Sixteen South

Sixteen South is a children’s television and animation production company founded in Belfast in 2007. It develops, finances, produces and distributes original stories for children and families, with productions spanning hand-drawn and cut-out animation, 3D CGI, mixed media, puppetry and live action. Its operating base is in Holywood, within the Greater Belfast metropolitan area.

The company’s production history includes more than 600 episodes across 15 original and co-produced series. Its portfolio ranges from preschool storytelling to character-led comedy, with projects made for broadcasters and streaming platforms internationally. These productions reflect a combination of original development, adaptations and collaborations with other producers.

Production and creative range

Its work includes the hand-drawn preschool series Odo, the CGI comedy The Coop Troop, the mixed-media series Lily’s Driftwood Bay, and Claude, adapted from Alex T. Smith’s books. Puppetry and live-action productions include Pajanimals, Sesame Tree, WildWoods and Big City Park. The studio also co-produced Pinkalicious & Peterrific with WGBH for PBS Kids.

International co-production has been a recurring part of its approach. Collaborators have included Letko on Odo, Mikros Animation on The Coop Troop, The Jim Henson Company on Pajanimals, and Sesame Workshop on Sesame Tree. Its broadcaster and platform relationships have included CBeebies, PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney Junior, KiKA, France Télévisions and Tencent Video.

Focus on original productions

In September 2020, the business organized its development, production and distribution activities into three units: Originals, Studios and Rights. In April 2025, it reunited those activities under the Sixteen South brand, concentrating its internal creative and production resources on its own original intellectual property and ending third-party animation service work.

The unified business combines story development and production with international pre-sales, financing, distribution and licensing. Alongside its own productions, its boutique distribution operation selectively acquires external intellectual property aligned with its creative approach. Projects reported in development include The Retrievers, Frankie and Doris, and A Horse Named Steve, the latter developed with Nelvana.