The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, is today (Friday) hosting a Media Production Workshop with representatives from the film, broadcast and animation industry as part of the Creative Ireland Programme at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.
Over 150 representatives from across the film and media production sector, including the Irish Film Board, RTE, Animation Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, TG4, and award-winning independent production companies, gathered in Dublin today to focus on building Ireland’s potential as a global leader in film production, TV and radio drama and documentary and animation. The outcomes of today’s event will form the basis of a major strategic Government-led initiative to promote and develop Ireland as a Centre of Excellence in Media Production, a core objective of the Creative Ireland Programme.
Last year, Minister Humphreys commissioned an economic analysis of our screen based creative industries, which is examining the economic impact and potential of the Irish film, TV and animation sector. Preliminary findings from the study, which is being conducted by Olsberg SPI Ltd in association with Nordicity, reveal that:
The audiovisual sector supported nearly 15,000 full-time jobs last year (including direct and spin off jobs);
6,700 Irish residents work as cast or crew in live action film and TV;
Over 800 Irish residents work in the post-production and VFX sectors and more than 1,000 Irish residents work in the animation sector;
Ireland’s audiovisual sector attracted over €150 million in inward investment in 2016;
The international market for Irish produced content has increased substantially with a growing capacity for significant further growth.
Speaking at today’s event, Minister Humphreys said:
“Through Creative Ireland, we want to develop Ireland as a centre of excellence for media production. We know we have the talent, and I think by taking a co-ordinated cross sector approach there are huge opportunities to expand our film and TV sector here. Ireland is a nation of storytellers; I was us to maximise these skills to drive significant growth in the film, TV and animation production sectors in the years ahead.
“The economic analysis which I have commissioned on the audiovisual sector will provide us with a clear picture of the scale of our domestic film, TV and animation sector and the opportunities for growth. The Government provides significant support to the audiovisual sector, not just by funding the Irish Film Board, but also through Section 481, the tax incentive which helps to attract international productions to Ireland as well as being a very important source of financial assistance for domestic productions.
“Today’s workshop is about bringing all of the key figures involved in the audiovisual sector together to maximise the potential of the industry as a whole. For example, I believe there are greater opportunities for the State broadcaster to work with independent film production companies. If you consider just the last number of years, Irish filmmakers and animators have had incredible success on the global stage. Creative Ireland aims to drive both increased investment and production in our audio visual sector between now and 2022 and to this end we will publish an industry wide plan for the sector later this year.”
James Hickey, Chief Executive of the Irish Film Board added:
“Creative Ireland is a very welcome initiative placing creativity at the centre of government policy in Ireland. Irish storytelling on film and animation is as important to the lifeblood of Ireland as any of Ireland’s other cultural and economic endeavours. The IFB is working with the Department of Arts on the Olsberg/SPI economic report which will present a detailed and robust analysis of the film and screen content production sector, together with policy initiatives, which we believe is an important step in terms of achieving the potential growth for the film and animation sector.
“There are huge opportunities for Irish creative talent working in film and screen content and we look forward to this enormous potential being fully realised making Ireland a centre of excellence for media production in the years to come.”
Notes to Editors:
Creative Ireland is an all of Government five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. It is built around five pillars: Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child; Enabling Creativity in Every Community; Investing in our Creative and Cultural Infrastructure; Ireland as a Centre of Excellence in Media Production; Unifying our Global Reputation.
Further information on Creative Ireland is available at creative.ireland.ie or on Facebook [Creative Irl] and Twitter [@creativeirl]
The study by Olsberg SPI Ltd in association with Nordicity will be finalised and published in the coming months. Preliminary findings include:
Ireland’s media sector – including the screen industries and radio:
Attracted close to €150 million in inward investment in 2016
Directly employed over 7,500 workers on a full-time equivalent basis
Of these, more than half were engaged in the production of original film, TV, animation, VFX, and advertising content
Including multiplier effects, the sectors supported nearly 15,000 full-time equivalent workers last year
These jobs and wages are spread across a wide number of individuals – data show that:
6,700 Irish residents have worked as cast or crew in live action film and TV in the last few years;
Over 800 Irish residents working in the post-production and VFX sectors;
More than 1,000 Irish residents working in the Animation sector; and,
Over 1,500 Irish residents work in the cinema exhibition sector.
This activity supports a strong screen sector which:
Attracts significant inward investment from North America, and has the capacity to attract much more;
Delivers high quality audiovisual content around to buyers around the world, particularly in the TV Drama and Animation sectors; and,
Has the capacity for significant growth, with targeted public and private investment