Michael Rose
Michael Rose is the joint CEO and co-founder of Magic Light Pictures, one of the UK’s leading entertainment companies which makes high-quality and imaginative content for audiences, families and children worldwide.
Magic Light is renowned for its BBC One Christmas animated specials based on the best-selling books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, which have won countless prestigious awards and been screened across the globe to huge popular and critical acclaim. In addition, the company directly manages production, licensing, global distribution and marketing and runs an international merchandising programme for The Gruffalo brand with over 40 licensees and 350 products.
Magic Light productions include Oscar and BAFTA nominated The Gruffalo &The Gruffalo’s Child, Oscar nominated and BAFTA winning Room on the Broom, Oscar nominated and BAFTA winning Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Emmy winning Zog, Zog and the Flying Doctors, The Snail and the Whale and Superworm.
Recently launched is Magic Light’s first animated preschool series Pip and Posy (52 x 7’), a delightful series for Channel Five Milkshake! and Sky Kids revolving around the world of friendship and play based on the books illustrated by Axel Scheffler. A second series is currently in production.
Prior to forming Magic Light, Michael headed up the feature film division of UK studio Aardman Animations. He was executive producer of their animated features Chicken Run and the Oscar and BAFTA winning Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit. He also produced Nick Park’s 1995 Oscar winning Wallace and Gromit film, A Close Shave.
Before joining Aardman in 1994, Michael was a buyer at Channel Four Television. He started his career programming art house cinemas in Plymouth and Bristol.