Animation Ireland, the representative body for Irish animation studios, hosted its Annual General Meeting in Dublin on Thursday 26th April.
Members proposed and agreed the appointment of Moe Honan (Moetion Films) as their new Industry Chairperson and the organisers announced new members Piranha Bar, Turnip and Duck and Daily Madness.
The AGM this year takes place against a backdrop of meteoric growth in Ireland’s Animation industry, with most firms reporting an increase in staffing numbers and revenue in the past year. There is now over 1,000 staff employed in the 25 member firms and the sector generates almost €100 million annually for the Irish economy, with 60% of this coming from overseas investment.
Endless awards and accolades in the past 12 months saluted the strength and depth in Irish Animation and highlight it as one of the most vibrant hotbeds of animation production in the world.
Giving her opening address, new chairperson Moe Honan said:
‘‘The core focus for Animation Ireland in the next year will be on education and we aim to get more young people interested in animation and providing them with the skills they need to succeed. Animation is an excellent career choice, and we need to get this message across to young people.’’
Moe added:
‘‘While the sector continues to flourish and grow, this growth is fragile and needs to be supported and nurtured. We will be engaging with the Government in order to build harmony and protect what we have grown.
“In particular, there is a strong and urgent need to focus on education, Section 481 and increased commissioning of Irish content from RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster. Our members supported RTÉ’s request for full license fee collection, which will enable them to develop more homegrown programming. We will also be pushing for increased investment by Government in the Irish Film Board.’’
Moe also praised the work of member studios this year:
’’This year we have seen some stunning work produced by so many of our members. We have seen Oscar nominations, Emmy nominations and a breadth of international awards for Irish productions. In the year ahead, we hope to see many more and we have a lot of hard work to do in order to keep Irish Animation moving in the right direction.’’
Animation Ireland is the representative body for Animation studios in Ireland. It has a mandate to raise the profile of Irish animation studios internationally and to promote Ireland as the best destination in the world for animation production. It represents 25 member firms, which between them employ over 1,000 staff.
Source: IFTN News/Paul Allen & Associates