Jo Ho is a British born
Chinese screenwriter and director, and the creator of the new BBC
series "SPIRIT WARRIORS" (previously known as "BO AND THE SPIRIT
WORLD"), which begins airing January 22nd at 1745 on CBBC (BBC HD dates tbc).
Mixing live-action martial arts fantasy with CGI characters and the
latest HD digital technology, Spirit Warriors promises to deliver a visual
spectacle the whole family can enjoy. Loosely inspired by Chinese myths and
legends, and stars a young Chinese girl and her sister, who along with
their friends, enter into a mythical Spirit World in order to save the
universe from the evil warlord Li and his army of shadowlike warriors.
SPIRIT WARRIORS will be the first TV drama series made in the UK that stars a predominately East Asian Cast.
Originally from an art background, Jo is a self-taught writer and
director (she learned how to write by studying the critically acclaimed
US hit series "THE WEST WING"). After writing several spec feature
scripts, Jo moved into production and took on writer, producer and
director roles for the short film,
"ISOLATION 9", which went on to win the best film award at the Buffalo
Black and Asian Film Festival. "MONKEY NUT TALES", shot just three
months
after "ISOLATION 9", was funded by the UK Film Council and Film London
as
part of their digital shorts PULSE scheme. "MONKEY NUT TALES" went on
to
screen at the BFI London Film Festival, in Shanghai and Beijing.
In 2008, Jo became a judge for the BBC's first writing scheme targeted at finding British Chinese writers, BBC BITES.
Jo was recently selected as one of the "Top Ten Outstanding Young Chinese
Persons in the UK" and received a Big Ben Award for her
"outstanding achievement by a Chinese Woman in the UK Film and
Television industry".
Jo is presently working on several original feature film projects: a supernatural
horror, "BLOODLINES"; family fantasy "FEI AND THE DRAGON"; and "THE
CURSE OF RAVENS COVE", a dark fairytale. On the television side, she is
now developing a US based supernatural series. In addition to her
original projects, she has been hired to script a thriller set in NYC
and is currently a story consultant on a BBC supernatural TV series
being filmed in Bangladesh.
What I'm about
"In addition to my Western projects, it is one of my aims to
make films and TV series that showcases East Asian talent. The UK needs to
start representing the East Asian population within it's media, both in
front of and behind camera, and it is my hope that I will be able to
contribute to this. I also hope to encourage more females into the film
and TV industry, and in particular, those from an ethnic minority
background."
Jo is a member of BAFTA and repped by The Dench Arnold Agency.
Professional Services
In addition to writing and directing, Jo also teaches workshops and freelances
as a script reader and consultant for private clients, production
companies and film studios. Past clients include John Calley Productions and Universal Studios.