Mike Young (producer)

Mike Young
Born	Michael Young 1945 Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Nationality	Welsh
Occupation	Animation Producer, Animation Writer and founder of Mike Young Productions
Years active	1980 - Present
Known for	Super Ted

Michael "Mike" Young (born 1945 in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan), is a Welsh born, US domiciled, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning animation producer, he is founder of two animation companies in both UK and US. Young is the current COO of MoonScoop.

Biography

Young trained as a television producer, but while working as an advertising copywriter he met partner Liz Young. After the pair married in the 1970s, his step son Richard Finn (now head of post-production at MYP), was having trouble falling asleep. Young invented stories about a teddy bear, which became SuperTed. Finn went to school to tell his friends the wonderful stories, which resulted in the SuperTed books, co-produced with TV Producer Young.^[1]

In 1981, Mike Young along with his wife Liz Young, animator Dave Edwards and producer Robin Lyons, founded Siriol Productions when the three men approached the newly formed Welsh TV channel S4C and secured a commission to produce an animated series of Superted. Due to the success of the initial series, it was re-dubbed in English and a special edition for the Welsh Office which instructed children on the "dos" and "don'ts" of road safety.^[2] The series sold well in the UK, along with the larger developed series of Fantastic Max, The Further Adventures of SuperTed and Little Dracula.

Young found it difficult to sell his series to Hollywood executives without a local presence there so in 1989 the family moved to Los Angeles, selling their right to Super Ted and shares owned in Siriol Animation to finance the move and to set up Mike Young Productions. His first production was P. J. Sparkles before moving one to were Little Dracula, Potsworth & Co. and Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats (co-produced with the Dave Edwards Studio),

His company has also now created a series of caricatures at Cardiff City Stadium.^[3]

Personal life

Young is married to partner, president and the other co-founder of Mike Young Productions, Liz Young. A football fanatic, he is a lifelong supporter of Cardiff City F.C., and runs a junior soccer league in California.^[4] Young was awarded the Chancellor's Medal at the 2007 graduation ceremony of the University of Glamorgan.^[5]

Filmography

Mike young has worked on the following series:

In partnership with Siriol Animation

• SuperTed (1982–1986, TV),
• Wil Cwac Cwac (1984)
• A Winter Story (1986, TV)
• The Easter Egg (1987, TV)
• Turkey Love (1988, TV)
• The Further Adventures of Super Ted (with Hanna-Barbera) 1989
• The Little Engine That Could (with S4C and Universal Studios)
• Gerald of Wales
• Fantastic Max (with Hanna-Barbera)

He left UK to work in partnership with other companies

• Little Dracula (with Fox Kids)
• Potsworth & Co. (AKA: Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone) (with Hanna-Barbera, BBC and Sleepy Kids Company Ltd)
• Salty's Lighthouse (with TLC)

• Once Upon a Forest (Film, 1993)

Mike young Productions

For full details, see Mike Young Productions#Cartoons Created by MYP.

References

1. ^ Drawn to new path: independent animation studio takes reverse approach to selling its shows Los Angeles Business Journal - January 27, 2003
2. ^ SuperTed at Toonhound
3. ^ [1] Cardiff City Stadium news – When Young Met Young - June 15, 2009
4. ^ Phillips, Terry SuperTed stadium? South Wales Echo - 19 July 2006
5. ^ Honorary Awards 2007 - University of Glamorgan

External links

• Mike Young at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Young, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	Welsh television producer
Date of birth	1945
Place of birth	Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Date of death
Place of death