The creative talent behind the Gruen franchise, award-winning TV writer/producer Jon Casimir, has been appointed ABC TV’s Head of Entertainment. He will take up his position at ABC TV in Sydney on April 8.
Casimir is currently an executive producer with Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder, working on the second season of Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery (ABC TV). At CJZ, he has played a key role in development projects currently in the ABC TV pipeline.
Casimir’s extensive television experience began when Andrew Denton lured him from The Sydney Morning Herald to be a producer on the much-loved Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (2003-2008). While at Zapruder’s Other Films (now the ‘Z’ in CJZ), Casimir’s credits have included: producer and writer on feature documentary God on My Side; producer on Elders; script editor and chief of staff on Hungry Beast; co-creator and head writer/series producer on Randling, co-creator/pilot writer on The Joy of Sets for Nine; and executive producer on Can Of Worms for Network TEN. He is best known as the co-creator, executive producer and writer of the hugely successful Gruen family of programmes (Transfer, Planet, Nation, Sweat), all made for ABC TV.
Richard Finlayson, ABC TV’s Director of Television, said, “We’re delighted that ABC TV can attract someone of Jon’s calibre to this position. He brings with him a wealth of entertainment creation and production experience, having already been responsible for some of the ABC TV’s most successful entertainment programs.”
Casimir began his career as a journalist with music magazine RAM, moving to Encore and then to The Sydney Morning Herald where, in a 17-year stint, he was a senior writer, critic, editor and midwife at the birth of the smh.com news site. He has written four books, including two about the internet and one about his daughter’s difficult introduction to life. He has edited six other books and dabbled in radio as a guest and presenter, once filling in as Evenings host on ABC702 for two months.
Casimir said, “Having spent the last decade in a de facto relationship with the ABC, I am glad we’ve finally made it to the altar. I’m joining a network that I love, a network with a commitment to quality, creativity and risk-taking, three ideas under siege in media these days. It’s probably trowelling it on to say this, but it’s a genuine honour to be asked to work for one of Australia’s greatest institutions.”
Sophia Zachariou, who has been acting Head of Entertainment, has been appointed Deputy Head of Entertainment. Zachariou will oversee the production of the Entertainment and Non-Narrative Comedy slate. As an executive producer, Zachariou has been responsible for some of the most successful and award-winning entertainment programs on ABC TV, including Agony Aunts/Uncles, Kitchen Cabinet, The Checkout, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey, The Hamster Decides, Hungry Beast and Gruen Planet. Casimir and Zachariou have been working together since 2010, through Hungry Beast and seven series of Gruen.
