Milk opens its Dublin vfx studio

VFX studio Milk has now officially opened its Dublin studio at Grafter – Ely House and bolstered its leadership team with a key appointment.

Donal Nolan has been appointed as Creative Head of Studio and will lead the team in Dublin. He has spent his VFX career at some of the top global studios and recently won an Irish Film and Television Award (IFTA) for VFX in 2023 for The Woman King, a Milk project.

Other notable shows he’s worked on include Thor (Marvel Entertainment), The Siege of Jadotville (Netflix), 28 Weeks Later (20th Century Fox), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Amazon), The Order (Netflix) and Child’s Play (Orion Pictures). Preceding this Donal’s credits include V for Vendetta (Warner Bros.), The Maze Runner (20th Century Fox), Man of Steel (Warner Bros.), Doctor Strange (Walt Disney Studios), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner Bros) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner Bros).

Milk’s Dublin studio is now set up and located in one of the Grafter historic Georgian buildings in Dublin 2. First on the slate is NBC series Surviving Earth, co-produced by UK Indie Loud Minds and Universal Television Alternative Studio with creative director Tim Haines. Milk will be tasked with bringing to life prehistoric creatures and environments with high-end VFX.

This Dublin opening follows the recent launches of studios in Bordeaux and Barcelona. in 2022, Lola Post was brought into the Milk fold.

Jag Mundi, Milk Executive Chairman said: “We are thrilled to be opening in Ireland. It is a country with a thriving VFX industry, great talent and potential. With the network of studios we will now have, we can become a truly European studio able to access and develop talent and enhance our premium offering to our clients.”

Ciaran Crowley, VFX Supervisor said: “Overseeing the launch, I’m excited Milk is again able to back our talent, in this case Donal and our other colleagues in Ireland, to help us expand our potential and harness the rich pool of creative VFX talent in the country. The team will deliver both feature and episodic projects working closely with the teams in London and our other studios in Europe. I have had the pleasure of working with Donal for many years and I know he is intensely passionate about helping us build a strong studio in Ireland.”

Donal Nolan, Creative Head of Studio, said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Creative Head of Studio. Milk has ambitious growth plans and I look forward to playing such a significant role in driving these forward in Ireland. It’s a place I’m very fond of – there’s great energy, talent and an abundance of creativity.”