Snipple Animation Hires Mike Hegarty To Expand UK & North American Studio Offer

EXCLUSIVE: Snipple Animation has hired sales exec Mike Hegarty, as it plans to expand its studio production offer in the UK and North America.

The company, which has a studio facility in the Philippines and a UK office, wants to build out what it can provide partners on 2D animated series, from early creative development through to post and delivery. To that end, it’s drafted in Canada-based Hegarty, who will be Head of International Partnerships.

He will focus on expanding Snipple’s global footprint through strategic partnerships with studios, streamers, producers and directors across the world; and delivering new pre- and post-production services in the UK and North America. Hegarty will be based in Canada and report to Kaine Patel, Snipple’s CEO.

Patel said that following the launch of Snipple’s original production arm in 2021 and the commission of Milkshake pre-school series The Woohoos last year, the company was “ready to become a one-stop shop.” This was especially because its studio arm has gained a decade of experience servicing projects from the likes of the Hollywood studios, and the UK team versed in early-stage development and post.

“We’ve been producing for coming up to a year now, going all the way from script through to delivery in-house,” Patel told Deadline. “The UK team and the studio in the Philippines have integrated real well, and we can see the foundations are there for production with pre- and post-services, which we have been asked for on many occasions from existing clients. We have a really good core creative team here in the UK and fantastic facility in Manila. We’re ready to come to the market and offer end-to-end production services.”

Hegarty joins from House of Cool, where he worked on expanding services and partnerships, and has held roles at Toon Boom Animation, managing studio needs in North America.

“Working with Kaine and the Snipple team is an absolute privilege, and I’m thrilled to be part of this new phase of growth,” said Hegarty. “Our goal is to be a leading force in all 2D projects, meeting our clients’ requirements to bring even more to the table. The production crew in Manila consistently delivers top-quality work, which has empowered the studio to expand its capabilities into both pre- and post-production.”

Snipe’s service work credits include Titmouse, Hamster and Gretel, Beavis and Butt-Head, Jellystone, Bugs Builders and Phineas and Ferb. Its workforce numbers around 800 with 97% in Manila, and a smaller team in the UK. Hegarty will also look to make in-roads in Canada, where several local production funds can be accessed and an animation talent pool exists.

Patel said the past few had been “tough” on the animation industry, with “not as many green lights, so the pool of work has dwindled dramatically.” He noted that while Snipple had been able land series and broadly keep its animators and artists employed, “you never want to see your competitors struggle when they shouldn’t need to — artists are among my most important assets and we have worked every day to provide them with work.”

However, there are signs of market recovery, he added. Patel was recently in LA, which he said had been “very quiet” for the past 18 months but is now set for an uptick. “There has been lots of mergers and cost-cutting, but our partnerships have held us in good stead — we have eight shows in the pipeline,” he said. “It won’t go back to pre-pandemic levels [of production], but there are more greenlights and a good mood factor is coming back. We have opportunities on the table.”

Patel noted that launching Snipple’s originals arm, which was created after a £6M investment from investment firm BGF, in the middle of the global Covid-19 pandemic allowed his team to develop a slate of ideas that led to the Woohoos order and a deal to sell musical shorts show The Singalings to Sky Kids.

The commissioning side hasn’t been as active as indies would like it be, but I think there will be uptick in greenlights and the need for content to be produced,” he said.