19th June 2018
Focus on Irish animation sector with 15 Irish companies travelling on the mission to meet with iconic names in global entertainment industry
Heather Humphreys T.D Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation commences a 4-day joint Enterprise Ireland / IDA Ireland trade mission, supported by the Irish Film Board to Los Angeles, USA today (19th June 2018).
The Irish animation industry will be the main focus of the mission which aims to connect 15 Irish companies in this dynamic, growing industry in Ireland to many of the largest names in global entertainment.
Minister Humphreys will lead the Enterprise Ireland client delegation to meetings with world-renowned animation studios; Activation Blizzard, Amazon Studios, Cartoon Network, The Jim Henson Company, Disney Animation Studios, Jakks Pacific, Netflix, Nickelodeon Company, Paramount Pictures and The Gotham Group during the mission.
Speaking on the first day of the trade mission in Los Angeles, Minister Humphreys said; “I am delighted to lead this delegation of 15 Irish animation companies to the heart of the global entertainment industry, which is projected to be worth US$ 270 billion by 2020. This is an enormous opportunity for the participating companies to showcase Ireland’s vibrant animation sector, which currently employs over 1,600 highly skilled people.
The ecosystem is enhanced further by State supports through Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Film Board supports, Animation Ireland and the Animation Skillnet and more generally through RTÉ and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Not only are the Irish companies in this growing sector creating jobs and contributing to the economy, but they are creating valuable cultural exports reaching substantial global audiences, which brings benefits to other industries including the tourism sector”.
“In the context of Brexit, it has never been more important to support Irish companies to achieve their global ambition. This Enterprise Ireland / IDA Ireland trade mission, which I am leading to the USA, supports early entrants and established Irish companies in the animation sector to expand key business relationships with their US counterparts. Throughout this mission I will be engaging with key decision-makers in Government and industry to promote the innovative capabilities and competitive offers of Irish companies.”
Julie Sinnamon, Enterprise Ireland CEO said; “The Irish animation and digital entertainment sector is an important element of Ireland’s digital and creative economy. The sector has experienced significant growth in recent years and now employs more than 1,600 skilled workers and contributes more than €100m to the Irish economy. The growth has been achieved by award-winning Irish studios that combine the Irish capacity for story-telling with highly innovative visual effects and technology. Ireland is now globally recognized and a leading source of creative content for the TV, Film, and Games industry. We are excited about showcasing these Irish animation and VFX technologies in the home of the U.S. film industry. Our ambition is to expand the export footprint of this growth sector even further, connecting Irish animators to some of the world’s best-known digital animation names in the world, through this trade mission”.
Other highlights for the participating animation clients will include a “masterclass” session delivered by US animation industry veterans on topics including how to market fund, licence, market and sell animation outputs.
Minister Humphreys will address an event dedicated to increasing female entrepreneurship in this sector hosted by the US organization Women in Animation and will meet with senior political figures from the City of Los Angeles.
The trade mission is jointly co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in operation with the Irish Film Board on behalf of the Government of Ireland.
ENDS
For more information contact;
Grace Labanyi, Senior Executive, Corporate Communications +353 (0)1 7272820 grace.labanyi@enterprise-ireland.com
Or Conor O’Donovan, Manager, Corporate Communications & Marketing + 353(0)1 7272912 conor.odonovan@enterprise-ireland.com
Note to the editor:
North America represents the fastest export market growth for Irish companies with Irish companies seeing a 19% year-on-year gain in their market share and exports growing to €3.74bn in 2016. Over the past five years, 180 Enterprise Ireland backed companies have established new presences in the US, with 59 new offices opened in 2017, an 18% increase on 2016. According to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2017 the value of Ireland’s foreign direct investment (FDI) was calculated at over 85 billion USD, ranking Ireland the 9th largest source of FDI.
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