Australian indie studio Flying Bark Productions is today launching its new production arm, After Bark, which is entirely focused on producing content for older audiences, including mature animation projects and scripted and unscripted live-action genres. The company is also announcing two senior management appointments: Amy Noble as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Kate Andrew in the role of Head of Legal & Business Affairs.
After Bark has been established to attract creator driven projects with a diverse representation of showrunners and an emphasis on locally focussed, global reaching stories. Well timed to capitalize on increased local funding incentives from both the Federal and State Australian Governments, After Bark will draw on the company’s international network to attract global support for its new slate of projects.
“After Bark provides us with an opportunity to evolve our local storytelling and production slate beyond the company’s traditional kids and family animation,” said Flyin Bark’s CEO, Barbara Stephen. “Despite the local disruptions to the domestic industry, we are determined to invest in local talent and produce quality Australian entertainment with broad appeal.”
The studio has experienced significant growth of its domestic and international businesses over the past few years, driven by a successful original IP slate and the sustained demand for premium animation services, including multi-series productions for Marvel, Nickelodeon, LEGO and Disney+. Bolstering its senior management positions is essential to realizing Flying Bark’s goals for expanding production capacity.
Prior to her role with Flying Bark Productions, Amy Noble was a senior member of the Fremantle Australia leadership team and the Director of Business Affairs & Legal since 2017, where she oversaw the commercial, operational and legal functions of the business. Noble was formerly a lawyer for Screen Australia and Clayton Utz with 20 years of experience.
Kate Andrew returns to Flying Bark after spending eight years working as a senior lawyer for the Seven Network and Seven Studios working across its in-house development and production slate for both scripted and unscripted content. Kate will lead a team responsible for negotiating and contracting deals for the production and financing of all television and feature films across the international and domestic markets.
“Amy is a well-respected senior leader in the industry, and I’m delighted to have someone of her caliber join our C-suite. Together with Kate, their collective commercial and legal experience across a diverse range of high-budget local and international production will help facilitate a smooth expansion for both the Los Angeles and Sydney operations and the successful transition into new genres for production,” said Stephen.
Last week, the Hon. Stuart Laurance Ayres, MP – Minister for Enterprise, Investment & Trade, announced Flying Bark Productions as the first creative industry recipient of Jobs Plus funding to facilitate the employment of 150 jobs over the next three years with a combination of infrastructure funding for the company’s level three, high-tech fit-out, payroll tax support and training rebate which will assist the fast upskilling of a new local workforce. Flying Bark Productions and After Bark is wholly owned by independent media and theme park business; Studio 100 headquartered in Belgium.
