Cork-based TV production company sets its sights on delivering content to a global audience 

A NEW television production company, launched in Cork by two school friends, has set its sights on bringing original content from Munster to a global market.

Great Island is developing long-form TV drama as well as a number of animation series and unscripted formats.

The company was founded by Mark Kenny and Jim Robinson in 2020, with Shemas Eivers appointed as chairman of the board in January of this year, and Amadeo Nikoli hired as the new head of drama development. 

Their medium-term plan is to increase the number of people directly employed by Great Island to 20, with additional production jobs created yearly.

The company currently has ten projects on its development slate, four of which are market-ready to pitch for production. 

"Cork is an untapped market full of talented writers, actors and creatives and we really want to bring that to not only an Irish audience but a global market," CEO of Great Island, Mark Kenny, said. 

Mr Kenny, who has produced and created a number of popular TV shows in the Caribbean, said he believes locations in Cork are ideal for TV production. 

"There is such a varied landscape with a vibrant cosmopolitan city location as well as rural, coastal and mountainous regions. It really has it all," he continued. 

Mark and his colleague Jim, who met in school, are also looking for an opportunity to open a large-scale TV production studio in Cork.

A recent report by Grant Thornton estimates that a production studio in Cork would lead to the creation of 180 direct jobs and 160 indirect jobs. 

In the meantime, they have secured a studio space in the Marina Commercial Park for smaller-scale production needs.

Great Island has recently received €100,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland to aid in the development of its slate and build out the company’s potential.

The new production company has also taken on a UCC masters intern to develop workflows and production pipelines utilising a complete array of AI tools and processes.