Yahoo Finance Lighthouse Studios Ups Marc Jordan As France’s Gao Shan Pictures Boards Animation Firm’s Performing Arts School Comedy Series ‘Showtime’
EXCLUSIVE: Ireland’s Lighthouse Studios has upped Marc Jordan to CFO, as it welcomes France’s Gao Shan Pictures to animated comedy series Showtime.
Jordan was previously Finance Director, and in his newly created tole will play a key role in strategy and operations. Among his duties is the financial management of co-productions, a new area for Lighthouse. In September last year, the company announced Showtime as its first co-pro, working with Northern Irish firm Dog Ears.
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Jordan will look to identify and secure funding opportunities for co-productions and other projects, and collaborate with production partners. He has been with Lighthouse, which has provided animation for Rick and Morty and The Bob’s Burgers Movie, since 2017 and is also a board member of Animation Ireland.
“Marc has been a pivotal member of our team during his tenure at the studio,” said Claire Finn, Managing Director, Lighthouse Studios. “His promotion to CFO is well-deserved, and he will be instrumental in collaborating with our esteemed production partners to continue delivering the first-class animation we have been known for since our inception.”
“The past seven years have provided a tremendous opportunity to work with Claire and the team to grow from primarily an animation service provider to expanding into original content, and I am delighted to continue the journey to help further build Lighthouse Studios into a world class animation studio,” added Jordan.
Having begun life as a services company, Lighthouse has pushed into original development over the past year, with the 52-part Showtime one of three projects on its slate. In October 2022, we reported it was developing a 2D-anomated crime series, Savage Town, based on a graphic novel co-authored by Marvel comic book artist Declan Shalvey.
Showtime is based on Tor Freeman’s book Showtime for Billie and Coco, and now counts Gao Shan is a co-producer.
Gao Shan was established on Reunion Island in 2014 by Arnauld Boulard, who will be a producer on Showtime. Lighthouse’s Head Creative Gilly Fogg (El Deafo, Bug Diaries) will direct from scripts written by Sian Ní Mhuirí (Royals Next Door). Lighthouse’s Finn serves as executive producer and Dog Ears’ Creative Director John McDaid is co-producer.
Showtime is billed as “high-energy comedy series set in a performing arts school,” with “naturally diverse and inclusive” 11-minute episodes featuring “visual humor for young audiences, character-led stories grounded in friendship, and performances galore, as the characters learn about everything from puppetry to ballet, mime, acrobatics, street-dancing, juggling.”
“We are also excited to welcome Gao Shan as a co-production partner to work alongside us and Dog Ears on Showtime, a series that celebrates inclusion and kindness, the magic ingredients that help every child to shine, and will encourage kids to get excited about being part of a performance — whatever part they choose,” said Jordan.
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