Millimages announced the appointment of Clément Le Strat to its development team. In the role of Development Manager, Le Strat will report to Producer and head of the development division, Bonnie Lener. The deo will be attending Annecy Festival in June (Stand E20) to present a third television season and second feature film from the classic Lascars property, an exclusive spin-off of Molang and kids’ comedy series Camp Farmcreek.
“It is a very exciting opportunity to join one of the most iconic and
ground-breaking independent studios in France,” said Le Strat. “I am really looking forward to working with Millimages’ creative talent and helping to expand the scope of their amazing catalog.”
Le Strat has worked in the animation industry since 2004 at some of the top studios in France. At Disney France, he spent 11 years as Program Development Manager and Editorial Advisor, overseeing over 60 animated and live-action series. At Studio Redfrog, he managed development from 2019 to 2023, notably on the series Smarty Pants, a 52 x 12′ animated comedy for Canal +, ITV and Cartoon Network Italia, winner of the Best Animated Series for 7-9 year olds at the 2023 Luchon Festival.
Boulder Media announced Colm Tyrrell is set to join the animation studio as Head of Studio Production on June 6. Established in 2000, Boulder Media is one of Ireland’s most prolific animation studios, producing My Little Pony, The Amazing World of Gumball and Danger Mouse, and garnering numerous awards and nominations around the world for its work. The studio was acquired by Princess Pictures last year.
Tyrell’s appointment to the newly created role is part of Boulder Media’s growth strategy which will see the company scaling and seeking talented artists to work on its exciting new slate of prime-time, family and kids’ animated productions, including the forthcoming Grimsburg, an animated sitcom, voiced by Jon Hamm, produced for Fox.
“Having admired the work of Boulder Media for many years, I am delighted to join the team at such an exciting juncture as it adds a new specialty of primetime adult comedy, including high end projects such as Grimsburg and Krapopolis for Fox,” said Tyrell.
“Together with my new Boulder Media colleagues, I look forward to many exciting meetings at Annecy International Animation Film Festival next month, where the wider industry gathers each year for an inspiring week celebrating all things animation.”
With over 20 years’ experience in the TV and production industries, Tyrrell has established himself as a leading expert in producing animated series. He was series producer of Doc McStuffins, Vampirina and Henry Hugglemonster for Disney, and in his most recent role as Director of Production at Brown Bag Films, played a crucial role in overseeing the success of Angela’s Christmas (Netflix), Karma’s World (Netflix), Otis the Tractor and Eva the Owlet (Apple TV+), and Lu & The Ballybunch (Warner).
Tyrell has earned multiple Emmy nods, a BAFTA nomination and recognition from both the Producers Guild of America and the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) as well as an Irish Animation Award win.
New York based creative studio Assembly has welcomed Senior Vice President of VFX, Sarah McGrail to its Senior Management team. “I’m thrilled to be part of Assembly, a team known for its outstanding creative talent and innovative, flexible workflows. As the VFX industry continues to evolve, we have a unique opportunity to build on our successful client collaborations, and to push the boundaries of what’s possible in visual effects,” said McGrail.
As an acclaimed executive producer, McGrail has worked on over 90 notable episodic, feature film and commercial projects over the last decade, including The Walking Dead, Star Trek: Picard and Game of Thrones. She joins the Assembly team from Ghost VFX, where she was VP and Executive Producer of VFX.
McGrail is an active member of the filmmaking community, working to advance diversity and inclusion through the Visual Effects Society, Television Academy of Arts & Sciences, Women in Film and the Producers Guild of America.
Since its inception in 2021, Assembly’s VFX division has worked with the likes of Netflix, Hulu, HBO, A24, MGM, Amazon Prime Video and more to deliver The Last of Us, The Boston Strangler, Mrs Davis and others. McGrail will be working closely with Dave Zeevalk, SVP & Creative Director of VFX, to expand the division’s global creative offering and technical growth, with a focus on offering premium visual effects capabilities with a completely remote and cloud based setup.
Phil Rynda announced via LinkedIn that he has joined The Pokémon Company International as Director of Original Animation. The animation veteran will be involved in producing new animated features, series and short-form content for the global gaming and anime brand.
Rynda joins the Pokémon gym from his former post as Director of Creative Leadership & Development for Netflix Animation. Before this, he served as VP of Development at Nickelodeon and was a Creative Director at Cartoon Network. Rynda is an exec with deep creative background, having created Emmy-winning character designs for Billy & Mandy’s Big Boogey Adventure; his credits also include Gravity Falls, We Bare Bears, Adventure Time, Chowder, The Venture Bros. and The LEGO Movie.
This year’s Fredrikstad Animation Festival (October 19-22) will welcome Norwegian film producer John M. Jacobsen as Guest of Honor and winner of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. Jacobsen is being recognized for his contributions to the animation film industry, as well as his efforts to elevate the importance of visual effects in Norwegian cinema.
Throughout his extensive career, Jacobsen is primarily known as a significant producer. Since his debut with Prima Vera’s Saga about Olav the Holy in 1983, followed by Hard Asphalt (1986) and Pathfinder (1987), he has produced over 40 titles spanning over four decades. In 1988, he established the Norwegian subsidiary of Svensk Filmindustri, SF Norge AS, which quickly became the country’s largest distribution company. In 1996, he shifted his focus entirely to film production. The much-awarded producer’s Max Manus (2008) is the biggest Norwegian box office success in modern times with 1.2 million tickets sold, and his series The Heavy Water War (2015) is the most-watched drama production in Norwegian TV history, averaging 1.8 million viewers per episode.
In 1997, Jacobsen created Norway’s first full-length animated film, Gurin with the Foxtail, and has produced a total of four full-length animated films and over 50 animated TV episodes featuring Elias, the Little Rescue Boat, and Blekkulf, the former of which was nominated for an Emmy. He has also been a driving force in implementing CGI technology in Norwegian films, including The Hunt for the Kidney Stone (1986), and last year’s Viking Wolf, which made it to Netflix’s international top 10 list of most-watched non-English language films.
More Moves:
- VOLT Studios welcomes Mike Nelson as Animation Director, to enhance and build the full-service content company’s 3D animation and motion design offerings.
- Toy & entertainment company Toikido has appointed licensing veteran Darryl Lai as its new Managing Director for the Americas, establishing Toikido USA.
- TAAFI (Toronto Animation Arts Festival International) announced that co-founder Barnabas Wornoff will be stepping down as Chair of the non-profit organization’s board. The board has appointed Karen Jackson, a longtime TAAFI leader and board member, to assume the Chair role, overseeing the leadership of the non-profit. Additionally, Matthew Celestial, another board member and head of publicity, will assume the role of Treasurer, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the non-profit.
- Creative studio Mr Wolf is expanding its advertising division with Creative Director Ryan Tuttle and Creative Director/CG Supervisor Charles Paek joining its senior creative team in the shop’s Atlanta studio and Los Angeles headquarters, respectively.
- Genius Brands International, Inc. announced the appointment of Henry Sicignano III (President, Charlie’s Holdings, Inc.) to the Company’s board of directors.
- Creative and technology studio Preymaker expands its West Coast team with four new hires: Adam Lambert, Roxy Zuckerman and Michael Reed join the Creative team, while Mattias Andersson joins the studio’s dedicated Technology crew.
