My background bridges creative media, operational systems, and cultural research. I’ve studied and worked across several countries, gaining both formal education and hands-on experience in high-compliance environments and creative fields.
Qualifications
Master of Public Policy
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington
MA in Ethnographic Documentary Film
University College London
BA (Honours) in Film
University of Westminster
Certificate in Polish
University of Silesia in Katowice (Cieszyn)
Certificate in Te Reo (Rumaki Reo Rua, 1)
Whitireia
WORK
ICT Operations Systems Support
Moana New Zealand | Wellington | ‘23 - ‘26
Film & Video Production
Freelance | Click Here to See Works | ‘17 - Present
Photographer
Freelance | Click Here to See Works | ‘17 - Present
Office & Operations Admin
Moana New Zealand | Wellington | ‘23 - ‘23
Video Editor
eHouse, CoreLogic UK | London | ‘22 - ‘22
Hospitality
Various | Columbia, London, Wellington | ‘13 - ‘23
Professional Tools
Creative: Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Lightroom, Audacity, Squarespace
Systems & Ops: Business Central, Microsoft 365, SharePoint
Languages: English (fluent), Polish (developing), Spanish & Italian (intermediate), Te Reo Māori & Czech (basic but growing)
Why I Create
I create to connect across disciplines, cultures, generations, and systems.
Whether I’m documenting everyday life through film and photography or supporting IT infrastructure across Aotearoa, I’m always looking for the stories beneath the surface. My work is shaped by cultural care. I see creativity not as a separate discipline, but as a lens through which I understand the world, one that brings together operations, memory, heritage, and human experience.
Much of what I do is influenced by questions of diaspora, belonging, and intergenerational knowledge. I’ve worked in factories, film sets, corporate offices, pubs, cafes, community spaces and archives and in each, I’ve seen how the smallest moments can carry meaning when we choose to notice them.
I believe in storytelling that honours people, their complexity, their context, and their capacity to shape change.
A Few
Things
That Ground
Me
Favourite places to write: a quiet beach on the Kāpiti Coast.
Most-used creative tool: my notebook—usually scribbled in, coffee-stained, and never far from reach
My comfort food: pierogi ruskie, pasta al tartufo, focaccia, gelato al pistacchio, tacos
Always learning: Polish verbs, documentary ethics, maramataka, and how to move at the pace of trust
When I’m not working: I’m walking coastal tracks, digging through family archives, or listening to music & writing
Thanks for taking the time to get to know me.
If you’re curious about my work, interested in collaborating, or just want to start a conversation, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me directly via my Contact page, or explore more of what I do through my Work and Field Notes pages.
This site is where I gather everything I create — from research and writing to photography and digital media — and where I hope to keep building meaningful connections across borders, disciplines, and communities.
Ko te tāngata te mea nui o te ao.
It is people who are the most important thing in the world.