Accomplished Dublin-based animation studio Kavaleer Productions is pitching itself to U.S. content production, distribution and streaming communities as an ideal partner to better represent people with disabilities on-screen. Through the development of pioneering content, they are enabling these communities to educate, expand and engage their audiences while growing their businesses.
With more than 15% of the United States population counting themselves as part of the disabled community, the leaders at Kavaleer Productions consider this to be an issue of relatability as much as representation.
Led by CEO Andrew Kavanagh and Managing Director Gary Timpson, Kavaleer has a successful track record of partnering with U.S. businesses, including work with Nick Jr. on Kiva Can Do! and with Watch Next Media and Cloudco Entertainment on Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese. The studio prides itself on delivering innovative animations such as the pioneering media literacy show Alva’s World and Paper Owl Films’ Pablo, which broke considerable new ground by having a main character on the autism spectrum.
Kavaleer is backed in the U.S. by Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency for developing Irish businesses in International markets.
The studio’s new show, Adam Loves Adventure!, is in pre-production and stars Adam King, an inspiring and charming seven-year-old boy, his trusted wheelchair, Speedy, and Bubby, the rabbit! Adam King is widely considered a national treasure ever since an appearance on the national broadcaster’s annual festive Late Late Toy Show won him a broad and warm following that extended to the Irish diaspora and beyond — he counts U.S. President Joe Biden and retired astronaut, Chris Hadfield, among his well-wishers and followers!
“The disabled community is the largest minority with the least on-screen representation. To achieve broader awareness and greater empathy for people with disabilities, the stories need to be told to larger audiences, and we’ve demonstrated there is interest and appetite for this content,” Kavanagh explained. “Now with Adam Loves Adventure!, we have the opportunity to create great content with an exceptional young man and share his warmth and example with global audiences!”
Echoing this sentiment, Niamh O’Donnell, Enterprise Ireland Trade Development Executive, noted, “Adam Loves Adventure! is an exceptional coupling of character, creativity, and commercial opportunity. I am confident Adam Loves Adventure! will be another successful episode in Ireland’s burgeoning animation storyline.”
Kavanagh and his team are working with Enterprise Ireland in the U.S. to build partnerships with finance and distribution entities in this market. Interest is strong, and the group expects strategic additions to backers that include Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster, and The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Kavaleer Productions will attend the upcoming Kidscreen Summit in Miami (July 18) to meet with potential partners for Adam Loves Adventure!
Enterprise Ireland is Ireland’s innovation agency and the venture capital arm of the Irish government. It is one of the world’s largest seed-stage VCs by deal flow and is dedicated to supporting Irish start-ups in their global ambitions. Through a network of more than 40 international offices, Enterprise Ireland supports a portfolio of 1300 startups with over $260M in annual revenue.
Now in their 20th year of business, Kavaleer believes in creating animation that is as brilliant, diverse and unique as every child who watches it. The decorated animation studio’s recent work includes the development of CBBC/Gulli ratings-topper Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse
Cheese (with Watch Next Media and Cloudco Ent.), the 2019 Broadcast Award-winng Pablo (with Paper Owl) and Kiva Can Do!, which aired globally on Nick Jr. Based in the heart of Dublin, Kavaleer’s 70-strong animation crew are currently at work on Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese Season 2 and Circle Square (with Wyndley Animation and the Brothers MacLeod).
