Philip Cristian Claassen was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and studied for the National Diploma of Performing Arts in Pretoria where he majored in scriptwriting and directing. After studies, Philip lived in the UK for four years before moving back to Cape Town where he worked in the film industry, and then moved to Johannesburg to work as full-time screenwriter for Franz Marx Films, where he was writer for the local television series 'Egoli: Place of Gold'. In 2006 he relocated to New Zealand. Philip's previous writing credits include the travel guides 'New Zealand: Your Essential Guide to the South Island'; 'Your Comprehensive Guide to New Zealand'; 'New Zealand for free'; and the critically acclaimed multi-award-winning short films 'Degree of Separation'; 'Tommy'; and 'Today'.
