Andy Frain is an animation producer and the founder & managing director of Touchwood Animation Ltd.
Biography
Frain's career started in the music industry, working for Hannibal Records, Making Waves and CBS Records. In 1987 Frain left CBS to become general manager of Island Records' subsidiary, Island Visual Arts. At Island Visual Arts, Frain produced and distributed numerous long-form music videos and concerts, including artists such as U2, Bob Marley, Free, Grace Jones, Robert Palmer, Steve Winwood, Womack & Womack and Anthrax. He was the executive producer of the award-winning natural historyfeature filmLifePulse, which was directed by Keenan Smart and featured music by The Started Insects. The film has been broadcast several times by BBC in the UK, The Disney Channel in the US and in over 30 countries worldwide. Following the sale of the Island Music Group to PolyGram, Frain joined the Island World Film Group and founded a home video division, Island World Communications. After the success of several Japanese animation titles including Akira, the company's name was changed to Manga Entertainment and committed the company's principle activities to the production and distribution of Japanese animation. Over the next few years Manga Entertainment popularised Japanese animation in western markets and Frain's relationships with Japanese animation directors, producers, studios, distributors and publishers led to the first ever animated feature co-production between Japanese and Western companies. The film Ghost in the Shell has become one of the most successful films of the “anime” medium. During Frain's tenure as the CEO of Manga Entertainment, he established a US distribution division, a comic book division, and a CGI animation studio. During that time, the company also developed and produced other animated features and TV series including Dave Borthwick's award-winning film The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb, and Cobra directed by Japanese comic book artistBuichi Terasawa. At the end of 1995, Frain left Manga Entertainment to start his own animation production company Touchwood Animation. Some claim he was fired for the heavy investment in Ghost in the Shell, but it turned out to be one of the most successful films in the company's history. Following his departure from Manga Entertainment, Frain retained a minority share in the company which he sold back to Blackwell prior to the sale to IDT / Starz Media. Since 1996 Andy Frain has been involved in the development and production of several animation TV series including Backpackers, an adult animation series for Tinopolis, Yazzoo Wazzoo, a pre-school series for Granada, Spheriksa 26 x ½ hour CGI TV series for FIFA and Tractor Toma 52 x 11 minute pre-school series for Contender & CITV and Free Jimmy a CGI Feature Film for Sarah Radclyffe Productions. His company also produced the animation for Brush Head a series of shorts made for The Disney Channel & Dandy Productions and which won The BAFTA Animation Award in 2004. The company has also produced a series of commercials and a short film for Nestle and their Munch Bunch brand as well as a series of animated shorts based on BBC's popular comedy series Little Britain.
