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Animation UK allies with UK Screen

Animation UK, the group that successfully campaigned for a tax break for UK animation, has joined with the UK Screen Association to fight for the local industry.

Oli Hyatt

Oli Hyatt

The two organisations will work together under the banner UK Screen Alliance, giving them “a stronger voice and greater influence” and making it easier for the UK government to work with the two groups.

It means Animation UK, which announced it would relaunch earlier this year, will officially become a trade body, having spent nearly a decade as a voluntary group.

Chair and founder of Animation UK, Oli Hyatt MBE, will continue to be involved as the group transitions into the new body.

UK Screen Association is the trade body for the country’s visual FX houses, post-production facilities and film studios and has been representing its member companies since 2004.

Kate O’Connor will take on the role of executive chair of the Animation UK council and provide wider support for policy, while Helen Brunsdon will take the position of director at Animation UK. Neil Hatton, currently chief executive of UK Screen Association, will become CEO of the over-arching UK Screen Alliance banner.

“Oli and I have often found ourselves attending the same meetings, dealing with the same people in government departments and sharing very similar viewpoints on the issues that really matter to the sectors we represent,” said Hatton.

“It makes an enormous amount of sense for us to pool our efforts and resources so that together we can provide more advocacy and benefit for our respective members.”

The local animation industry is worth an estimated £1.5bn (US$1.9bn) a year to the UK economy and attracts £250m of inward investment every 12 months, according to Animation UK.

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