Meet the ACTF development managers

The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) is delighted to welcome our newest team member, Jo Kasch. Jo joins our talented and experienced team of development managers, working alongside Li-Kim Chuah and Paul Gartside.

Jo, Paul and Li-Kim work with producers and writers seeking investment from the ACTF at the development stage and then across that development and into production.

Jo Kasch

Jo is an award-winning writer with 20 years of experience writing and editing film and television projects for children and adults, in live-action and animation.

Over the course of her career, Jo has worked with production companies such as Every Cloud, Fremantle, Endemol Shine, and Jonathan Shiff on shows including Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, and The Elephant Princess. She also worked for many years with animation production company, Blue Rocket, developing, editing and writing on numerous series’, including Pixel Pinkie, Buzz Bumble and Fanshaw and Crudnut.

Jo has been the recipient of the International Emmy’s Peter Ustinov Scriptwriting Award and recently made the 2022 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Notable List for her debut picture book, Mo and Crow. 

Jo says she is thrilled to have joined the team: “I’ve been a fan girl of the ACTF forever­­—their commitment to supporting projects that speak to Australian kids’ diverse lived experience is second to none—so when an opportunity to work here came up, I jumped at it.

“I’ve always loved film and TV for children and teens, and there are so many exciting projects being developed and made for young audiences in this country right now: inventive and authentic stories, in every format and genre, from emerging and established voices, from all corners of the country; it’s a very inspiring time.

“I feel incredibly lucky to get to play a role in seeing these stories through their journey from concept to screen.”

Paul Gartside

Paul has worked in the Australian screen industry for 15 years as a writer, script editor and script producer.

Paul’s credits include writing for the ABC preschool program The Wonder Gang, for which he also worked in development and as a producer, and ABC’s fiction podcast for kids Mackaroy Uncovered. For adults, he has written over 80 episodes of iconic soap Neighbours and served as the show’s script producer and supervising script editor, among other roles. He has also worked on series such as Playing For Keeps and Winners and Losers, as well as contributing to numerous development workshops.

Paul has a passion for compelling, heartfelt storytelling, and believes content for younger viewers should be just as emotionally complex, thematically rich, and (most importantly!) edge-of-your-seat entertaining as content for grown-ups.

He said: “My favourite thing about this role—aside from getting to work with such a lovely team—is that the scope of kids' screen content is incredibly diverse and varied. It can encompass so many genres—comedy, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, you name it. In the course a day, I might do anything from reading a one-page pitch document for a relationship drama feature for teens, to giving script notes on a half hour live-action adventure series for primary-schoolers, to reviewing animatics for an 11 minute preschool animated comedy.

“I've had the chance to work with fantastic producers from all over the industry and engage with the work of creatives ranging from writers with decades of experience to the most exciting emerging voices. It's constantly inspiring to be able to help support them in bringing the most outstanding Australian kids' content to the screen.”

Li-Kim Chuah

Li-Kim has 15 years’ experience in the Australian TV industry as a screenwriter, script editor and developer.

Prior to her role at the ACTF, Li-Kim was a Development Manager at the ABC working in adult scripted drama and comedy. She worked on numerous ABC shows in development and production, including Harrow, The Heights and Kitty Flanagan’s comedy Fisk. She has written for ABC International’s crime series Reef Break, Network Ten's award-winning series Offspring, Australia's most successful serial drama Neighbours, renowned children’s series The Saddle Club, and The Bureau of Magical Things, currently streaming on Netflix.

Li-Kim says it was that role which encouraged her to return to children’s television: “I am a big comedy fan, so I love the fun and absurdity that features in a lot of children’s content. It feels like a place where anything can happen and there is more freedom for characters to be who they are, unrestrained by convention and stereotypes, including around gender and sexuality.

I’ve always admired the shows the ACTF has made and supported over the past few decades. I wanted to be a part of creating childhood memories here and across the globe and to foster diverse content that reflects young viewers and helps shape our unique sense of cultural identity.”