Two new reports highlight how digital transformation and converging technologies are key to the longer-term success of the Irish screen industries.

• The Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries report highlights the impact of digital transformation on the future of work in the creative screen industries in Ireland.
• Examines how leading organisations have integrated digital technologies, solutions and approaches into their operations providing case studies
• Highlighting future opportunities and challenges within the Screen sector.
• Report recommends the development of a Screen Industries Innovation Lab (SIIL) to drive innovation, enable collaboration, and support Ireland’s capacity to compete internationally to create jobs and help build a sustainable talent pipeline.

November 1 2022 Two new reports funded through Skillnet Ireland’s Industry Insights series, highlight how digital transformation and converging technologies are key to the longer-term success of the Irish screen industries. The Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries report was commissioned by Animation Skillnet and carried out by Strategic Innovation Partners. A Feasibility Study for a Screen Industry Innovation Lab (SIIL) was commissioned by Screen Skillnet and carried out by Tech Ireland.

Michael Culligan, CEO at Furthr at Furthr said: “Since 1988, Furthr (formerly DublinBIC) has provided ambitious founders with everything they need to start and scale their businesses. From our deep engagement with creative companies who call the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) home to overseeing the three creative Skillnet Networks (Animation Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Immersive Technologies Skillnet), Furthr are excited to see the launch of these two new reports which provides further evidence that embracing technology and upskilling talent is critical to creating a global competitive advantage for the creative industries.”

Tracey Donnery, Executive Director, Policy and Communications at Skillnet Ireland, said: “Ireland’s creative screen sectors are expected to grow rapidly over the coming decade. Skillnet Business Networks within these sectors provide extensive support to companies in developing the technical skills of businesses and workers in animation, digital screen and immersive technology sectors. These reports offer industry insights into innovative ways to continue developing a sustainable talent pipeline within the creative sectors to support this growth.’

The Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries report finds that for Ireland to continue its role as a global leader in the creative screen industries, it is vital that the talent base reflects not just the current business demands, but also the challenges of future growth in existing and new markets.

This report provides a number of action-oriented case studies on the impact of digital transformation on the future of work in the creative screen industries in Ireland. By examining the way in which a number of leading organisations have integrated digital technologies, solutions and approaches into their operations, it is intended that a better understanding of both the opportunities and challenges will emerge. The case studies further explore key drivers, outcomes and results of the changes, challenges encountered and lessons learned to inform future practice.

The case studies cover four key areas:

• Virtual and digital production
• Digital creativity and collaboration
• Digital and online learning
• Digital distribution and consumption

The report’s author Laurie Knell, Director, Strategic Innovation Partners, notes “We are thrilled to be launching the Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries report today. Ultimately the report finds that successful longer-term digital transformation requires constant learning and adaptation. Organisations which undertake digital transformation must constantly seek to implement, learn, iterate and refine their digital processes and associated offerings. Working with Animation Skillnet on the project, we could really see the vital role that organizations such as Skillnet Ireland play in the future of work”.

The Feasibility Study for SIIL undertaken with enterprise within the sector reveals there is overwhelming support for a Screen Industries Innovation Lab; an umbrella space for the screen industries of film, animation, games, augmented and virtual reality technologies to come together to drive innovation, enable collaboration, and make Ireland a global leader in the future of content production.

Overall, the study finds that the SIIL project is a worthy and worthwhile one that is sorely needed by industry which could contribute to several tech sectors that have exciting potential for growing Irish jobs and exports.

The consensus is that SIIL should focus on Training, Research, Information Sharing, and Collaboration, with physical and online elements. The study also suggests that the physical space(s) would ideally be co- located with digital production training facilities and research facilities.  The online element should focus on the meeting of minds, fostering a network for cooperation and collaboration and building a community.

The report outlines the importance of engagement and investment from all key stakeholders would be essential for the establishment a centre to support a sustainable business model.

Speaking ahead of the launch John O’Dea, CEO, Tech Ireland who authored the report says “Our research involved both a qualitative and quantitative approach.  The study is based on an industry survey of more than 70 Irish businesses, as well as interviews with over 40 industry experts, both here and abroad. We are also extremely grateful for the support and input from the expert steering group from across the screen sectors. We hope this report is a useful first step towards realising SIIL, a creatively focused but technologically driven incubator for the Irish creative sector”

Commissioned by Animation Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Immersive Technologies Skillnet, and supported by Skillnet Ireland, both reports were launched at the Emerging Futures: Creative Content, Technology & Innovation in the Screen Sector Programme at Further Fest in the Convention centre Dublin.

Full Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries report is available to view here.

Full Feasibility Study for SIIL report is available to view here.

Five trainees to receive on-the-job training and mentoring with leading Irish animation, VFX, and games studios.

Animation Skillnet and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland (Screen Ireland) are delighted to announce the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the second programme of 2022.

The traineeship, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry, either with their host studio or with another studio. Last year 16 trainees were placed in studios for the two programmes of 2021, and earlier this year 9 trainees were placed in studios. An evaluation report on the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship published by Animation Skillnet this year highlighted the positive impact of the programme for both trainees and participating studios. A full copy of the report and its findings can be found HERE

Targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors, this iteration of the programme will take place over a 3-month period. It will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring with studios remotely as well as additional specialist training delivered through Screen Ireland and Animation Skillnet.

The 3 participating studios and 5 trainees for the second Graduate Traineeship Programme of 2022 are:

• Cartoon Saloon: Sarah Radcliffe and Jasmine Anderson
• StoryToys: Jamie Grant and Dearbhla Reid
• Piranha Bar: Andrei Filip

The traineeship kicks off on Tuesday the 25th of October with a week of specialised online training, featuring talks from experts on the latest creative and technological advances in the area of VFX and animation, as well as soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management.

Speaking about the traineeship, Gareth Lee, Manager of the skills department within Screen Ireland, said, “We are very pleased to be launching this year’s second iteration of this highly successful programme. We were delighted to be able to support 9 trainees earlier this year and 16 trainees in total over the course of 2021. The Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors are hugely important to Ireland’s digital and creative economy and the traineeship continues to be an integral link to bring new talent into the sector.”

Emerging Futures: Creative Content, Technology & Innovation in the Screen Sector Programme

Creative Content, Technology & Innovation in the Screen Sector Programme October 21st.

In partnership with Animation Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Immersive Technologies Skillnet and supported by Screen Ireland and Animation Ireland.

Emerging technologies are reshaping how creative content and experiences are produced and consumed globally.  Real time technologies such as virtual production, motion capture and the acceleration of immersive technologies in creative and enterprise sectors, are opening up creative and technical opportunities that we have never seen before.

In partnership with Animation Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Immersive Technologies Skillnet and supported by Screen Ireland and Animation Ireland, Emerging Futures: Creative Content, Technology & Innovation in the Screen Sector, will explore these new opportunities in a unique one-day programme at Furthr Festival 2022 on October 21^st and examine what this means for the Irish screen and immersive industries.

Together with leading industry speakers, we will explore how to build a thriving national innovation ecosystem and point to the new opportunities coming on stream today to future proof tomorrow. Industry experts and invited guests from Ireland and the UK will:

• Discuss the new and emerging forms of content taking centre stage globally, and the innovative technologies that underpin them.
• Share the opportunities that are opened by experimenting with new tools and techniques to engage new audiences and create new forms of content creation in the screen sector.
• Highlight the new production tools, processes and workflows which are radically changing the way content is being produced in the screen sector such as virtual production, in game engine filmmaking, camera VFX which bring an entirely new skill set to the film making toolbox.
• Explore the new opportunities in health, wellbeing and workplaces of the future, new markets which the creative industries are in a prime position to generate new business in.

The event will see the launch of the new Feasibility Study for SIIL – a National Innovation Lab for the Irish Screen Industries, share the findings from recent The Irish Immersive Economy and the Digital Transformation in the Screen Industries study.  All three reports have been commissioned by Animation Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Immersive Technologies Skillnet.

Hot off the press, the 2022 Screen Ireland and Animation Ireland Screen Innovation Fund winners will also be announced on the day and demos of how these companies are using innovation and technology to advance the state of the art in the animation and screen sector, along with some fantastic VR experiences, will be available to explore.

Emerging Futures: Creative Content, Technology & Innovation in the Screen Sector will look at what all of this means for creative and tech businesses and discuss what can be done to ensure Ireland evolves with these disruptions, in order to maintain its global competitive edge.  Take part in the conversation, meet new collaborators, and stay ahead of the curve by joining us on October 21^st at The Convention Centre Dublin.

Email sean@animationskillnet.ie to secure yours now.

Our speaker line-up includes:
Sol Rogers – Global Director of Innovation, Magnopus

Stephanie Anderson – Public Policy Manager Ireland Meta

Andrew Chitty – Challenge Director for the Creative Industries and Audience of the Future programmes

Dan Ring – Head of Research The Foundry

Nancy Xu- Virtual Production Producer Epic Games

Jonny Cosgrove – CEO meetingRoom

Brenda Mannion – COO Mersus

Keith Jordan – VP Innovation Mastercard

Emily Crofton – Research Officer Teagasc

Declan Keeney – R&D&I Lead Studio Ulster, Professor of Screen technologies & Innovation Ulster University

Niamh Herrity – Head of Production Pink Kong Studios

Nick Linders – CEO Algorithm

Camille Donegan –VR Content Producer

Aaron Jay – CEO Emagine

Nicky Gogan – Producer and Development Executive Piranha Bar

John Cassy – CEO Factory 42

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR
‘FUTURE EDGE’
COMPANY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 

Animation Skillnet, Immersive Technologies Skillnet, Screen Skillnet and Screen Ireland are excited to announce FUTURE EDGE, a company development programme for the creative industries. 

The creative industries in Ireland are experiencing a wave of expansion and growth. In 2021, across film, documentary, animation and TV drama, the total production spend in Ireland was €500 million, the best year on record, and a 40% increase on 2019. The newer, Irish Immersive sector, is currently worth over €43 million and showing huge future potential. Sectoral stakeholders are keen for the growth to continue, but in a responsible, sustainable and inclusive way.

FUTURE EDGE offers the Irish creative industries and their representative bodies, the opportunity to aid business growth, attract FDI, evolve workforce design and talent retention, and ultimately improve the working culture of their organisation and the creative sectors in Ireland as a whole. 

Future Edge is a six month training programme split into 3 different strands that can be applied for separately. The three strands which incorporate workshops and mentorship will enable company/organisation leaders to advance their policies in relation to:

• Sustainability
  and/or
• Workplace Culture and Wellbeing
  and/or
• Digital Innovation / Transformation

Companies/organisations can apply to attend one or all three strands, but we would recommend that different representatives are elected to attend each (depending on roles and responsibilities), should your company’s application be successful. 

• Each strand will be facilitated by a leading organisation in the areas of either Sustainability or Workplace Culture or Digital Innovation. 
• Each strand will incorporate 5 x day long workshops between October 2022 and March 2023. Approx one per month. Exact dates TBD. 
• 10 x companies/organisations will be selected for each strand. 
• It is recommended that two senior representatives attend each workshop for the duration of the programme. 
• Workshops will take place in person (with some hybrid elements), with the exception of the Sustainability strand which will take place online. 
• The location for each workshop will be determined once the final group of ten companies is selected, depending on their geographic spread. 
• One to One Mentoring will also be built into the curriculum and will take place throughout the 6 month period, either online or in person, depending on the needs of the companies.
• While each strand has a core curriculum, this will be complemented by additional sector specific content devised in dialogue with the selected participants. 
• The output from each strand will be the development of a company policy, strategy or plan on either Sustainability or Workplace Culture or Digital Transformation/Innovation.

These programmes will run from October 2022 into March 2023.
Exact times and dates of workshops will be determined once participating companies have been chosen.

Sustainability Strand

Course Overview: 

• Module 1: Setting the Stage: Climate and Sustainable Production
• Module 2: Purpose Development: Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Goals
• Module 3: Building the Plan: Materiality, Stakeholders, Governance and KPI Tracking
• Module 4: Defining Strategies: Initiatives, Objectives, Actions and Implementation
• Module 5: Presenting Draft Plans and Next Steps

View the full core curriculum HERE
For further questions on this strand email sean@animationskillnet.ie

Trainer Profile:

Green Spark Group (GSG) is a sustainability consulting firm that aims to shift culture in television and film/commercial production companies, studios, and industry related organisations to achieve positive impacts, cost savings, and recognition through the incorporation of sustainable practices. GSG brings together sustainability knowledge with Screen Sector expertise, with topic knowledge including: 

• Best practices from greening a set to developing a company-wide sustainability strategy; 
• Carbon accounting, including assessing and mitigating GHG emission from productions; 
• Social sustainability, including labour practices, equity, diversity and inclusion, and shaping sustainability narratives. 
• Cutting edge expertise on advancing sustainable productions through actions around materials, food and hydration, energy, fuel, and waste. 

GSG works to align sustainability strategy and training with organisational goals, collaborate with leadership, employees and key stakeholders, and provide a rich and supportive road-map for success. They have worked extensively with motion-picture industry stakeholders such as HBO, Apple, Netflix, Disney, Amazon, CBC, Ogilvy, Creative BC and Filmgroup since their foundation almost a decade ago.

Workplace Culture and Wellbeing Strand

Course Overview: 

• Module 1: Introduction to organisational culture and wellbeing: What are they and how do you understand them in your organisation?
• Module 2: The foundations for successful culture and wellbeing strategies.
• Module 3: Key stakeholders: The role of leaders in culture and engaging your wellbeing stakeholders.
• Module 4: Designing a programme/plan for change.
• Module 5: Rolling out your programme/plan.

View the full core curriculum on the Screen Skillnet website HERE
For further questions on this strand email barbara.deignan@screenskillnet.ie

Trainer Profile:
Based on a strongly held belief that a business’s success is driven by its people, Scott McInnes founded INSPIRING CHANGE in 2017. Based in Dublin, the company works with clients in Ireland and further afield in Europe to help them connect with their people in a way that’s clear, inspiring and authentic to drive sustainable change and business performance.
Inspiring Change has a small but experienced team and, where necessary, brings in the skills and experience they need from a board of trusted associates.  A bit like the Thunderbirds, this allows Inspiring Change to create teams that perfectly match the needs of each project or client.
www.inspiringchange.ie
DONNA REILLY is an experienced coach, facilitator and wellness consultant with a passion for people’s mental health and wellbeing. Her goal is to support people to become the best version of themselves and build a positive, healthy and happy life.
www.donnareillywellness.ie

Digital Innovation / Transformation Strand

Course Overview:

• Workshop 1: Digitalisation & Digital Technologies Impact on the Business World
• Workshop 2: Digital Customer Experience
• Workshop 3 : Methods and Skills for Successful Digital Transformation
• Workshop 4 : Designing and Delivering Digital Transformation
• Workshop 5 : Creating a Digital Transformation Plan
• 5 x 1 Hour, 1-2-1 Mentoring Sessions Per Business

View the full core curriculum on the Immersive Technologies Skillnet website HERE
For further questions on this strand email manager@immersivetechnologiesskillnet.ie

Trainer Profile:

Beta Digital is a specialist digital transformation advisory firm, enabling businesses successfully adapt to compete in today’s digital world.  This programme will be delivered by founding partners Louise O’Conor and Paul Doyle. Both Louise and Paul are experienced business advisors with combined expertise in business strategy, digital innovation, transformation, growth, change management, marketing, sales, service, finance, operations, robotics introduction and data analytics. Louise and Paul’s programme  will be complemented by Jonathan Dempsey’s expertise in  immersive technology and EdTech.

Beta Digital has developed programmes in Digital Leadership & Transformation for; the Small Firms Association & Skillnet Ireland (Mentors Work Programme), Institute of Banking, Irish Management Institute, Irish Times Training, Enterprise Ireland & Local Enterprise. Pivotal EdTech co authored the Irish Immersive Economy Report in association with Eirmersive.

This programme is designed for companies/organisations operating for 2/3 years. Two individuals at a senior level in the company/organisation are required to attend from each company/organisation for each strand. A company/organisation can apply for one or more strands.

The nature of the company’s business should include, but is not limited to: film, television, animation, games, immersive technologies, AR/VR, post-production, VFX, facilities, sales, distribution and exhibition. The programme is also open to applications from representative bodies, guilds, and broadcasters etc.

Note: (If you wish to participate in all three strands you must fill out 3 x applications)

Apply for the Sustainability Strand HERE

Apply for the Workplace Culture and Wellbeing Strand HERE

Apply for the Digital Innovation/ Transformation Strand HERE

DEADLINE TO APPLY: September 21st 5pm

IMPORTANT: Places are open to Republic of Ireland based companies/organisations only. Companies/organisations outside of the ROI do not qualify. 

For further information, please email sean@animationskillnet.ie

Nine trainees to receive on-the-job training and mentoring with leading Irish animation, VFX, and games studios.

Animation Skillnet and Screen Ireland are delighted to announce the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the first programme of 2022.

The traineeship, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry, either with their host studio or with another studio. Last year 16 trainees were placed in studios for the two programmes of 2021.

Targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors, this iteration of the programme will take place over a 3 month period. It will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring with studios remotely as well as additional specialist training delivered through Screen Ireland and Animation Skillnet.

The 4 participating studios and 9 trainees for the first Graduate Traineeship Programme of 2022 are:

• Jam Media: Robyn Coleman, Marshall O’Connor and Victor Gomes
• Daily Madness: Abigail Webster and Sinead Treacy
• Distillery Films: Dounia Couasnon and Julia Malinowska
• StoryToys: Katie Soden and Saoirse Godbold

The traineeship kicks off on Tuesday the 7th of June with a week of specialised online training, featuring talks from experts on the latest creative and technological advances in the area of VFX and animation, as well as soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management.

Speaking about the traineeship, Gareth Lee, Manager of the skills department within Screen Ireland, said, “We are very pleased to be launching this year’s first iteration of this highly successful programme. We were delighted to be able to support 16 trainees in total over the course of 2021. The Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors are hugely important to Ireland’s digital and creative economy and the traineeship continues to be an integral link to bring new talent into the sector.”

Animation Skillnet in collaboration with Creative Europe MEDIA, Screen Ireland, Animation Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is delighted to welcome the third edition of the ACE Producers Animation Special to Ireland. This workshop will take place in Dublin over six days from 30th May–4th June 2022. 

The ACE Producers Animation Special is designed for producers and production companies with experience in producing live action features to diversify their activities and acquire new expertise in animation production, as well as for those with animation experience to increase their knowledge of the current international animation production landscape. 

Gareth Lee, Skills Manager at Screen Ireland said: 

We are delighted to be supporting ACE Producers with the Animation Special programme in Dublin this year. The animation sector in Ireland has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and interest from Irish animation studios in co-development and co-production opportunities for feature animation with European studios is on the rise. It’s exciting to see the Animation Special bring European and Irish animation producers together to learn, to network and to explore collaboration opportunities.

Producers will attend with a project at idea or concept stage and the workshop will focus primarily on the creative and financial aspects of feature and longform animation production. Topics for sessions include animatic story development, international production workflows, the creative dynamics of animation production, financing strategies and international distribution. There will be additional sessions specifically on animated TV series production. 

For the 2022 edition two Irish producers, Alan Holly (And Maps And Plans) and Carla Mooney (Cardel Entertainment) will join 15 other participants for the six-day workshop. A full list of participants is available here. 

Among the experts/consultants of this year’s edition are Sébastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios), Simon Quinn (Big Fat Studio), Martin Pope (Magic Light Pictures) and Marleen Slot (Viking Film). 

About ACE Producers 

Founded in 1993, ACE Producers is a network of over 250 experienced independent film producers from more than 45 countries. Membership of the network is based on professionalism, mutual trust, collaborative working and openness to new ideas with the fundamental aim of encouraging and enabling international co-productions. Learn more about ACE Producers here. 

Online from 7pm to 9pm on June 7th, 8th & 9th.

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)

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 dont’s to help you succeed. Each session will be approximately two hours long and will focus on the following:

• Workshop 1 June 7th – Preparing for Markets with Leanne Preston
• Workshop 2 June 8th – The Do’s and Dont’s of Pitching and Markets from an Irish Perspective with Lindsey Adams
• Workshop 3 June 9th – IP: Choosing The Right Broadcast Path with Danielle Davies

About the Tutors

Lindsey Adams Lindsey 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. 

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.

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)

About the 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Dates & Times

Online from 7pm to 9pm on June 7th, 8th & 9th.

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:

https://forms.gle/1f57QSdGkXnkBSMp6

It is our great pleasure to welcome Stephen Silver to present his very popular “Mindset, Caricature and Character Design” workshop online on Saturday April 23rd at 3pm.

Stephen’s goal is to help artists improve their skills and learn valuable time-saving techniques. He wants attendees to complete the workshop feeling energized, prepared, and have the tools and mindset needed to move forward with their creative journey.

About the Tutor

Born in London, England and now residing in Los Angeles; Stephen Silver has been a character designer and teacher in the animation industry for over 30 years. He developed intellectual properties for some of the largest companies in the world; such as Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Sony, MAD Magazine, Reel FX, Bento Box, Hasbro, Universal, DreamWorks, and many more. Stephen is responsible for the visual character development and design of some of animation’s most iconic shows; including Disney’s Kim Possible, Nickelodeon’s Danny Phantom, and Disney’s Clerks: The Animated Series, to name a few.

Having designed characters for multiple major studios; Stephen founded Silvertoons, Inc. and subsequently opened The Silver Drawing Academy. Stephen conducts workshops and seminars worldwide for corporations, schools, and studios teaching character design and guiding participants towards achieving the creative mindset. He is the author of 12 published books that explore character design, sketching, conquering artistic struggles, caricature, and life drawing.

Course Content

Stephen’s workshop covers the importance of practice, persistence, and passion. Attendees are presented with a great opportunity to watch and learn from Stephen’s industry experience, which spans over three decades. Artists are guided through specially designed creative drawing exercises and are able to ask questions. Stephen breaks down the essential ingredients necessary to improve the attendees’ skills, no matter which facet of the industry they are working in.

The techniques presented are crafted to stimulate creativity, encourage imaginative problem solving, and help artists become better decision makers. Everything attendees learn will inform their pathway to success in the field. Whether an artist is pursuing a career in design, illustration, comics, animation, storyboarding, or another sector; they will have clear direction and the tools to succeed coming out of Stephen’s workshop.

Workshop Benefits

• Preparing a positive mindset to follow through on ideas
• Breaking down effective Character Design
• Partake in creative drawing exercises
• Discover the importance of Caricature
• Acquire knowledge of taking ideas to the next level
• Identify new ways to break you out of creative ruts
• Defining your ideas and implementing them on a daily basis
• Presenting your work effectively

Participant profile

The course is designed for recent graduates or professionals. Attendees should be prepared to take lots of notes, draw, and – most importantly – have fun!

Please note that applicants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland in order to take part in this course.

Places are limited to 30 participants and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

If the course is sold out and you wish to be put on a waiting list, please email sean@animationskillnet.ie

Materials or software needed

Basic materials: paper, pencils. markers, charcoal. Participants will be notified of any other materials needed throughout the course.

Software: Good WiFi connection, the classes will be taking place on Zoom.

Cost

€30

Dates and times

Saturday April 23rd from 3pm to 6pm.

A Skills Development Opportunity for Underrepresented Writers

Animation Skillnet is pleased to host “An Introduction to Writing for Children’s Animation In Ireland”; a course in collaboration with Screen Skillnet, Screen Ireland, Animation Ireland, Cartoon Saloon, Brown Bag Films and 9 Story Media Group. This upskilling opportunity is co-funded through the BAI Sectoral Learning and Development Fund. 

We are committed to removing barriers of entry to the industry, opening up opportunities for progression, and encouraging a more diverse and inclusive industry culture. With this in mind, we would specifically like to invite individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to apply for this course. Previous experience writing for ​children’s TV is not a requirement. 

In this six-week course we will explore the world of writing scripts for children’s television animation. From pitching a story idea, to elaborating an outline and ​crafting multiple drafts, we’ll learn how to receive notes, squeeze in that extra giggle, and navigate the logistics of compliance.

Through a mix of online workshops and assignments, the course aims to encourage, support and prepare new writers who want to write for children’s animation (from preschool up).

COURSE CONTENT:

• An overview of the scripting process from pitch to final production script.
• Basic skills and techniques in writing premises, outlines and scene by scenes.
• Writing dialogue and scenes.
• Completing a first draft.
• Familiarity with scripting formats.
• Familiarity with S&P (Standards and Practice)
• Facilitated Q & A sessions with visiting industry professionals

Classes will be practice-based meaning participants will have the opportunity to develop and evolve an idea over the span of the course. This will incorporate peer-review and feedback so participants can experience the editing process. There will also be individual tutoring sessions to discuss notes and feedback.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, each participant will have:

• Generated pitches and outlines.
• Written a short animation script from an outline.
• Revised and edited based on notes and feedback received.  

DATES & TIMES:

6 Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm-8.30pm; March 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, April 5th.

1 of the following Thursday evenings from 6.30pm-8.30pm (individual sessions); March 10th, March 24th, March 31st.

VENUE: Online via Zoom

“Cartoon Saloon are delighted to be a part of this new and exciting writing opportunity! We want to encourage the storytellers out there to apply, learn everything that the very talented Dee Roycroft has to teach and possibly grow to tell their own distinct stories through the powerful medium of animation. We hope this pilot programme will be the first of many Cartoon Saloon partnerships to intentionally promote diverse and inclusive pathways into animation.”

Catherine Roycroft, Cartoon Saloon

“As creators and producers of children’s content, Brown Bag Films and 9 Story have an important responsibility. Our shows are watched by millions of kids around the world and the imperative to tell diverse and authentic stories has never been greater. Our animated series celebrate diverse characters that represent the experiences of young viewers in Ireland and around the world. With this course we are excited to welcome new voices that will continue to expand our storytelling perspectives.”

Jennie Stacey, VP, Development & Production, 9 Story Media Group/Brown Bag Films

PARTICIPANT PROFILE:

This course is aimed at new and diverse writers with a specific interest in writing for children’s television animation. No previous experience in either animation or writing for television is necessary. We encourage applications from writers currently under-represented in TV – including (but not limited to) women, disabled writers, ethnically diverse writers, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Please note that applicants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland in order to take part in this course.

TUTOR INFO:

Dee Roycroft is a writer and script editor currently writing on new projects for both Cartoon Saloon and Daily Madness. Recent work includes Ollie for Ink & Light and Jessy and Nessy for Amazon Studios. Over the past 8 years, Dee has worked on productions for many companies and broadcasters including RTÉ, BBC, CBBC, Telegael, Fíbín, SLR Australia and TG4. She has co-ordinated Fair City’s New Writers’ programme, mentored on initiatives with Galway Film Centre and the WGI, and taught short courses in the Irish Writers Centre and RTÉ.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Applicants should submit a personal statement of intent and a short sample of their writing.

• The personal statement of intent is an opportunity for applicants to share their story, tell us why they are the right person for this course and to provide context as to how voices such as their own are currently being underrepresented in the mainstream animation industry.  (Max 400 words)

• The writing sample should be a piece that you think best represents your writing. Please submit only ONE of the following:
  • A short original script extract for film, tv or theatre. Please indicate on the cover page which medium it is intended for (max 5 pages)
  • A short pitch/outline for film, tv or theatre. Please indicate on the cover page which medium it is intended for (max 1 page)
  • A poem (max 1 page)
  • A short story (max 2 pages)
  • An episode outline originated by you (max 1 page)
  • An episode outline originated by you from an existing kids series (eg Bluey, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol etc) (max 1 page)
  • A spec script originated by you from an existing kids series (eg Bluey, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol etc) (max 5 pages)

 Please apply HERE

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 12pm on the 11th of February

Free online event for new entrants from all backgrounds to learn about writing for children’s animation.

Screen Ireland, Animation Ireland, Animation Skillnet, and Screen Skillnet have today launched an online Freelancer’s Guide.

The Freelancer’s Guide was created to support freelancers across the Irish animation and screen industries. The site functions as a manual and directory, offering guidance in the areas of personal development, business, and marketing. The website was developed with the support of the BAI Sectoral Learning and Development Fund.

Commenting on the launch of the website, Gareth Lee, Skills Manager at Screen Ireland said,

“The Freelancers Guide is a welcome addition to the suite of supports that our collective organisations offer freelancers. Covering topics that range from networking, to tax, to CV writing, the website offers information for freelancers at any stage of their career”.

To coincide with the launch of the website, a series of free Lunch & Learn sesions focusing on some of the site’s topics will take place from January 31st – February 4th 2022. 

Registration details below. 

Date: Monday January 31st / 1pm – 2pm
Lunch & Learn: Marketing Yourself with Michael Downey 

In this session Michael will take a look at the marketing tools that all freelancers should have in their armory, including an online presence, cover letters and CVs. 

Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcemprzktE9X1JGzun0I2kmwExoI4qh6U After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Please check your spam)

Date: Tuesday February 1st / 1pm – 2pm
Lunch & Learn: Time Management with Anne Hennessy

Join Anne as she discusses the importance of time management for freelancers covering topics such as boundary management, self-awareness, and avoiding the dreaded zoom gloom. 

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErde-srzsrGdFtzVfzdvmu1QW_TiQfQmDd After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Please check your spam) 

Date: Wednesday February 2nd / 1pm – 2pm
Lunch & Learn: Understanding your Tax Obligations with Peter Daly
In this session Peter will take us through the main tax obligations of freelancers, including: 

• Who needs to do a tax return. 
• How to do one. 
• When it needs to be done. 
• What are the main pitfalls.
• Some tips and tricks to simplify the process.

Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckde6rqz4pH9GeNFv7cpTi9rhqNiGp6Hpn After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Please check your spam)

Date: Thursday February 3rd / 1pm – 2pm
Lunch & Learn: Master Your Mindset as a Freelancer with Kate O’Dwyer

Success in freelancing means a lot more than simply being great at the work you do; equally important to your career is adopting the right mindset. In this workshop, you will learn how to master your mindset to set yourself up to build a sustainable and enjoyable freelance career. 

Register:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAufuqrrTosHdHnb0yWKQBSGTM8-AZWOG4N After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Please check your spam)

Date: Friday February 4th / 1pm – 2pm
Lunch & Learn: Minding Creative Minds with Ann Marie Shields

In this session Ann Marie will take us through the well being and advise services provided by Minding Creative Minds. Ann Marie will also go through some simple tips for looking after your own professional and personal well-being and provide an opportunity for a short peer discussion in breakout rooms.

Register:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwoceGupjwsH91s3fsF9LOwf3PUf5qcvqtr After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Please check your spam)

Please note the session will take a ‘meeting’ format with all participants visible in the room. Spaces are limited so early booking is advised. Please register for each individual session that you wish to attend.

Lunch & Learn Speakers

Michael Downey

Michael is an experienced Talent Acquisition professional with over 8 years of experience as a recruiter in busy operations environments. Currently, he is a consultant recruiting talent for studios around the world. His recent work has helped studios complete 2D TV Series, 3D TV Series, five CG Animated Features, and one 2D Animated Feature. Previously he worked at Boulder Media, recruiting talent for their upcoming CG Feature My Little Pony and 2D projects. Michael has extensive experience bringing candidates through hiring processes from start to finish. His industry experience includes Animation, Technology, and Cybersecurity. Educational credentials include a Post Graduate Certificate in Animation Production Management from IADT and a CIPD Diploma in HR from NCI.

Anne Hennessy

As a chartered business psychologist Anne has worked on numerous projects supporting the development of organisations and individuals. As an executive coach she coaches senior leaders and executives from various business sectors with a particular interest in transition coaching. She has the capacity to create reflection space and through supportive challenge brings about fundamental change and personal growth. As a group facilitator she has designed and delivered various leadership programmes, facilitated team coaching interventions and delivered various talent assessment projects.

Peter Daly

Peter is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years post qualification experience. He trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked in various private and publicly quoted companies in the years since qualifying. Peter set up his own accountancy practice, Peter Daly, Chartered Accountants in early 2015. The practice caters predominantly for freelancers – many of whom work in the arts – and small companies, including some arts organisations. Alongside his accountancy work Peter works as an actor, and more recently a writer. He has worked with most of the theatre companies in Ireland including The Abbey, The Gate, Rough Magic, Druid, Fishamble and many others.

Kate O’Dwyer

Kate O’Dwyer is a freelance casting producer and a mindset coach for creatives and entrepreneurs. She has worked as a freelancer in the Irish TV industry for the past 10 years. Her most recent work includes working as the guest booker on The Tommy Tiernan TV show for the past 5 series. She is a qualified coach with the International Coaching Federation and recently received a first class honours post graduate qualification from Trinity College Dublin in Workplace Wellbeing. She is passionate about coaching creatives on how to thrive rather than survive in the freelance world of work.

Ann Marie Shields

Ann Marie Shields is Head of Careers, Industry, Guests and Events at BIMM Institute Dublin. She was on the team that successfully acquired University accreditation for BIMM Dublin’s degree course prior to opening. She designed and taught the BA3 Music publishing module and BA4 Professional Development module for many years. Ann Marie is a director of Minding Creative Minds. Ann Marie has her own AMS Records label, with releases from Side 4 Collective, Shelley Bukspan, SELK, and Vernon Jane who she also manages. She has worked extensively in the music industry working closely with bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Rumer, Rob Ells (PJ Harvey) and Charlotte Hatherley (ASH/Bat for Lashes). Ann Marie spent 3 years on the steering committee and interim board of AIMI (Association of Independent Music Ireland) to successfully launch the association in Ireland and she spent 6 years at Warner Bros. flagship label Reprise Records based in London where she also managed label imprint Morpheus Records. Ann Marie moonlights as a film music supervisor with ‘Music 4 Movies’.

Free online event for new entrants from all backgrounds to learn about writing for children’s animation.

Animation Skillnet is pleased to host the Introduction to Writing for Childrens Animation In Ireland event, in collaboration with Screen Skillnet, Screen Skills Ireland, Animation Ireland, Cartoon Saloon and Brown Bag Films & 9 Story Media Group. The event is co-funded through the BAI Sectoral Learning and Development Fund. 

We are committed to removing barriers of entry to the industry, opening up opportunities for progression, and encouraging a more diverse and inclusive industry culture. With this in mind, we would specifically like to invite individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to attend the evening’s panels.

This evening will be an opportunity for a diverse group of newcomers to hear from industry professionals about the realities of writing for childrens animation, and the opportunities available in Ireland today. 

Following the event, further details will be provided to attendees about an exciting Diverse Writers opportunity taking place in early 2022.

The event will consist of two panels:

Panel 1 The Realities of Writing for Children’s Animation in Ireland

• · Jody O’Neill
• · Jason Tammenagi 
• · Kristina Yee.
• · Sally O’Sullivan 

Panel 2 –  The Creative Opportunities of Writing for Children’s Animation in Ireland

• Will Collins
• Nuria Blanco
• Shannon George
• Nicky Phelan

Date: Wednesday 8th December 2021

Time: 6.30pm to 9.00pm ( Recording of the session will be available)

Cost: This event is offered free of charge

Please note that applicants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland in order to be considered for this course

Register: Please apply by completing the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/xAVBamGkpvdWh2Hh8

*Live closed captions will be available during the event.

It is our great pleasure to welcome Tina Nawrocki for this online version of her very popular course designed specifically for 2d animators looking to improve their drawing skills to create solid, appealing, and interesting key poses for animation. Each session will look at graphic and animation principles to create expressive drawings through lectures, demos and critiques.

The first part of the course breaks down the basic principles of Life Drawing. The focus is on the analysis of life models’ poses, in view of applying that knowledge to create believable key drawings for animation. 

The second part of the course explores the art of caricature drawing: how to create appealing and entertaining character animation through exaggeration. 

About the Tutor

• Tina Nawrocki is a 2d Animator and Illustrator with over 16 years of experience working in the gaming industry, television, and film. Tina joined Studio MDHR in 2015 to work on Cuphead as a Concept Artist and 2d Animator. She designed and animated the bosses for Sugarland Shimmy and various platforming stages. After Cuphead’s release, Tina worked for two years on Studio MDHR’s new project, DLC: Delicious Last Course. Since leaving MDHR in 2020, Tina had the pleasure of animating on the Netflix Series “Green Eggs and Ham” and the feature film “Space Jam: A New Legacy” as well as providing original animation for Drake’s new music video “Knife Talk”. 

Course Content

PART 1: 

• Introduction – who I am! 
• Study life! Why use reference? 
• Directional Axis 
• Balance/Center of Gravity/Plum Line 
• Draw SHAPES not LINES 
• Draw what you SEE not what you THINK YOU SEE 

PART 2: 

• Cartooning
• 1930s Style – what defines it? 
• Staging/Silhouette 
• Exaggeration 
• Expressions 
• Hands 
• Appeal

My Own Process for 2d Animation: 

• Thumbnail
• Recording/Finding Reference Staging/Silhouette 
• Thumbnail Part 2 
• Main Line 
• Directional axis 
• Shapes 
• Is the silhouette strong? 
• Expressions + Hands 
• Details 
• FLIP IT 

In course practice of drawing a very specific character, a model sheet will be provided.

Participant profile

The course is designed for recent graduates or professionals who want to develop their 2d drawings skills.

Please note that applicants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland in order to take part in this course.

Places are limited to 20 participants and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

If the course is sold out and you wish to be put on a waiting list, please email coordinator@animationskillnet.ie

Materials or software needed

Basic materials: paper, pencils. markers, charcoal. Participants will be notified of any other materials needed throughout the course.

Software: Good WiFi connection, the classes will be taking place on Zoom.

Cost

This course is now full.

Dates and times

• Sat Dec 4th 2pm to 6pm
• Sat 11th Dec 2pm to 6pm

Animation Skillnet is pleased to announce the launch of the Creative Leadership Programme for Animation, VFX and Games, in collaboration with Screen Skills Ireland, Animation Ireland and with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

Now in its third year, the programme has been designed to empower the growth and sustainability of the Irish Animation and related sectors.

Context

The Irish animation and related industries have grown significantly in the past 15 years. These businesses have originated from operational and creative personnel moving out on their own. As a result, the leadership and management skills required to support the growth of these rapidly growing creative organisations has yet to fully materialise.

As businesses move more and more into the digital age, the need for people and creative leadership is increasing. This is especially prevalent in the creative industries where large creative teams are working intensely on long term projects in a virtual remote world. 

The programme intends to develop high performing teams in the Animation, Games and VFX industries by developing authentic leadership abilities within individuals who have moved, or wish to move from a technical/ creative role into a position where they are leading a team, within the larger organisation as well as those who are transitioning from outside of the industry, including returners. Focusing on empowerment and leadership through authenticity, the course will support candidates in discovering their own leadership style and give them the tools to empower growth within the larger organisation.

In the short term, this course will provide individuals with leadership and management skills to deliver positive results and create a thriving workplace climate that fosters innovation, creativity and problem-solving within but not specific to Animation and related businesses. With continued growth, the course will affect a cultural shift in the development of high performing teams throughout the target industries.

Course Modules

Leading Self

• Completion of individual Personality profile report
• Building Self-awareness
• Communicating with different personality types
• Understand your leadership style
• Time Management/Productivity
• Goal Setting/OKRs

Leading Teams

• Leading with Emotional Intelligence
• Creating an interdependent leadership climate
• Leading vs Managing
• Creating a high-performance team
• Creating alignment and cohesion
• Giving Effective feedback

Design Thinking

• Understanding Creative thinking
• Creating empathy
• Defining problems
• Ideation
• Prototyping
• Testing

Inclusive Leadership

• Equality, diversity and Inclusion principles 
• Conscious Inclusion vs unconscious bias
• Inclusive leadership behaviours
• Creative problem solving 
• Values in leadership

Personal Value Proposition

• Leadership Statement
• Effective Will Power
• Key partnerships 
• The people you serve
• Finding your Why

Managing Stakeholders

• Managing multiple stakeholder
• Strategic Networking
• Influencing others – managing upwards
• Leading upwards
• Like v Trust

All participants will be asked to complete a Clarity4D personality profile questionnaire at the beginning of the programme; this will provide them with an individual report on their personality preferences and how to communicate and influence others.

Testimonials:

Niamh MacKenna (Studio Meala) “I would highly recommend the Creative Leadership course to anyone managing people in the Creative Industry. Personally, I have since secured permanent employment in the field, made meaningful network connections all while honing my creative and critical thinking and expanding my professional skill set –  I couldn’t recommend this course enough.”

Deborah Tan (Jam Media) “The Creative Leadership programme was much more than I expected it to be: besides the technicalities of learning about stakeholders, conflict management and managing habits and time, I have come away from this programme with a better awareness of myself. In doing so, I am constantly learning how to apply this knowledge to better my people and leadership skills, direct my career and even manage my own daily life. I would highly recommend this programme and I’ll guarantee that you will get much more out of this programme than you think.”

Deborah Doherty (Windmill Lane) “ I took part in last years’ Creative Leadership course and cannot recommend it highly enough. Both Fiona Flynn and Stephen Fagan were fantastic course tutors who brought us through such a range of topics which all helped with leadership vs management in the workplace, feedback, understanding emotional intelligence and goal settling among many others.

I found the clarity 4d report and the 1-1 coaching sessions invaluable and it really changed my communication and organisational skills both in and out of the workplace and gave me an overall much more positive outlook on my role and career.”

Delivery: Due to Covid-19, it is envisaged the programme will be delivered in virtual classrooms using Zoom. The sessions will be interactive and practical using breakout rooms. Sustainability There is a strong focus on equipping participants with tools, frameworks, models that they can immediately put into practice.

Assignments: As part of the blended learning approach, participants will complete assignments, projects to support embedding the learning and include a reflective learning journal, group projects and presentations.

Dates: Start on Dec 7th (Tues). Then continues 6:30-8:30 every 2nd Tuesday and 9:30-12:30 every 2nd Sat over Zoom until the end of May 2022.

Cost: The programme fee is €350 for non-members and €275 for members.

Application Procedure:

Please note that applicants must have a current, valid address in the Republic of Ireland in order to be considered for this course

Deadline for Applications: This programme is now closed.

About the tutors

Fiona Flynn – Fiona is an experienced Senior Manager, Consultant, coach and facilitator She is a passionate and active supporter of Women in Business and developing Female talent within organisations. She is President of PWN Dublin (Professional Women’s Network) – a global Not for profit volunteers organisation supporting Gender Balanced Leadership. Fiona has significant experience in building and developing teams to deliver results and growth in market share in a highly competitive fast paced environment, with over 20 years sales and marketing experience, 12 years of which was spent working in the highly competitive telecommunications and internet sectors. She is an accredited Emotional Intelligence coach. 

Stephen Fagan – A creative entrepreneur with a proven track record, Stephen is the Managing Director of Studio Meala, a qualified coach and creative professional. Stephen has over two decades of experience in the audiovisual industry, where he transitioned from creative roles to Managing Director. His hands-on experience allowed him to practically apply, design and coaching tools to real-world scenarios, establishing two internationally recognised animation studios in the process. As a qualified coach, Stephen works with Creative, Entrepreneurs and small businesses to develop in alignment with their own core values to create long term success.

There will also be a number of guest tutors throughout the programme, names to be confirmed.

Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland, the skills development unit within Screen Ireland, and Animation Skillnet are delighted to announce the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the second programme of 2021.

The traineeship, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry, either with their host studio or with another studio. Earlier this year 6 trainees were placed in four studios for the first programme of 2021.

Targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors, this interaction of the programme will take place over a 3 month period. It will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring with studios remotely as well as additional specialist training delivered through Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet.

The five participating studios and 10 trainees for the second Graduate Traineeship programme of 2021 are:

• Cartoon Saloon: Robert Bowler, Lucy Hirst and Olga Pelihh
• Jam Media: Zoe Robinson
•  Lighthouse Studios: Ellen McCullough, Sean Roberts and Lapo Moson
•  Piranha Bar: Flauberth de Carvalho and Alessia Lorio
•  StoryToys: Tara Jay Burke

The traineeship kicks off on Tuesday the 26th of October with a week of specialised online training, featuring talks from experts on the latest creative and technological advances in the area of VFX and animation, as well as soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management.

Speaking about the traineeship, Gareth Lee, Animation Skillnet Manager, said, “We are very pleased to be launching this year’s second iteration of this highly successful programme. We are delighted to be able to support 16 trainees in total over the course of 2021, especially in light of the many new challenges facing graduates in the sector currently. The Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors are hugely important to Ireland’s digital and creative economy and the traineeship continues to be an integral link to bring new talent into the sector.”

We are delighted to share with you the work of our talented group of artists who took part in our 10-week course Building a Submission-Ready Design Portfolio. This course was supported

Guided by Art Director Kirsten Shiel, the participants worked on the technicalities of presenting their work in effective ways, but also through exercises to further develop their Character and Environment design skills.

Here’s some of the feedback we ha received from the hard-working participants:

“The training has given me the confidence to continue pursuing a career in animation, and has also given me some tools to push on with learning colour and light, and applying it to my work. The technical aspects of the course, such as turnarounds, were great to cover, as I had been wondering where to put my energy- the more artistic side, or the more technical side. I feel this course covered both, and made the art side and the technical side relate to industry practices and sensibilities.”

“The range of topics covered was very useful. Having a broad overview of design and how all elements relate to each other was very helpful and provided a good base of knowledge to continue working from. […] Also- Watching the reviews of everyone’s work in different styles was great for demonstrating the application of basic principles regardless of style.”

Below is a sample of what they worked on during the course: click on each image to access the artist’s portfolio online!

Call for Applications

Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland are currently seeking applicants for the next iteration of the hugely successful graduate Traineeship Programme for Animation, VFX and Games, which is supported by Skillnet Ireland under the Skills Connect Programme.

In the first part of 2021, the studios that took part in the programme included And Maps And Plans, Daily Madness, Lighthouse Studios and TouchPress/StoryToys.

The programme, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry either with their host studio or with another studio.

The second programme for 2021 will take place over a 3-month period (12 weeks) from end of October 2021 to end ofJanuary 2022. 

Over the course of the programme, each trainee will work in-house in the studio where they will receive on the job training. (Some trainees may be required to work remotely depending on each participating studio’s policy regarding remote-working during COVID-19).

In addition to on-the-job training, the trainee will receive additional tailored training through Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland before they enter the studio and at other agreed times over the 3 months. 

The Traineeship programme will commence on Monday the 25^th of October 2021 with approximately one week of up-front training/induction and will finish on Friday the 28^th of January 2022.

A training allowance/bursary will be made available to participants (400 Euro a week for the 3 months/12 weeks).

Start Date: Monday the 25^th of October 2021.

End Date: Friday the 28^th of January 2022.

Please note the following important points before applying:

• All candidates must be available on a full-time basis for the entire duration of the Traineeship, including the induction week.
• Part or all of the placement might be taking place remotely, due to the ongoing restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Only those who are shortlisted will be called for interview.​

Interested applicants should upload a CV Link or LinkedIn link and showreel/portfolio link and complete the form at the link below:

Deadline for applications: Monday the 13^th of September at 12pm

Interviews will be held in early October with Final Selection on Tuesday the 12th of October 2021.

All applications will be evaluated and shortlisted for interview by a panel of industry experts, in consultation with Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet.

Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland, the skills development unit within Screen Ireland, are delighted to announce the Animation, VFX & Games Graduate Traineeship participants and host studios for the 2021 programme.​ The traineeship, which has been running since 2016, has a great track record with over 90% of participants going on to gain further work in the industry, either with their host studio or with another studio. Targeted at developing skills and talent in the Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors, the programme will take place over a 3 month period. It will involve a mix of on-the-job learning and mentoring with studios remotely as well as additional specialist training delivered through Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet. The 4 participating studios and 6 trainees for the 2021 Graduate Traineeship Programme are:

• And Maps And Plans: Josh O’Caoimh
• Daily Madness: Abigail Nangle, Saoirse Stephens, Sharon Byrne
• Lighthouse Studios: Gregory Wayne
• StoryToys – Touchpress: Sean Drew

The traineeship kicks off on Monday 24th of May with a week of specialised online training, featuring talks from experts on the latest creative and technological advances in the area of VFX and animation, as well as soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management.

Speaking about the traineeship, Sorcha Scully, Animation, VFX & Games Coordinator​ at Screen Skills Ireland, said, “We are very pleased to be launching the next iteration of this highly successful programme, especially in light of the many new challenges facing graduates and the sector in 2021. The Irish animation, VFX, and games sectors continue to be hugely important to Ireland’s digital and creative economy. The traineeship will be an integral link to bring new talent into the sector.”

Please note that we are hoping to run this programme again in October and will advertise for this second round in August, so please register to our mailing lists to make sure you do not miss the deadline:

https://animationskillnet.ie/contact/  and https://www.screenskillsireland.ie/newsletter-signup/

Check out our video from the Bridge Programme 2014 presentation here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7YPLzgTIA

And a write up on the success of the Bridge Programme 2014 can be found here:

http://www.awn.com/news/bridge-delivers-industry-ready-uk-talent

Animation Skillnet is partnering on two upcoming talks that may be of interest to some of you.

On Friday 24th January Animation Skillnet is partnering with Digital Biscuit on this interesting talk on Technological Innovation in the Media & Entertainment Industry by Joe Marks who was the former Head of Research at Disney – http://digitalbiscuit.ie/technological-innovation-in-the-media-entertainment-industry

And on Saturday 22nd February Animation Skillnet is partnering with the Jameson Dublin Film Festival on this talk on SCRIPTWRITING FOR ANIMATION by Richelle Wilder who was the former Head of Film/Story development at Aardman – http://www.jdiff.com/index.php/festival-2014/movie/scriptwriting_for_animation_with_richelle_wilder

Screen Training Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Animation Skillnet are supporting the inaugural Irish VFX and Animation Summit, taking place in the Science Gallery on Saturday 30^th November.  This will be open to students, graduates and professionals working across VFX, animation and games, and will include workshops, masterclasses and talks covering packages and topics such as Nuke, Houdini, Arnold, Python, pipelines and production, and wider industry issues.  The Summit will launch on Friday evening, 29^th November, with a screening and opening address by William Sargent, founder of Framestore.

In addition, the local animation and VFX community will be part of the Summit, showcasing their recent work and talking to attendees in an informal setting about their studios, key technical and creative issues, careers for graduates, etc.  The summit is targeted both at those working in the industry as well as those seeking a career in the industry, and it hopes to draw attendees from the industry as well as students and graduates from animation, computer science, and games/entertainment technology backgrounds – anyone who has skills relevant to the VFX, Animation and Games sectors.

Tickets go on sale on Saturday 19^th October.  Student tickets are €60 (or €50 for early bird tickets prior to 31^st October), and professional tickets are €100 (Early bird: €80).  For more information on the summit go to www.vfxsummit.com.  More exciting speakers will be announced in the coming days.

For all queries, contact info@vfxsummit.com.

Check out the video from the Animation Skillnet launch event:

http://vimeo.com/76958174

Change to Writing Features for Animation Professionals Course – Now a One Day Intensive Course

There was a lot of interest in our Writing Features for Animation Professionals course however a lot of interested people couldn’t get time off work to do the course so we’ve decided to change the course into a one day intensive course on Writing and Developing Animated Features as follows:

Saturday 19^th October from 9am-6pm

Venue: Conference Room, Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8. http://gec.ie/directions-and-map

9-4pm – Masterclass to be delivered by Maria O’Loughlin covering:

Character and Characterisation

How Character Shapes Story

Dramatic Tension

Dramatic Building Blocks 1 – Scenes

Dramatic Building Blocks 2 – Sequences

The “Sequence Approach” to Developing Screen Stories

4-6pm – Panel discussion (chaired by Maria O’Loughlin) with panelists Norton Virgien, Tomm Moore and Will Collins. The panel discussion will cover the practical and creative challenges of the feature development process.

Cost – Non Members: 40 Euro, Members: 30 Euro.

Payment can be made by cheque or postal order on the day made payable to Animation Skillnet C/O Dublin Business Innovation Centre.

Application Procedure: Please apply by sending an email by Friday 11^th October to: animationskillnet@gmail.com

Note – The course is open to anyone, regardless of experience. Places are limited for this course (so first come first served).

Dublin BIC Entrepreneurship Series

Convergence Animation, Games and VFX

Theatrical ‐ TV ‐ Second Screen ‐ Mobile

Are the skillsets required for the Animation, Games and VFX industries converging and are you better specialising or generalising 26th September 2013

Opening by Gareth Lee (Network Manager ‐ Animation Skillnet)

15.00 Animation  & Games Cathal Gaffney 
How Brownbag are exploring other routes to customers

15.25 Animation  to Games & The Bridge Richard Glynn
Transition from Animation  to Games company and “the Bridge”

15.45 Games engines in the mobile space Pete McNally
Havok’s new mobile engine “Anarchy”

16.10 How Animation is used in the VFX industry Tim Chauncey
How Windmill Lane have adapted ‐ Specialist or Generalist?

16.30 Skillnets ‐ Enterprise‐led Learning Networks Alan Nuzum
(CEO Skillnets)

16.35 The future convergence of animation, games and vfx Greg Maguire
Chair of Animation at the University of Ulster, CEO with Inlifesize Ltd and former R&D Supervisor at Lucasfilm Animation

17.00 Networking and drinks

The event will also mark the launch of the recently established Animation Skillnet http://animationskillnet.ie/

To book your place, e‐mail events@dublinbic.ie or phone 01‐6713111

VENUE: Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8.

Networking Opportunity 17:00‐18:00; Talk with Q&A 15.00‐17.00.

Directions: http://gec.ie/directions‐and‐map

Printable PDF: Seminar – Convergence in Animation Games & VFX Industries 26 Sept

The Animation Skillnet is an industry led training network for the animation, games and post production sectors in Ireland. The network was established in July 2013 to address the current and future vital skills needs of these industries by running high-end training courses delivered by industry specialists and organising professional networking events and conferences. The Animation Skillnet operates in partnership with Dublin Business Innovation Centre.

For a list of member companies involved in the Animation Skillnet see our Companies page.

For past, current and future training courses and events offered by the Animation Skillnet see our Courses page.