About

Neil started his career at Windmill Lane Pictures in Dublin, Ireland in 1995, working as both a script-writer and director in their Corporate Communications Division. During this time, he also wrote his own film and television material and worked as a script doctor on various feature- length film projects for production companies such as Fastnet Films in Dublin, Sidecar Films in Rome and Golden Square Pictures in London.

He developed an early interest in digital media and was involved in the start-up of Windmill Lane's multi-media division. He became Head of Productions at Windmill Lane Interactive in 2000 and oversaw the development of a range of innovative and award-winning educational and corporate multi-media titles across web, CD-Rom and DVD. It was during this time that he saw the opportunity to merge traditional and new forms of media to tell stories.

Neil left Windmill in 2002 to concentrate on his writing career and to also pursue work as a digital media consultant for traditional television and film companies (through his company Calico Media www.calico.ie). In 2003, he set up the Digital Media Forum, a network of digital media companies based in and around The Digital Hub in Dublin. He is currently working on a number of live action and animation drama scripts, both feature and TV serial. His feature length animation script, Alphabet City, was optioned and is currently in development with Fiddler’s Screen and A Film in Denmark. His ambition is to continue to develop stories (like Alphabet City) that can work across a range of media, both new and traditional, and offer audiences new and exciting ways of engaging with stories.

Neil also works with Enterprise Ireland and Screen Training Ireland providing mentoring services to companies wishing to get involved in the digital media space. Neil has worked with companies such as Screentime Shinawil, Mind the Gap Films, Pixel Lab, Icandi, Samson Films and Kavaleer Productions. Neil also lectures regularly in a number of universities and institutes of education on the subject of emerging technologies and digital media.

"Respect for people is the cornerstone of communication and networking in the nineties."

Susan RoAne