Ardán is delighted to invite you to FÍS TV Summit 2025 which will be held on February 6th in the new Radisson RED Galway and that our first international speaker to be announced for the event is Lauren LeFranc, best known for her work on The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell.

We’re excited to share that this year’s all-day and evening event will be hosted in the new Radisson RED at Galway’s new Crown Square District on Thursday, February 6th, 2025.

Please register for your free ticket here (required): EVENTBRITE FOR FÍS TV SUMMIT 2025

“The new Radisson RED is all about art, music, culture, and fashion, making it the perfect fit for hosting the annual FÍS TV and Games Summits in 2025,” said Madeline Riley, chief executive of Radisson RED Galway. “We are delighted to partner with Ardán to host these key industry events next year and to show off our state-of-the-art conference and event space at the centre of Galway’s new Crown Square district.”

About Lauren LeFranc: 

Ardán is excited to have Lauren LeFranc as our first headline speaker for FÍS TV Summit 2025! Lauren LeFranc is a visionary showrunner, writer and producer recognised for her assured creative voice and distinctive visual aesthetic. As an innovator exploring the genre from a different lens, LeFranc developed HBO’s critically acclaimed limited series The Penguin where she serves as showrunner and executive producer.  

The series stars Colin Farrell, reprising his acclaimed role as Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), and marks a return to executive producer Matt Reeves’ gritty, crime-ridden Gotham City last seen in 2022’s The Batman. Co-starring Cristin Milioti, the series picks up where The Batman left off, chronicling The Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld. Under her creative leadership, the show represents a significant departure from conventional comic book narratives.  

LeFranc’s unique ability to blend innovative narratives with visual storytelling has been the driving force behind the series’ success. The Penguin is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% rating, surpassing the premiere ratings of Succession’s final season and White Lotus season 2. Variety hailed it as “a masterful examination of criminality, the show is twisted, disturbing and deeply enthralling”. 

Prior to The Penguin LeFranc most notably showran YouTube Premium’s Impulse for two seasons, garnering praise for her deft and sensitive treatment of sexual assault and trauma within the space of a genre series. A television veteran, her body of work also includes credits on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hemlock Grove and Chuck. 

Based in Los Angeles, Lauren LeFranc continues to challenge genre conventions and infuse fresh perspectives into the television industry. 

“FÍS TV Summit is Ireland’s premiere event for Television and Broadcasting professionals. This year we are delighted to welcome Lauren LeFranc, showrunner of the brilliant series ‘The Penguin’ – starring Colin Farrell – to Galway. The incredible demand over the last number of years has led to a strengthened format with a dynamic series of panels and breakout sessions. With thanks to increased support from Screen Ireland and our new partner venue the Radisson RED, we look forward to bringing you a packed day of collaboration, creativity, and celebration of Ireland’s world-class TV industry.” – Alan Duggan, Ardán CEO

About the event and panels: 

Having grown in scale year-on-year, FÍS TV Summit 2025 will launch with a new format, new venue, and more dynamic structure. Alongside LeFranc and other leading talent from the world of high-end TV Drama, FÍS 2025 will welcome industry leaders from the world of Unscripted Television with a deep dive into the some of the incredible work being made by Irish companies, both here in Ireland and abroad, across Reality TV, Game Shows, Talk Shows, Documentary and more.

This twin focus on both Scripted and Unscripted is a key element of our core theme for 2025 which is Our Stories: Taking Irish IP to Global Screens. Industry trailblazers, creative pioneers, and experts will explore how intellectual property can be transformed into powerful global content that resonates across platforms. 

As part of this theme there will be a refocused examination of the Irish TV sector’s activity over the past year, the challenges and opportunities it has faced there in, and what the future holds for the sector, with a selection of carefully curated events aimed at delivering impactful knowledge and insights to our audience.  

The Summit will feature Case Studies on Irish Language Drama and International Unscripted Formats, Panels on Coproducing TV, the importance of Public Service Broadcasting IN 2025, and discussions with TV Commissioners from Ireland and the UK including TG4, RTÉ, BBC, Channel 5, BBC NI, SKY and more. 

2025 also sees the return of the annual Pitching Competition where we’ll see six finalists pitch Ireland’s next great TV idea. National Talent Academy Film and TV Drama will announce the finalists early in the new year. The pitch winner will be announced at a networking session the evening of the summit. 

A new format featuring breakout sessions and dedicated networking opportunities, will maximise the advantages of our new venue partner and its extensive conferencing floor will allow FÍS 2025 to deliver a uniquely holistic, 360-degree overview of Ireland’s TV sector as part of Ireland’s premier Television and Broadcasting event. 

“Gréasán na Meán Skillnet are delighted, once again, to work with Árdan on the Fís TV Summit 2025. Bringing together industry professionals and specialists alike for what promises to be aan exciting event in the West.” – Gréasán na Meán Skillnet

“TG4 welcomes the return of FÍS TV Summit. Fís is an opportunity to highlight the West of Ireland as a key hub for TV production and to promote the importance of the Irish language production sector in the regions. Tá muid ag tnúth leis.” – TG4

ABOUT FÍS TV SUMMIT:

The annual FÍS TV Summit brings creatives from all sectors of the TV industry together to listen, learn and connect with each other.

Now in its 8th year, key stakeholders include Ardán, Screen Ireland, Gréasán na Meán Skillnet, TG4, Coimisiún na Meán, WRAP (Western Region AV Producers’ Fund), Creative Europe Media Desk, Northern Ireland Screen, National Talent Academy Film & TV Drama, ATU Galway City, University of Galway, and our hospitality partners, Radisson Red Galway.

Some of our guest speakers and panelists over the last few years have included Kerry Ehrin (The Morning Show), Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass), Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), Jimmy McGovern (Cracker), Amy Huberman (Finding Joy), Noemi Spanos and Sarah Phelps (Dublin Murders), and Anne Mensah (Netflix).

ABOUT ARDÁN:

Ardán is a registered charity based in Galway, operating in the West of Ireland and beyond. We support creatives in the audio-visual industry, in film, TV, games, and animation, through funding, training, and events. Ardán’s headquarters is in the CREW Enterprise and Innovation Hub on Wellpark Road in Galway city.

Previously Galway Film Centre, Ardán rebranded in 2022 to reflect the broader geographic and sectoral focus of the organisation which includes the greater Western Region and newer industry sectors including games and animation. Translated, Ardán means platform or stage. Ardán is a platform for creative talent development, providing opportunities for entry, emerging, and established individuals working in the screen sector.

Within its screen talent development remit, Ardán manages the Galway UNESCO City of Film designation, WRAP (Western Region Audio Visual Producers’ Fund), the National Talent Academy for Film & TV Drama, and the annual FÍS TV and Games Summits. As part of these initiatives there are various events, funding, and training schemes to avail of.

Alongside our longstanding partners, Ardán also co-manages several other funding and training opportunities including the CÚRAM Science on Screen Documentary and Animation Commission, the RTÉ Short Film Commission, the Wild Galway Games Incubator, IndieDev: The Cross-border Games Prototype Fund, PTG: Prepare to Gamify!, and much more.

IMPORTANT: Photographs and video footage will be taken throughout the FÍS TV Summit. These will be used for our marketing and publicity, on our website, PR, and social media.

PLEASE NOTE: If we reach capacity on our ‘early-bird’ tickets over the holiday season, we will be opening another round in early January with our next panel announcement.

Please register for your free ticket here (required): EVENTBRITE FOR FÍS TV SUMMIT 2025

Email julie@ardan.ie for event queries & kathryn@ardan.ie for marketing/ PR queries.

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