KenCatran
- Writer
Ken Catran got busy in the late 1970s as the writer of a raft of kidult TV successes involving aliens, horses and skateboards. His work includes Children of the Dog Star, horse tale Star Rider, and a classic adaptation of Maurice Gee sci-fi novel Under the Mountain. In 1986 Catran won a GOFTA Award for his work on legal drama Hanlon. Today Catran is better known as a prolific and award-winning novelist.
Screenography
Biography
Ken Catran left school in the early 1960s with no qualifications, and a secret desire to write. By the early 1990s he was one of New Zealand's busiest writers of television drama.
Born in Auckland, Catran grew up in Auckland and Wellington with three sisters. It was a "fairly normal suburban family", aside from having an Air Force squadron leader as a father. School held little interest to him, but in the early 60s not having sat School Certificate proved no impediment to getting a job.
Awards
1986 National Mutual GOFTA Awards (New Zealand)
Best Drama Script - Television: for Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean (episode one)
Best Drama Programme: Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean
Nominated for Best Drama : Hanlon: In Defence of Shue Hock (episode six)
“There was really nothing else I wanted to do. I've always been writing.”