The leading lights in Irish animation are in Miami this week (week commencing Monday 11th February) to represent Ireland at the Kidscreen Summit, the most important annual event in the world animation calendar. The Irish delegation is led by Animation Ireland, the representative body for Irish animation studios, and is linking up with Enterprise Ireland and the Consulate General of Ireland to highlight the strengths of Ireland as a destination for animation production.
The weeklong event is attended by 2,000 top executives and animators from across the globe, including Amazon, Disney, Netflix, Sony and Warner Brothers. The event allows studios to get face to face time with major industry leaders, discover new talent and build relationships with potential partners.
Irish animation studio Brown Bag Films also picked up the number 1 spot in the list of Kidscreen Hot50 Production companies for the second year running. The Irish studio beat major international producers such as Netflix, Amazon, DreamWorks and the Cartoon Network to win the award.
Among the Animation Ireland representatives was Niamh Herrity of Pink Kong Studios. Commenting on the event, Niamh said; ‘’Kidscreen is always a wonderful opportunity for Irish animation studios to network with executives from the big studios and keep up to date with what other animators around are doing. Animation Ireland is here this with Enterprise Ireland and the Consulate General of Ireland to promote Ireland as one of the world’s best locations for animation production and engage in critical dialogue on issues that affect the industry.’’
On the advantages of Ireland for animation production, Animation Ireland board member Ronan McCabe of Treehouse Republic said; ‘’Ireland has so many advantages when it comes to animation and VFX production and it is important we showcase these to the world, including the amazing talent we have and the stunning, award-winning work they have produced over the past ten years. The extension of Section 481 tax relief to 2024 in last year’s budget also provides a solid degree of certainty for studios in the years ahead.’’
L to R: Hannah Dobson, Enterprise Ireland; Ronan McCabe, Animation Ireland; Shane Stephens, Consul General of Ireland, Atlanta.
Among the Irish animation studios at Kidscreen this week are Cartoon Saloon, Giant Animation, Ink and Light, JAM Media, Lighthouse Studios, Salty Dog/ Magpie Media, Brown Bag Films, Daily Madness, Kavaleer, Elk Studios, Monster Ent, Telegael, Wiggleywoo, Pink Kong Studios and Treehouse Republic.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for Ireland’s animation studios, representing 25 member studios who employ more than 1,500 people nationwide. The sector has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with the sector now generating over €100 million for the economy annually as Irish animation projects are viewed in over 120 countries worldwide.