Dublin digital media firm Jam Media, which specialises in kids’ animations, entertainment and mobile games, is to create 40 new jobs with the establishment of a world-class production and special effects facility in Belfast.
Positions are being created for senior developers, graduate programmers, managers and administrative staff.
The investment is being supported by Invest Northern Ireland and will deliver stg£1.4m in salaries in the local economy.
In November, Jam Media, which is in the midst of creating 60 new jobs in the Republic of Ireland as part of an €8.5m investment, picked up a BAFTA award for its long-standing CBBC series Roy.
It emerged in October that the €8.5m investment was made possible following the recommissioning of the series by the BBC.
The show, filmed as a fly-on-the-wall ‘mockumentary’, follows Roy, an 11-year-old cartoon boy living in the real world. Roy lives in Ballyfermot, Dublin, with his real family and plays with his real friends. He is like any other real kid his age, only he is a cartoon.
The Jam Media series appeals to both kids and parents, as it touches home on a number of everyday issues, including bullies, responsibility, trust and teamwork.
Here for the long haul
“The Belfast operation will initially service our portfolio of productions and will also compete for third-party productions and stand-alone commission work from outside Northern Ireland,” Jam Media CEO John Rice explained.
“We are here for the long term and really looking forward to being part of the emerging creativity community in Northern Ireland. There is a huge amount of talent in the North and have been very impressed with the people and enthusiasm. We have commenced recruitment and are excited about our investment plans here as we see Belfast as an integral part of our future growth,” Rice added.
Rice co-founded Jam Media in 2002 with Alan Shannon and Mark Cumberton. The company creates cross-genre platform entertainment brands and has developed methods to ensure broadcast delivery of animation over traditional and emerging platforms.
“This is a tremendous boost for the local animation sector and the wider creative industries arena,” said Northern Ireland Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster.
“Jam Media is a highly acclaimed, BAFTA award-winning company which has recognised the quality of talent available in Northern Ireland’s animation sector. Jam Media is working at the cutting edge of animation, and is offering high-quality career opportunities in one of our most dynamic and fast-growing sectors. The work that will be carried out at the Belfast centre will add value to the extensive activities being carried out by the indigenous animation firms, particularly in visual effects and post production,” Foster said.
