Thunderbirds Are Go producer Pukeko Pictures is bolstering its content creation team with the appointment of Lisa Chatfield as head of scripted development.

Starting in April, Chatfield will work alongside the New Zealand-based studio’s chief creative officer Martin Baynton, as well as head of production Angela Littlejohn, on the company’s development slate. She will also work on television shows currently in production, which include Kiddets, a sister series to Pukeko’s popular animated preschool series The WotWots that is being developed under treaty guidelines established by New Zealand and China last year.  Thunderbirds Are Go, meanwhile, a co-production with UK-based ITV Studios that’s gearing up for a second season and has just been picked up by Amazon in the US, will also fall under Chatfield’s remit.

Chatfield was formerly head of development and production at the New Zealand Film Commission. Films financed under her watch include the local box office success Born to Dance and New Zealand’s first animated feature documentary, 25 April. She has worked across both development and production on the domestic and international slates of Working Title Australia, NHNZ and Eyeworks NZ. And early on in her 25-year career, she was a runner on the Oscar-nominated feature Heavenly Creatures.

Pukeko Pictures was formed in 2008 by Sir Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Martin Baynton, and the company holds a connection to Weta Workshop (Avatar, King Kong, Lord of the Rings). Pukeko vocalized plans to ramp up its development slate this past summer, when the company welcomed Clive Spink into the role of CEO.