07/07/2005

The two top positions of Head of Production and Development and Head of Marketing have been abolished at the Irish Film Board (IFB) as part of its new strategy to redirect some of the agency’s resources directly into film development and investment, and to tackle the increasing competition from other countries offering tax incentives for filmmakers.

The casualties of the Agency’s restructuring are Brendan MacCarthy, Head of Production and Development and Moira Horgan, Head of Marketing who will both loose their jobs later this year.
According to the IFB, the new CEO – currently being recruited as a replacement to Mark Woods who resigned form his position last April- will also act as Head of Production and Development, while the marketing department would concentrate its efforts more on attracting inward production, with other marketing requirements being outsourced as and when needed.

"We are in the process of recruiting a new CEO and we see this person being more hands on, more an ‘editor in chief’ for the Board," explained James Morris, Chairman of the IFB. "The Agency has a total staff of 16 and the purpose of this change is to have a flatter structure with more resources available for dealing directly with clients. This change will also allow us to give greater definition and back up to our efforts to attract inward production in what is an increasingly competitive international market. An increasing number of countries now have very competitive tax breaks and we need to work hard to differentiate Ireland and sell our competitive advantages."

Ireland’s Section 481 tax relief has been extended and improved until 2008. The IFB’s own budget for 2005 was increased by 18% to 14m€ last December by the Irish Minister for Arts and Tourism John O’Donoghue.