Michael Emlyn Young (born October 13, 1945) is a Welsh

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

-winning producer. He is the founder of two animation companies in both the UK and the US. His company in 2015 changed its name from Mike Young Productions to Splash Entertainment, which also is a majority owner of Popular AVOD network Kabillion.

Biography

Young was born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Gwent. In the flat above a

fish and chip shop A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop, is a (often fast food) restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and c ...

owned by the family of actor Victor Spinetti, who would later go on to provide the voice of Mike's characters, Texas Pete. He trained as a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

, and while working as an

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...

he met his wife Liz Young. After the pair

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

in the 1970s, Young's

stepson A stepchild is the offspring of one's spouse, but not one's own offspring, either biologically or through adoption. Stepchildren can come into a family in a variety of ways. A stepchild may be the child of one's spouse from a previous relationshi ...

Richard Finn (later head of post-production at MYP), was having trouble falling asleep. Young invented stories about a

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

and Finn told his school friends the stories, which resulted in the ''

SuperTed ''SuperTed'' is a Welsh superhero animated television series about an anthropomorphic teddy bear with superpowers, created by writer and animator Mike Young. Originally created by Young as a series of stories to help his son overcome his fear o ...

'' books, co-produced with Young.Drawn to new path: independent animation studio takes reverse approach to selling its shows
Los Angeles Business Journal - January 27, 2003 In 1981, Young, along with his wife, animator Dave Edwards and producer Robin Lyons, founded

Siriol Productions Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was form ...

. They approached the newly formed Welsh TV channel S4C and secured a commission to produce an animated series of

. Due to the success of the initial series, it was re-dubbed in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. A special edition was made for the

Welsh Office The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...

which instructed children on the "dos" and "don'ts" of road safety. The series sold well in the UK, and was followed by the more ambitious ''

Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantastic ...

'' (with

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

) and ''

Little Dracula ''Little Dracula'' is a British series of children's books and an American animated television series that originally aired on Fox. ''Little Dracula'' revolves around a green-skinned child vampire who aspires to be like his father, Big Dracula, ...

'' (with Steven Hahn Productions). Young found it difficult to sell his series to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

executives without a local presence there so in 1989 the family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, selling their rights to ''SuperTed'' and shares owned in Siriol Animation to finance the move and to set up Mike Young Productions, now called

Splash Entertainment Splash Entertainment, LLC., formerly known as Mike Young Productions, Inc., MoonScoop Entertainment, LLC. and Taffy Entertainment, is an American animation studio that produces children's TV series. Splash also controls the streaming service Kab ...

. The company's first production was '' P. J. Sparkles'', after which it was involved in many other animated series, including ''

The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats ''The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats'' is an animated television series which aired between September 9, 1995 and June 15, 1996 on ITV kids strand CITV, and was shown in May 11, 2009 on Scottish children's programme ''wknd@stv''. The series is ...

'' (co-produced with the Dave Edwards Studio), ''

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting Plot As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World ...

'', ''

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line ''Masters of the Universe''. The show, often referred to as simply ''He-Man'', was one of the most popular anima ...

'' (the 2002 series), ''

Pet Alien ''Pet Alien'' is a French-American computer-animated series produced by Mike Young Productions, Taffy Entertainment, Antefilms Productions, and John Doze Studios in 2005. It was created by Pajanimals creator Jeff Muncy and the episodes are ma ...

'', ''

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks ''Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks'' (or simply ''Jakers'' in Europe) is a computer-animated children's television series. The series was broadcast on PBS Kids in the United States, and on CBBC and CBeebies in the United Kingdom. It was a ...

'' (which won seven

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a

), ''

Growing Up Creepie ''Growing Up Creepie'' is an animated television series created by Anthony Gaud, Chris Woods, and Carin Greenberg, and produced by Mike Young Productions. In other countries, the series was simply titled ''Creepie''. The series premiered on Sept ...

'', a

Bratz Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment which debuted in 2001. The four original 10-inch (25 cm) dolls were released on May 21, 2001 — Yasmin, Cloe, Jade ...

TV series and five full-length Bratz DVD movies, ''Dive Olly Dive'', ''

Chloe's Closet ''Chloe's Closet'' is an animated children's series produced by MoonScoop Entertainment and Telegael Teoranta. The series is mainly aimed for children ages 2 to 7 years old. The show premiered in the United States on PBS Kids Sprout on July 1 ...

'', '' Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot'', ''

Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry shortcake may refer to: * Strawberry shortcake (dessert), a shortcake served with strawberries * "Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie," a song published in 1956; a version by The Brother Sisters was released by Mercury Records in 196 ...

'', and '' Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch''. Young's company has also created a series of caricatures at

Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team. Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2014 ...

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. Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

, and runs a junior soccer league in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

.Phillips, Terr
SuperTed stadium?
South Wales Echo - 19 July 2006 Young was awarded the Chancellor's Medal at the 2007 graduation ceremony of the

University of Glamorgan , image_name = University of Glamorgan arms.png , image_size = 220px , caption = University of Glamorgan coat of arms , motto = Success Through Endeavour , established = , closed = , administrative_staff = , chancellor = John Morris ...

Filmography

Mike Young has worked on the following series:

In partnership with
Siriol Animation Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was f ...

*''

'' (1983–1985, TV) *''

Wil Cwac Cwac ''Wil Cwac Cwac'' is a Welsh-language animated television series produced by Siriol Animation for S4C in 1982. It is based on a series of children's books written in the early 1930s by Jennie Thomas and J. O. Williams (including the famous We ...

'' (1984, TV) *''A Winter Story'' (1986, TV) *''The Easter Egg'' (1987, TV) *''Turkey Love'' (1988, TV) *''

'' (1988–1990, TV) (with

) *'' The Further Adventures of Super Ted'' (1989, TV) (with

) *''

The Little Engine That Could ''The Little Engine That Could'' is an American folktale (existing in the form of several illustrated children's books and films) that became widely known in the United States after publication in 1930 by Platt & Munk. The story is used to teac ...

'' (1991, Film) (with S4C,

Cinar Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. (also known as Cookie Jar Group and originally known as CINAR; renamed as DHX Cookie Jar Inc. from 2012 until 2014, or simply just Cookie Jar) was a Canadian media production and distribution company owned by DHX M ...

and

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

) *''

The Princess and the Goblin ''The Princess and the Goblin'' is a children's fantasy novel by George MacDonald. It was published in 1872 by Strahan & Co., with black-and-white illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Strahan had published the story and illustrations as a serial in ...

'' (1994, Film) (with S4C,

Pannonia Film Studio Pannonia Film Studio (also known as MAFILM Pannónia Filmstúdió) was the largest animation studio in Hungary, based in the capital of Budapest. It was formed in 1951, becoming independent in 1957. The studio is said to have closed sometime aro ...

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...

, Hemdale Picture Corporation, and J&M Entertainment) *''Gerald of Wales'' He left UK to work in partnership with other companies *''

'' (with

Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...

) *'' Potsworth & Co.'' (AKA: Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone) (with

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Biography

Personal life

Filmography

In partnership with
Siriol Animation Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was f ...

Mike Young Productions/Splash Entertainment

References

External links

Biography

Personal life

Filmography

In partnership with Siriol Animation Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was f ...

Mike Young Productions/Splash Entertainment

References

External links

In partnership with
Siriol Animation Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was f ...