David Hartnell MNZM is the author of eight books, and he published his memoir in 2011. A journalist and media personality, he has compiled and written about Hollywood gossip for over 40 years, producing syndicated columns for newspaper and magazines that have appeared around the world, and appearing frequently himself on television and radio. His gossip column currently features every week on www.grownups.co.nz and in addition he writes a weekly Hollywood Trivia and Q&A for New Zealand Woman's Weekly and has a column in every issue of Ponsonby News. In 2011 he was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the entertainment industry in New Zealand and overseas. He is a patron of The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand and an Ambassador of St James Saviours, the trust formed to save the iconic Auckland theatre.