Flying Bark Productions Names Executive Director of Content

Flying Bark Productions has appointed Alexia Gates-Foale, who has been with the company since 2008, as executive director of content.

Gates-Foale will lead Flying Bark’s independent content strategy worldwide, steering the creative vision and production for original IP across kids and family. She recently produced the animated adaptation of Shaun Tan’s Tales from Outer Suburbia and is currently producing Zac Power.

Gates-Foale will also work on scripted originals under the company’s new indie label After Bark, partnering with its local and international development executive team.

At Flying Bark since 2008, Gates-Foale has played a pivotal role in the global expansion of the studio. She most recently served as director of production. She will continue to oversee flagship client collaborations, including Netflix’s Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 and Minecraft, as well as an animated Ghostbusters series.

“I’m incredibly honored to step into this role at such a pivotal moment for our company as we grow and diversify our business with new creative talent, producing partnerships and the expansion of production in Europe and North America,” Gates-Foale said. “Flying Bark has always believed in the power and universality of crafting stories for local and global audiences, and I’m excited to help lead the next chapter.”

“Flying Bark is going from strength to strength, and Lex has been instrumental in driving our growth and creative excellence,” commented Flying Bark CEO Barbara Stephen. “With new opportunities emerging for locally made screen content, I’m thrilled to see our Australian slate flourish under her leadership. There is no one better placed to guide Flying Bark into this next era.”

Rounding out the leadership team, Flying Bark also recently appointed Matthew Mupfanochiya as its new director of operations to lead operational functions across the studio’s three international locations, overseeing facilities, IT, people and culture and production support.

“Flying Bark sits at a really exciting intersection of creativity and technology, and that’s exactly where I love to work,” said Mupfanochiya. “The studio has built a remarkable reputation for world-class animation made right here in Australia, and I’m thrilled to bring my experience in scaling fast-growing organizations to support the artists, producers and teams who make that possible.”