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James Phelan

Writer, Children's, Preschool, 6+ years, Animation, Live Action - Drama, Comedy, Kids

Agent: Jean Kitson - jean@kitsonpress.co.uk

Email Agent

James is the IFTA award-winning writer of ‘Wrecking the Rising‘. The three-part historical comedy drama was universally praised for its imaginative and bold take on the 1916 Rebellion which blended time travel fiction with established fact.

He is also the creator of hit legal drama ‘Striking Out‘ for RTE and Blinder Films which enjoyed a very successful two-season run on Irish TV. As well as episode writing duties, James storylined the first series. The show was enormously popular with Irish audiences and was also broadcast in the UK and America.

His other drama credits include two seasons of ‘The Galway Races‘ for TG4. James wrote both series in their entirety and was nominated for an IFTA award for Season I and shortlisted for a Zebbie (Irish Writers Guild) award for his writing on Season II.

James also works extensively in animation and was recently lead writer on the popular non-verbal series for Tencent / Luce Creative, Little Penguin, and has been a core writer on a major new Saudi animation, The Adventures of Mansour: Age of A.I.. He has worked on all three seasons of the Emmy-nominated series Oddbods, including writing Halloween Special ‘Party Monsters’, which has garned over 100 million views. His other recent credits include Dorg van Dango and Space Chickens in Space.

Work

Current

Title TBA
Tickle Pod

Writing feature film

Duck + Frog
Sun & Moon / BBC Ignite

Development on project greenlit through BBC Ignite scheme. Selected for Cartoon Forum Animated UK Meets Europe 2023.

Mansour
Bidaya Media

6′ 11 episodes for new series. Wrote 8 x 11′ episodes in 2021

The Legend of Ancient Borneo
All4One / Giggle Garage

Wrote the bible and two scripts for new series in production

Drama

Striking Out (2017-2018)
RTE / Blinder Films

Legal drama
Creator and storyliner 10 x 60′ episodes
Writer 1 x 60′ episodes

Nomination: Best Television Drama, IFTA Awards 2017

Wrecking the Rising (2016)
Tile Films / TG4

Historical comedy drama mini series
Creator and writer 3 x 60′ episodes

Winner: Best Television Scriptwriting, IFTA Awards 2017

The Galway Races (Season 2) (2012)
Great Western Films / TG4

Multi-character comedy drama
Series writer ? x 52′ episodes

Nomination: Best TV Script at Irish Playwrights and Screenwriter’s Guild Awards 2013 for Episode 1 ‘Rasai na Gaillimnhe 2’

The Galway Races (Season 1) (2009)
Great Western Films / TG4

Multi-character comedy drama
Series writer 7 x 52′ episodes

Winner: Best Irish Language Show, IFTA Awards 2009

Nominated for four other awards, including Best TV Script for James Phelan

Animation

Minibods (2022-2023)
Moonbug Entertainment / OneAnimation

2 x 7′ episodes for new non-verbal preschool animated series

Title TBA
Hot Drop

Currently writing

Rinky Dinkys
Hungry Duck

Wrote pilot episode and created several episodes for bible

The Adventures of Little Penguin (2020)
Luce Creative / Unlisted Shanghai / Tencent

30 episodes on 5′ non-verbal series with Tencent as Chinese partners

The Huggingtons (2020)
Klipp & Lim (Norway)

Wrote 1 x 7′ episode of new non-verbal comedy animated TV series

Dorg Van Dango (2019-2020)
Cartoon Saloon / DHX / Nickelodeon

Wrote 2 x 22′ episodes of new 6+ comedy animation, currently screening on Nickelodeon

Space Chickens in Space
Gingerbread Animation / Disney

Writer 5 x 11′ episodes

P King Duckling
Hot Drop Films

Writer 2 x 11′ episodes

Oddbods
Hot Drop Films / One Animation

Writer 24 x 7′ episodes, plus 1 x 21′ Halloween Special

Cuby Zoo
Aurora World

Writer 8 x 11′ episodes

Short Films

The Ottoman Empire (2010)
RTE / Galway Film Centre

Writer/director

Play Dead (2009)
Hotel Darklight

Writer/director of ‘Play Dead’ segment of portmanteau feature film ‘Hotel Darklight’ (2010)

Poetic Licence (2009)
RTE / Filmbase

Writer/director

Fanatic (2003)
Galway Film Centre

Writer/director