Animation Skillnet, Animation Ireland, Ardán and Screen Ireland are delighted to host a series of workshops aimed at Producers and Companies preparing for their first animation festivals.
This is the first in a series of events that will include an exciting opportunity for companies pitching at their first markets in summer 2022 to apply for mentorship and a panel on pitching at festivals and markets at The Galway Film Fleadh (5-10 July 2022) .
This programme is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)
Workshop Contents
Each of the three workshops will be led by an industry expert who will walk us through the key areas to focus on when preparing, networking and pitching at animation festivals around the world. They will cover the dos and don’ts to help you succeed. Each session will take place online on Zoom from 7pm for approximately two hours long and will focus on the following:
- Workshop 1: 7th of June – Preparing for Markets with Leanne Preston
- Workshop 2: 8th of June – The Do’s and Don’ts of Pitching at Markets from an Irish Perspective with Lindsey Adams
- Workshop 3: 9th of June – IP: Choosing The Right Broadcast Path with Danielle Davies
About the Tutors
Leanne Preston is a production and development executive with over 16 years’ experience working in the Kids and Family Entertainment Business. She is currently Senior Series Producer for Triggerfish on the upcoming Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire Anthology for Disney+. She was formerly CEO and Producer at Unanico. Since starting her career back in 2006, Leanne has worked with and for companies across the globe as Producer, Development Exec, Showrunner, Writer and Story Editor including: Triggerfish, Nickelodeon, CCTV, Toonmax Media, Gaumont, Axis, Left Pocket, Digitoonz, Unanico and Red Kite Animation as well as consulting for and mentoring several Irish animation studios and producers. Leanne has worked on projects from the earliest preschool to adult animation and everything in between. Some highlights include: Lego City Adventures, Bionic Max, George of the Jungle, Emmy & GooRoo, Ella Bella Bingo and the live action series House of Anubis.
Lindsey Adams is an experienced producer and founder of Daily Madness Productions, a 2D Animation studio based in Dublin, Ireland and Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. Daily Madness is a script to screen studio, working across projects from initial development to broadcaster delivery. Credits include Goat Girl, Ray of Sunshine, Pins and Nettie, Ghost Dog, Truth Be Told Season 2 (Apple TV/Hello Sunshine), Critters TV, To the Stars, Ollie, Space Chickens in Space (2019 winner Irish Animation Awards Kids Choice Award for Best Animated Series and Best VFX as part of an Animated TV Series or Film) and many more.
Lindsey was also 2021 nominee for Irish Animation Awards – Best Preschool, Best Director, Best Music and Best Irish IP, 2020 nominee for Annie Awards – Best Preschool Series.
Danielle Davies Beginning her career in Production at the BBC, with over 25 years experience in International Co-Productions, Acquisitions and Distribution, Danielle has held senior positions at independent distributors and producers, along with global broadcasters. Formerly VP Kids, Content Partnerships & Revenue at Discovery Kids and VP Sales at Viacom, Danielle specialises in bringing content creators together with global platforms and broadcasters.
Mentoring
Participants of the workshops are given the opportunity to apply for mentoring sessions which will take place as follows:
- Mentoring Session 1 – following the online workshops, approx. 1 hour – online or in person depending on the mentors/mentees’ location)
- Mentoring Session 2 – this will take place onsite at CMC, Kidscreen or Cartoon Forum, depending on where the mentees are planning to present their project. This session will be no longer 1 hour in total or shorter sessions throughout the event.
- Mentoring Session 3 – this last session will be a 1 hour debrief taking place a week or two after the event to advise on next steps. (online or in person depending on mentors/mentees’ location)
Mentors
Andrew Kavanagh is a multi-award-winning writer-director, producer and show-creator. His children’s TV shows can be seen in 23 languages in 140 countries worldwide and are watched every day by thousands of children. The company he founded, Kavaleer, is in its twentieth year of business and produces content for BBC, Gulli, Nickelodeon and dozens of other terrestrial and cable broadcasters. Most recently, he has been exec producing ‘Alva’s World’ for RTEjr, SkyKids and Wildbrain, new episodes of “Kiva Can Do!” for RTEjr, and directing ‘Adam Saves Christmas!’ for RTEjr.
Dale Robinson Raised on a steady diet of Saturday morning cartoons and cereal has led to Dale’s creative brain being stuck in a childlike wonderland where he still believes in transforming robot space unicorns. Luckily, that’s only half of his brain, the other being his producer half, the level-headed, critical thinking half, that has strong strategic thinking and problem solving perfect for producing and guiding an animation production from idea generation right through to broadcast.
Gary Timpson Prior to joining Kavaleer as MD in 2004, Gary worked for Dublin feature studio Terraglyph Productions along with several studios in London and Liquid Animation in Brisbane, working on shows like Mr. Bean for ITV, The Proud Family for Disney, and Duck Dodgers for Warner Brothers. Gary has acted as producer or executive producer on all Kavaleer’s long-form output and is also very involved with the procurement of domestic finance and the Section 481 tax credit. In addition to his production roles, Gary was formerly treasurer of Animation Ireland and has recently been elected to the board of MEDIA Desk Ireland.
Colm Tobin is a producer, writer and co-founder of the creator studio Turnip + Duck. Along with his creative partner, Aidan O’Donovan, Colm has originated, written and produced a wide range of award-winning kids’ comedy content including Brain Freeze, Critters TV, Atom Town and Maddie + Triggs.
Ronan McCabe is the CEO of Animation Ireland, the trade association for the island of Ireland’s leading animation studios. He has more than 25 years of experience in the media industry and has a proven track record in the development and commercialisation of television and animation properties in Ireland, Britain, Europe and the USA. He is the former managing director of Double Z Enterprises, an award winning production company that produced shows for RTE, TV3, Channel 4, BBC, ITV, MTV and Starz. During his career he has worked with many companies on projects covering financing, negotiating of rights, formats, licensing/merchandising and co-production deals with broadcasters, promoters, music labels, licensees, advertisers and distributors. Throughout his career Ronan has built strong relationships with key industry stakeholders both domestically and internationally. He regularly attends and presents at markets, festivals and industry gatherings at home and abroad. Ronan is a mentor through Enterprise Ireland , Screen Ireland Skills Development and Local Enterprise Offices. He has devised and delivered courses for Animation Skillnet and has participated in High Potential Start Up and Commercialisation funding panels for industry stakeholders.
Participant profile
This course is open to professionals and freelancers in the Animation, Games and VFX industry with a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland. While it is open to any level of experience, there is a focus on first timers and less experienced festival participants.
Cost
There is no cost to the participants but places are limited and registration is essential.
Application Procedure
To apply, please fill in the registration form below: