Welsh animators secure €440,000 broadcasting grant

Welsh animation company Siriol Productions has secured a MEDIA Plus television broadcasting grant of €440,000 for its children’s animation series 'Holly’s Helpline'.
The award will allow a 26 x 10 minute series, aimed at four to six years-olds, to move into production.
Lynne Stockford of Siriol said: “This award from the MEDIA Plus programme is a key component of our financing strategy for Holly's Helpline and will ensure that the series proceeds.”
Holly's Helpline is a series about a duck agony aunt that helps animals needing emotional support and deals with the kind of issues that real children experience when they first start school.
Holly's Helpline, which was pitched at the Cartoon Forum in Varese, will be distributed via co-production and pre-sale agreements to a number of European broadcasters, including S4C, RTE, TG4, FR5, SVT, ZDF, RTBF and TV2.
In recent years at the Cartoon Forum, Siriol has become a regular attraction with lively and engaging pitches made by members of staff, including Managing Director Robin Lyons, appearing as characters from its projects.
(GB)