Irish TV production company Telegael, which is based in An Spidéal, Co Galway, has won an Emmy award for the second series of its animated cartoon programme, Tutenstein.Presented annually by the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Emmy awards are the TV equivalent of the Oscars, writes Michael Dwyer, Film Correspondent.
Telegael took the prize in the category, Special Class Animated Programme, at the Emmy ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday night. Tutensteintells the story of a 10-year-old boy who is struck by lightning and brought back to life in a modern-day museum.
This is the second Emmy win for Telegael, which took the same award in 2004 for the first series of Tutenstein,which has been broadcast on RTÉ. The company collected a further three Emmy nominations this year, another for Tutensteinin a separate category and one each for the animated cartoon series Growing Up Creepieand Toddworld.The company received Emmy nominations in 2005 and 2006 for Toddworld.
Telegael chief executive Paul Cummins, who is the executive producer of Tutenstein, and Siobhán Ní Ghadhra, the series producer and the company's head of production, collected the award at the Emmys ceremony on Thursday night.
Speaking from Los Angeles, Mr Cummins said: "The fact that Telegael has been nominated for Emmys for four consecutive years highlights the strength and the consistency of the company's production slate and underlines the level of skill and talent amongst the team at our studios in An Spidéal.
"This win also underlines the tremendous strides which the company has made in the highly competitive global animation industry." Ms Ní Ghadhra said the win was "an honour for the company and a credit to all the team in Telegael for their hard work and dedication over many years".
Tutensteinwas broadcast nationally in the US as part of the Discovery Kids strand on the NBC network and has been shown in more than 40 countries.
Discussions are under way regarding a third series and the production of a film version of Tutenstein.
Telegael Media Group employs 50 full-time staff and 200 part-time or freelance workers who provide creative, production and technical services.
Since its inception in 1989, Telegael has worked with international producers, distributors and broadcasters to co-develop, coproduce and co-finance television, animation and live action programming for the global market.
The company won an Irish Film and Television Academy award in February this year for the teenage comedy drama series Aifric, a second series of which is now in production. It also produced the documentary Tall, Dark & Ó hAilpín,which attracted 500,000 viewers when broadcast in January on RTÉ 1.