Lighthouse Studios has announced that long-time series director & showrunner, Gilly Fogg has been promoted to the position of head creative. She will be responsible for creatively overseeing the studio’s original IP development and service project slates. Fogg, heading the creative team of Ireland’s premiere animation studio Lighthouse, is ready to churn out some amazing set of content.
“Since taking the reins of the studio in 2018, I am quite proud of the level of talent we have attracted and the culture we have created that gives our team the environment to thrive, and Gilly has played a huge role in taking Lighthouse to the next level. We have a robust slate of service work with big launches happening in spring ‘22 and are gaining strength as we grow our original IP projects,” said Lighthouse MD Claire Finn while making the announcement.
“I love Gilly’s passion and together with head of production Cormac Slevin, we want to continue to find, create and produce content that delivers the exceptional standards we have become known for,” Finn added.
Fogg joined Lighthouse when the company first launched in 2017 as the studio’s series director and then became showrunner in February 2021. Now as head creative and series showrunner, she will be the ‘creative guardian’ of every project, managing the creative teams and overseeing the development of all studio content.
In the new role, the lady will work closely with the showrunner of the studio’s first own adult IP, a gritty animated crime drama loosely based on real events at the turn of the millennium in Ireland. She is also overseeing the company’s ‘short film project’- an initiative that offers Lighthouse employees the opportunity to flex their creative muscle and submit an original concept. The top pick will be developed and produced by the studio.
A creator herself, Fogg is also currently writing an original work, which explores intergenerational relationships in a changing world.
“This new role as head creative allows me to oversee and act as the ‘creative guardian’ for all of our projects and collaborate with the creative talent in our partner studios. What I enjoy most in the creative process is working closely with people and building long-lasting creative relationships. It’s also a privilege to mentor upcoming directors in our own team. I love working with Claire whose vision inspires the entire team to bring to life projects that entertain audiences across the globe,” said Fogg.
Fogg has been involved in the creative process at Lighthouse since inception. She has been involved in directing the Amazon Prime original Bug Diaries and creatively overseeing the tests that won the projects currently in production, including The Cuphead Show for Netflix.
She is currently directing an as yet to be announced mini-series for one of the global streamers and is serving as showrunner on another series, currently in development, which Fogg successfully pitched alongside Finn in Sept 2019.
Prior to joining Lighthouse, Fogg worked as a series director for DHX Media, Wishenpoof for Amazon Prime with Angela Santemero and Wendy Harris; Space Ranger Roger; and three seasons of Animal Mechanicals for Canada’s CBC. Previously, she worked for HIT Entertainment for eight years, starting as a stop-motion animator and then serving for four years as an episodic director for the hit series Bob the Builder.
Fogg began her entertainment career during university as a puppeteer, touring Scotland with the Perfect Chaos theatre company.
After completing university she interned at Studio Jiri Trnka in Prague, studying all aspects of traditional animation under Vlasta Pospisilova.Fogg received a degree in film and theatre studies and English Literature at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and also studied film at Queen’s University in Canada.
