The animation industry in Ireland has continued to rise from strength to strength in the past number of years, highlighted by the ongoing international success of animation studios such as Brown Bag Films, Boulder Media, Cartoon Saloon, JAM Media and Kavaleer to name a few. With millions of children watching animated programmes produced here, Ireland is a recognised leader for TV, Film, Games and Visual Effects and in more recent times, AR and VR.
At the fulcrum of this booming and innovative industry is Animation Ireland and Animation Skillnet; two partnering organisations that provide industry support for its Producers, Writers and Directors; and technical training and upskilling for the talented professionals working in the sector.
Animation Ireland are the trade association for animation producers, whose core objective is to establish Ireland as a creative centre for content and technology; while Animation Skillnet provide subsidised training solutions to the animation, games and VFX sectors- the affiliation of both parties has stood the test of time and proved that Ireland has that competitive advantage amongst its international peers.
“The growth in the animation industry in Ireland, in the last ten years, has been phenomenal. This has primarily come about due to technological advances, global relationship building and leveraging the great creative history and talent we have in Ireland. Animation Ireland’s and Animation Skillnet’s main goal is to create an environment where Ireland becomes recognised as the “Best place in the World to do Animation” building on the 2,000 plus people who work in the industry, contributing up to €100m to the Irish economy.” –John Phelan, Independent Chair of Animation Ireland and National Director of Halo Business Angel Network.
Showcasing this steady alliance of creativity and innovation, Animation Ireland and Animation Skillnet will be hosting a series of panels on the theme of “Creativity Meets Technology” at Futurescope 2018, which takes place at the Convention Centre on the 31st May. Topics that will be explored over the event will be; IP development for a changing distribution and consumer landscape; the future of interactive medical education; creative AI for virtual worlds; closing the content gap for VR and AR; and real-time production and changing production pipelines.
Some of the biggest names in the Irish and International industry will be participating on the day, including Epic Games (Unreal Engine), JAM Media, Cartoon Saloon, Warducks, 3D4 Medical, Brown Bag Films, StoryToys/TouchPress, Boulder Media, Black Shamrock Games and many more…
The morning will kick off with a keynote address from Intellectual Property specialist Rob Hudnut, who was formally the Head of Mattel’s entertainment division. Today he advises global studios, toy inventors and toy companies on creating franchises that inspire play and creating IP that has a global reach. In the days running up to the event, Animation Skillnet will be offering Mentoring Sessions for Irish Kids content producers with Rob Hudnut on Tuesday 29th May and Wednesday 30th May in the Guinness Enterprise Centre, Dublin.
Connecting with Futurescope audiences through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM), there will also be an Animation and AR/VR showcase area featuring exhibitions, demos and targeted networking from companies such as 3D4 Medical, Artomatix, Brown Bag Films, Cleverbooks, HMH, Mu, Pink Kong Studios, Utility AR, VRAI, Visual/Vstream, Volograms and Warducks.
“It’s a great time for the animation and related industries in Ireland and of course globally too. These sectors are creative by nature and underpinned by technology that is constantly changing; technology that can affect both the production side and the distribution side. At Futurescope 2018, the Creativity Meets Technology track will explore how technological changes have impacted on the sector and what the future holds for these creative industries” – Gareth Lee, Manager of Animation Skillnet.
Futurescope 2018 takes place in the Convention Centre on May 31st.
Mentoring sessions on Tues 29th May & Wed 30th May with Rob Hudnut can be booked here.
For more info visit:
www.futurescope.ie | www.animationskillnet.ie | www.animationireland.com
Images: Doc McStuffins (Brown Bag Films); Becca’s Bunch (JAM Media); Rob Hudnut (Mattel); Aurora (Pink Kong Studios).