Canada’s National Film Board names Roddy McManus to head its Animation Studio

The National Film Board has named Roddy McManus as the new Executive Producer of its English-language Animation Studio. McManus succeeds veteran animation producer David Verrall starting August 8, 2011.

McManus has been producing animation for the Canadian and international markets for 20 years. Most recently, he was Executive Producer at POP6 from 1999 to the present, leading a team of artists and producers.

His most recent credits include: producer on Transgression, a Spain/Italy/Canada feature co-production; co-producer of Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie, a UK/Canada animated feature; executive producer, writer and story editor on Zooville, a mixed media/animated series for the Web, the iPhone and television; and executive producer and story editor on the animated series Inuk.

His previous positions include producer/director at Jazz Media Network (1997-1999) and Behaviour Entertainment (1996-1997), director of production at Discreet Logic (1994-1996), and producer for special projects at Softimage (1992-1996). From 1986 to 1989, McManus was responsible for marketing animation, children’s programming and documentaries at the NFB, and he describes those years as having been instrumental in his decision to become an animation producer.