‘Flocking Kiwis’ is a four episode series about New Zealanders living in New York, which takes a look at how young Kiwis transition into life in The Big Apple.
New Zealanders have always flocked to London like moths to a post-colonial flame, but since the introduction of the J1 graduate visa, the floodgates have opened for young Kiwis to take a crack at the United States.
Sam Blakelock is a jazz musician from Christchurch. After completing a degree in jazz guitar at CPIT, he decided the next step was to further his study at the Aaron Copland School of Music in Queens, New York. A combination of scholarships, personal savings from performing on cruise ships and a PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign saw this become a reality in 2013.
As a student, Sam was unable to work in the US and relied on cruise ship jobs to keep him afloat (pun intended). However since he graduated, Sam won the green card lottery, which means life in America could be a long term prospect.
Josh Burgess caught up with Sam to see how he juggles living, studying and interning in New York and to see how his perspective of the city has changed now that his options are wide open. The influences of the city on jazz is undeniable, but is the hard reality worth the heritage?
WATCH: Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 4 of Flocking Kiwis
Video shot and edited by Julian Vares.
This content is brought to you with funding support from NZ On Air.
