Cathal established Brown Bag Films with Darragh O’Connell in 1994. In 2015 Brown Bag Films was acquired by 9 Story Media Group and Cathal became the COO of 9 Story Media Group responsible for all animation Production, HR, and Technology across the group. Employing over 1,000 talented staff across studios in Dublin, Toronto, and Bali, Brown Bag Films’ mission is to produce the best quality work for children on television.

In 2002 Cathal directed the short film Give Up Yer Aul Sins which was nominated for an Academy Award and in 2010, Brown Bag Films was nominated for a second Academy Award with the short film Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty directed by Nicky Phelan.

A graduate of the Leadership For Growth executive education program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Cathal has studied child psychology and is an honorary Fellow of IADT National Film School. Cathal was nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program and has won an Emmy, a Peabody Award, and the Murakami Award at Dingle Animation.

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