Taku Mbudzi is a writer, filmmaker and podcaster who uses humour to inspire children to speak up and out for themselves. She has over 16 years’ experience sharing her stories in schools, libraries and youth organisations across Australia. Taku has written on kids’ productions like The Wonder Gang and Big Words Small Stories, and is developing her first teen drama series, Tanaka’s Mix, with support from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation. Taku is also an experienced audio storyteller, producing four podcasts, with over 150 episodes, 50 guests and 60 hours of audio content. The popularity of her 2017 radio play JoYOLO led to a book publishing deal with Allen & Unwin. Her young adult novel, due in 2023, is also slated to be her first feature film production. Taku has received several business awards for her service to the African community in Australia, including being named a 2012 Western Australian State Finalist for the Ethnic Business Awards Australia sponsored by National Australia Bank and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).