Paper Owl Films has built itself a new nest with the launch of a new 5,000-square-foot studio in Belfast.

The 12-year-old production company has always been based in Northern Ireland’s capital city, but this new location aligns with growth plans to expand its in-house production pipeline, which recently wrapped and delivered Nikhil & Jay (pictured, CBeebies) and Lí Ban (Cúla4/TG4). 

The increased capacity will also support more international co-productions. Last fall, Paper Owl signed a deal bringing Crayola Studios in as a co-producer on its upcoming spinoff series, Pablo: Boy Meets School. Currently in production, this 40 x 11-minute series was commissioned by BBC Children’s and Education (UK) and RTÉjr (Ireland).

Paper Owl’s “core team” of creatives who specialize in animation, design, production, live action and post-production will be working out of the new hub, with plans underway to add training programs.  

“Remote working has seen amazing innovation in animation pipelines in recent years, but we have missed that in-person contact that the creative industry thrives on,” says Paper Owl MD Gavin Halpin. “By creating a truly hybrid pipeline, our projects have optimum technical efficiency [and] crew flexibility, allowing us to have exciting in-person collaboration and continue to work with global talent.”