Animation Ireland names McCabe chief exec

Animation Ireland, the trade body representing Ireland’s animation studios, has appointed Ronan McCabe as chief executive.

Ronan McCabe

McCabe’s appointment comes as the animation sector in Ireland undergoes a sustained period of rapid growth that has seen Animation Ireland’s membership go from 14 in 2015 to 30 in 2020.

McCabe spent over 20 years as MD of Double Z Enterprises, producing shows for RTÉ, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and MTV.

He is also a former chair of Screen Producers Ireland and has been the treasurer of Animation Ireland since its foundation in 2015.

Investment in animation in Ireland has tripled since 2015 to €180m (US$205m) annually and employment figures have doubled to over 2,000, with new home-grown animation studios being established each year.

“The Irish animation sector is performing very strongly and my focus is on leading the sector through this period of enormous growth,” said McCabe.

“I plan to address major challenges such as education and recruitment of talent, the effective operation of the S481 tax credit system and the implementation of the EU Audio Visual Media Services Directive. My mission is to ensure that Ireland continues to be a leading global destination for animation production, and bring new energy, purpose and ambition to the role,” added McCabe.