Alison Telford
CASTING DIRECTOR,
2024 & 2025 AACTA Award winner for Best Casting
Alison Telford sat in an office with no natural light as the Casting Director for ABC TV for 25 years. Her skin probably suffered some pigment loss, and seasons came and went while she happily toiled away on some of the most successful dramas and comedies the national broadcaster had the pleasure of producing. Her years at the ABC gave her the gift to work with a diverse group of local and overseas production companies including HBO, Netflix, All3 in the UK, Matchbox Pictures, Every Cloud, Princess Pictures and many more.
Kate Leonard
CASTING DIRECTOR,
2024 & 2025 AACTA Award winner for Best Casting
Kate Leonard worked on some of the largest film sets in Australia, including The Great Gatsby & Mad Max: Fury Road. But by 2012 she really wanted to work in an office with no natural light, so she joined Alison in casting at the ABC. On their first production together they ventured out across Victoria holding open castings to discover new and diverse actors. While road tripping they shared many laughs and bonded over their obsession with Australian television, films and dogs. In 2018, Alison and Kate joined forces to create Telford Leonard Casting in the beautiful Irish Linen House in South Melbourne- an office with abundant natural light. They now wear SPF 30 to work.
In 2024, Alison & Kate won their first AACTA Award for Best Casting in a Television series, for “Deadloch”
In 2025 Alison & Kate won the AACTA award for Best Casting in a Feature Film for “Better Man”
Telford Leonard Casting
As a company, we are committed to practising sustainability in our workplace and making conscious choices that reduce our environmental impact wherever we can.
We’re also proud to support organisations doing meaningful work in the community and beyond, including the The Orangutan Project, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), and Sikh Volunteers Australia—groups dedicated to protecting wildlife, supporting refugees, and providing vital community aid.
And closer to home, we have a soft spot for rescue dogs. 🐾 Many of our team are passionate supporters of dog rescue organisations and believe every good dog deserves a second chance.
It’s a small part of what we do, but we’re proud to support good things wherever we can. 🌏