Every story has a beginning. Ours starts on a quiet road by the sea.
On the wild West Coast of Auckland, New Zealand sits a small coastal town called Muriwai. With its sparkling black sand, a rugged coastline, and a horizon that stretches as far as the eye can see – it’s the kind of place that makes the world feel full of possibility.
Oaia Road in Muriwai is where our founder Brad Stent grew up. It’s where his curiosity was first sparked and a creative spirit came alive. That creative spirit is what we are built upon. The name isn’t just a nod to geography – it’s a reminder of where it all began, and what drives us forward.
We are an emerging, independent production company who create, produce and distribute original stories across every format – from intimate narratives rooted in real people and communities, to bold theatrical releases and formats with international appeal. Everything we make is driven by one intention – to inspire.
We’re a company still writing our own story, but our ambition is anything but small. We believe that stories have the power to move people, shift perspectives and ignite positive change in the world. And we’re just getting started.
One road.
Endless stories.
OUR VALUES
At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief – people and the planet come first. We’re not just building a slate of projects. We’re building something that lasts, something that reaches further than we can currently imagine, and something that makes a genuine difference in the world.
OUR VISION
Our ambitions extend beyond our own stories. We want to grow into a creative home for independent storytellers everywhere – offering emerging filmmakers and original voices real pathways to develop, finance and share their stories with the world. The best stories can come from anywhere, and we intend to help tell them.
Meet the Founder
Brad Stent
“The best stories come from those who have lived one themselves.”
Some people discover their passion in a classroom. Others spend a lifetime searching for it. Brad discovered his at a young age – somewhere between the stories that captivated him as a kid, and the ones he couldn’t stop making up himself.
From an early age, Brad knew his mind worked differently to those around him. He was restless, curious, and bursting with ideas. As a teenager, he discovered he had ADHD – a label that in hindsight, explained a great deal. Not just about how he learned, but about how he saw the world. Differently. Expansively. Always looking beyond what others said was possible. Years later, Brad discovered his diagnosis letter. The doctor summed it up perfectly when they wrote, “He felt held back and frustrated in the things he wanted to do but was not allowed to.”
But it wasn’t just his mind that felt out of place. As a young gay man growing up inside a religion that wasn’t ready for who he really was, Brad spent years navigating faith, family and identity – feeling like he would never fit inside the box someone else had built for him. And yet it shaped everything, and moved him to create a life where he truly belonged.
By fifteen, he had his first small budget television show on air in his hometown of Auckland. By eighteen, he started his first production company. The drive was always there – determined, ambitious and fuelled by a desire to tell stories that matter.
That drive and curiosity led him everywhere. What followed has been a life lived across almost every creative medium available to him. Producer, director, presenter, voice artist, musician, filmmaker, and a passionate entrepreneur. As a voice artist, he gave other people's words life and colour. As a presenter, he connected with audiences in real time. As a songwriter, he compressed human emotions into three-minute narratives. And as a filmmaker, he discovered his greatest vehicle – the moving image, and the power of a great story.
But the path wasn't always straightforward. In his late twenties, the weight of everything he had been carrying caught up with him. He found himself at rock bottom, starting over again – and it took years. But it was a period that ultimately gave him something more valuable than he could have imagined at the time – clarity. About who he is, what he believes, and what he’s here to do.
That clarity led him home. Back to a quiet road by the sea in Muriwai where he grew up. Back to the stories that matter. And back to a belief – that great storytelling has the power to inspire and bring people together all over the world.
Today, Brad channels everything he has learned and everything he has overcome into his role as founder of Oaia Road Entertainment. A company built on a mission to create inspiring entertainment for a global audience – and a living reminder that the best stories come from those who have lived one themselves.