Lindsay Jane Sedgwick, writer and creator of the IFTA-nominated animated series ‘Punky’, has seen her Creatives in Animation Network increase in numbers this month to over 160 creative professionals from Ireland and the UK.
The seventh meeting of the Creatives in Animation Network (CAN) - which took place at the Galway Film Fleadh - saw UK visitors from the British Film Institute liaise with their Irish counterparts in discussing current and future animation projects.
‘Writers need animators and animators need writers,’ Ms Sedgwick said to IFTN this week. ‘This is how we strengthen our industry and ensure that we can produce the animation projects all the way through from conception of the IP to the finished series or feature.’
The network’s Galway meeting marked its first gathering outside Dublin since Ms Sedgwick founded the group in January 2012 for the purpose of helping writers and animators benefit from each other’s respective strengths.
‘Collaborations have been happening at all levels, while conversations are happening that may lead to future collaborations and a strengthening of the creative end of this industry,’ Ms Sedgwick added. ‘Anyone who has attended a CAN event can go on a group email solely comprised of attendees, so they can network privately, but there are also group pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.’
Geronimo Animation’s ‘Punky’ is the first mainstream animation series to ever feature a child with special needs as its protagonist and has been IFTA-nominated for Best Children’s Show & Best Sound.
The series has been sold to eight international territories and is distributed by Monster Entertainment with Lace Digital Media handling DVD sales.
Anyone seeking further information on the Creatives in Animation Network can contact Ms Sedgwick at: ljsedgwick@lindsayjsedgwick.com