IFB | New Appointments to Production, Development & Distribution Unit

Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has announced two key appointments to the agency’s Production, Development & Distribution unit. Eimear Markey joins the IFB in the role of Story Consultant while Jennifer Smyth has been announced as the new Production and Development Coordinator.

As Story Consultant, Eimear will work with the IFB’s three Project Managers on scripts that are in mid-to-late stage development to help improve quality. As Production and Development Coordinator, Jennifer will manage the logistics of the IFB production and development slate and play a pivotal role in the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the unit.

Speaking about the new appointments, IFB Chief Executive James Hickey said:

“We are delighted to have Eimear and Jennifer on board during what is such an exciting time for Irish storytelling on screen and for the agency itself. Eimear brings a wealth of invaluable development experience to the Story Consultant role while Jennifer will provide vital support to the Production and Development team at the IFB.”

Eimear Markey began her career as a development assistant and researcher over a decade ago in the Irish film and TV industry. She has since worked, first as a reader, then as a script consultant on a wide range of projects, for the IFB. For the past two years she has also been development executive for Deadpan Pictures where she helped develop an extensive slate of TV shows. Her credits include the Deadpan Pictures/RTE 2/BBC3 shows ‘Nowhere Fast’, which she also script edited and development executive on the second series of ‘Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope’.

In 2016 she designed and co-taught “Crafting the Reader Report”, a training course for Screen Training Ireland. Eimear holds a UCLA/FETAC diploma in script development, a Higher national diploma in film from Ballyfermot College and a FETAC diploma in television production from the National Digital Skills Centre in Tralee.

Jennifer began working in film in 2016 after completing a degree in English and Film from UCD. Her first role was Distribution Assistant at Wildcard Distribution where she was involved in the release of films such as ‘The Young Offenders’. Jennifer then moved into production and development working in Fastnet Films on productions such as the upcoming ‘Black 47’. In September 2017 she joined the IFB and started in the role of Production & Development Assistant.