Telegael promotes for global push

Irish kids producer Telegael has promoted production chief Siobhan Ni Ghadhra to chief operating officer, freeing its CEO to further expand the company’s international business.

In her newly created role, Ni Ghadhra will take on day-to-day responsibilities at the Galway-based producer and its subsidiary companies such as Belfast-based Zoogon.

Telegael said this would allow chief executive Paul Cummins to “focus on further developing the external potential of the company, building and managing strategic relationships globally and identifying new business opportunities and partners.”

An example of those global partnerships is recent toon Speed Racer, which the prodco coproduced with India’s Toonz Animation, New York-based Animation Collective and Santa Monica’s Kickstart Productions.

Last month, Telegael announced it was developing a TV series based around the Impossimals greetings card brand with another LA-based company, SupperTime Entertainment.

“The appointment of a chief operating officer is an important strategic move for the company at this point in time,” said Cummins. “In excess of 90% of our output is for the global market, which is reflected in the establishment of offices in London and LA in recent years.”

Telegael, which began life in 1988 as an animation facility before moving into coproduction, also produces live-action programming such as Annabel’s Kitchen and My Phone Genie, the latter with Talent TV, Moonscoop and CiTV.

Ni Ghadhra has been Telegael’s head of production for 12 years. Her promotion leaves the role open, with a replacement to be announced in due course, Cummins told C21 today.