Screen Ireland appoints former Element Pictures exec as head of TV

Screen Ireland has appointed Kate McColgan as its head of TV, taking over from Andrew Byrne.

McColgan will oversee Screen Ireland’s slate across TV and animation series, from development to production. She will collaborate with Irish and international broadcasters and streamers, as well as support Irish writers, producers and directors from development to broadcast. She begins the Dublin-based role in February.

McColgan brings over 20 years’ industry experience, having working across production and development for Irish indie Parallel Films’ TV and film slate, the Weinstein Company and Element Pictures, where her credits included Ripper Street and Blood. She was also a producer on Darklands for Virgin Media TV. 

Elsewhere, she served as head of European production for US distributor MPI Media and launched MTV Arabia Television across the UAE and Arab regions. As a producer, McColgan’s credits include features The Drummer And The Keeper and Sky Original The Heist Before Christmas.

Désirée Finnegan, chief exec of Screen Ireland, said: “With a broad range of experience across the television landscape, from development to acquisitions, Kate brings strong creative skills and practical production expertise. The continued growth of TV drama production in Ireland is a key priority into the future, and we’re looking forward to further developing Screen Ireland’s diverse TV drama and animation series slate.”

• A version of this story first appeared on our sister site Screen