Red Shoe Productions

What Red Shoe Productions does

Red Shoe Productions is an independent Irish television production company founded in 2008 and headquartered in the Gaeltacht na nDéise region of West Waterford, Ireland (Baile na nGall Mór, An Rinn, Dún Garbhán, Co. Port Láirge). The company produces documentary and music series content primarily for Irish broadcasters TG4, RTÉ, and Sky Arts, with a portfolio of 17+ productions spanning arts, traditional music, cultural heritage, and observational documentary formats. Its content slate includes long-running flagship series such as Imeall (2008–2022), Ceol Ar An Imeall, HUP, Gradam Ceoil (produced annually 2015–2021), Fleadh Cheoil, and more recent commissions such as Between Worlds (RTÉ, 2022), Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters (Sky Arts, 2024), Tarrac na Farraige (RTÉ, 2025), and Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael (RTÉ, 2025).

The company's productions use standard broadcast television technology—cinematography, original music scoring, and observational documentary techniques, with some projects involving multi-year filming schedules. Red Shoe operates without proprietary technology platforms or AI/ML tooling; its competitive position rests on creative craft, Irish-language expertise, and the catalog of award-winning work. The company is led by producer/director Maggie Breathnach, an IFTA and RTS award winner who also serves on the board of Screen Producers Ireland.

Red Shoe generates revenue through a commission-based professional services model: Irish broadcasters (TG4, RTÉ, Sky Arts, Oireachtas TV) fund productions in exchange for broadcast rights, supplemented by public funding from bodies such as the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI/Coimisiún na Meán) through the Sound & Vision scheme and Creative Ireland. Go-to-market is event-driven, centered on direct relationships with broadcaster commissioning editors, supplemented by participation in international industry events (Screen Forever in Australia, Prime Time Conference in Canada) as part of Irish delegations. Pricing is determined through individual commissioning negotiations rather than disclosed rate cards, and no revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Red Shoe Productions

Legal name

Red Shoe Productions

Website

https://redshoe.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Red Shoe Productions is an independent Irish television production company founded in 2008, specializing in Irish-language and cultural documentary and music series commissioned primarily by TG4, RTÉ, and Sky Arts, operating from the Gaeltacht region of County Waterford under head Maggie Breathnach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ring

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Commissioning: Red Shoe Productions creates original TV content (documentaries, music series, cultural programming) which is commissioned and funded by Irish broadcasters including TG4, RTÉ, and Sky Arts. Broadcasters provide production funding in exchange for broadcast rights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Red Shoe Productions is an independent Irish television production company that produces commissioned documentary and music series for Irish broadcasters TG4, RTÉ, Sky Arts, and Oireachtas TV. The company focuses on Irish-language and Irish cultural content covering traditional music, arts, heritage, literature, and rural life. Its portfolio of more than 17 productions is built through direct commissioning relationships with broadcasters and funding from bodies such as BAI, Coimisiún na Meán, and Creative Ireland.

Product overview

Red Shoe Productions is an independent Irish television production company that produces a diverse portfolio of documentary and music series primarily for Irish broadcasters including TG4, RTÉ, and Sky Arts. Their core offerings include arts and culture documentary series (Imeall), traditional and alternative music programs (Hup!, Ceol Ar An Imeall, Gradam Ceoil, Fleadh Cheoil), observational documentaries (Na Ceithre Ráithe sna Déise, Bláth na hAoise), literary series (Voices of Ireland), and themed specials. The productions are typically produced as standalone series rather than a unified platform, with each program serving different audience segments from traditional music enthusiasts to cultural and documentary viewers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Imeall Arts and culture documentary series that recorded and visually preserved the world of art across Ireland from 2008 to 2022, featuring personal interviews with artists as reporters talking to other artists. Commissioned for TG4.
• Ceol Ar An Imeall TG4's flagship ten-part alternative music series featuring live guests and interviews, presented by journalist Una Mullally, showcasing local and international music sounds.
• Hup! 13-part traditional music series on TG4 with no presenter or narration, where music and songs speak for themselves, featuring performances from summer schools and festivals across Ireland.
• Gradam Ceoil Transformational live TV broadcast of the TG4 traditional Irish music awards, produced from 2015-2021, first from Cork Opera House and then moving to Belfast's Waterfront, showcasing over 100 musicians on stage.
• Fleadh Cheoil Six-episode series showcasing Irish traditional music from the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann festival, featuring RTÉ's Dáithí Ó Sé and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh guiding viewers through sessions and competitions.
• Feirm Six-part series about innovation in Irish agriculture on TG4, exploring dairy, pigs, sheep, cereal, forestry, horticulture, and beef industries, hosted by Olympic walker Jamie Costin.
• Voices of Ireland Two-part Sky Arts series where Imelda May explores works of Ireland's famous writers including Yeats, Beckett, Wilde, and Kavanagh, recreated and reimagined by contemporary artists and performers.
• Christmas in Ireland with Imelda May & Friends Sky Original festive special filmed at Pepper Canister Church in Dublin, featuring Imelda May and musicians Glen Hansard, Jack Lukeman, and others celebrating the Grafton Street Christmas Eve Busk.
• Night and Day: Ó Dhubh go Dubh Five-part music series filmed at the inaugural Night & Day festival featuring performances from Villagers, Mary Wallopers, Moxie, Orla Gartland and other Irish and international acts, with presenters Kayte O'Malley and Cian Ó Maonlaí.
• Between Worlds Feature-length RTÉ documentary exploring the life and legacy of pioneering Irish composer and academic Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin (1950-2018), featuring the Irish Chamber Orchestra and his musical colleagues.
• Bláth na hAoise / Age is a Work of Art Intimate bilingual documentary filmed over five years celebrating the lives of older people at the Déise Day Centre in Dungarvan, exploring themes of life, death, and aging alongside activities like dancing, painting and hairstyling.
• Na Ceithre Ráithe sna Déise / Four Seasons in the Déise Four-part observational series spending a full year in Gaeltacht na nDéise in West Waterford, with an episode dedicated to each season featuring local characters, events, and musical performances.
• House of Art One-hour landmark documentary on Oireachtas TV revealing the State art collection housed within Leinster House, presented by Ireland's most celebrated portrait artist Mick O'Dea.
• Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters One-hour Sky Arts documentary presented by Imelda May exploring the story of Susan (Lily) and Elizabeth (Lolly) Yeats and their role in the Irish cultural and literary revival of the 1920s through the Dun Emer Guild. Produced by an all-female crew directed by Maggie Breathnach.
• Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael Six-part series where Imelda May embarks on an exploratory journey across Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, challenging her relationship with the Irish language through sean-nós singing. Produced for RTÉ One.
• Tarrac na Farraige Four-part observational documentary series following professional fishermen working from ports around Ireland's coast. Produced for RTÉ One.
• Ceol ó Kylemore / IWD 2021 – Celebrating the Women of Irish Music Hour-long TG4 programme recorded at Kylemore Abbey featuring women traditional musicians and singers including Moya Brennan and Gradam Ceoil award winners, celebrating Irish women's contributions to traditional music.

Quantifiable outcome

• IFTA Award in Factual Category for Seamus Heaney – Postscript
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Canada Ireland FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Charitable organization supporting Irish-Canadian relations that helped facilitate Prime Time Conference attendance in Ottawa.
• The Ireland Funds, CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Global Irish philanthropy network that supported Red Shoe's participation in Canadian industry events.
• Screen WaterfordminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Regional screen industry organization partnering with Red Shoe and TG4 for the Ealaín Bheo (Live Art) short film initiative seeking new directors.
• Sky Arts / Sky StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024International broadcasting partner commissioning premium Irish cultural content. Co-produced Christmas in Ireland with Imelda May (2022), Voices of Ireland (2021), and Lily and Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters (2024).
• Tourism IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024International tourism marketing organization co-producing Irish cultural documentaries including Lily and Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters to promote Irish culture and tourism.
• Screen Producers AustraliaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Australian industry organization that organizes Screen Forever conference. Red Shoe participated as part of Irish delegation.
• Culture IrelandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Government body promoting Irish arts internationally. Supported Boston premiere of 'Between Worlds' documentary.
• Boston CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Educational institution where first shoot for 'Between Worlds' documentary took place and where the international premiere was held.
• Eire Society of BostonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Irish-American organization that supported the Boston premiere of 'Between Worlds'.
• Notre Dame Global Centre at Kylemore AbbeyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Educational and cultural institution at Kylemore Abbey where 'Ceol ó Kylemore' (IWD 2021 special) was recorded.
• RTÉcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Ireland's national broadcaster and commissioning partner. Red Shoe produces Fleadh Cheoil (2018-2019, 2022-2024), Between Worlds (2022), and Imelda May: Amhráin na nGael for RTÉ.
• Oireachtas TVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Parliamentary broadcasting service that aired 'House of Art' documentary about the State art collection in Leinster House.
• Screen Producers IrelandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Industry trade organization representing Irish screen producers. Red Shoe's Maggie Breathnach serves on the board. Organization facilitates participation in international events and delegations.
• TG4coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Primary Irish-language broadcaster and main commissioning partner. Red Shoe has produced numerous series for TG4 including Imeall, Ceol Ar An Imeall, HUP, Gradam Ceoil, Na Ceithre Ráithe sna Déise, Night and Day, and Bláth na hAoise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Element Pictures: Leading Irish indie producing premium drama and film (Normal People, Room, The Lobster) with significant international sales. Comparable as an Irish indie but operating at a larger scale and with broader genre scope than Red Shoe's documentary/cultural focus.
• Tile Media: Irish production company producing factual, documentary, and entertainment programming for Irish and UK broadcasters. Comparable as an Irish indie producing for RTÉ, TG4 and Sky Arts with overlapping factual/documentary output.
• Magamedia: Irish independent production company producing documentary and factual programming for RTÉ, TG4, and BBC. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid Irish indie competing for the same broadcaster commissions in the factual/documentary space.
• Kite Entertainment: Irish indie producing entertainment, sport, and factual programming for RTÉ, TG4, Virgin Media, and Sky. Directly comparable as a multi-broadcaster Irish independent producer competing for the same commissions.
• Fastnet Films: Irish indie producing feature films and documentary content with international festival and broadcaster distribution. Comparable as an Irish indie producing culturally-rooted content for both domestic and international markets.
• Treasure Entertainment: Irish indie producing drama, documentary, and entertainment content for RTÉ, TG4, BBC, and Sky. Comparable as an Irish independent competing in the same commissioned-content market, particularly for documentary slots.
• Tyrone Productions: Irish independent production house producing entertainment, documentary and factual content for RTÉ and other broadcasters. Comparable as an Irish indie serving the same public-broadcaster commissioning ecosystem as Red Shoe.
• ShinAwiL: One of Ireland's largest independent TV production companies, ShinAwiL produces entertainment and factual programming for RTÉ, TG4, and other broadcasters. Directly comparable as an Irish indie producing commissioned broadcast content for the same customer base as Red Shoe.
• Wildgaze Films: Irish independent film and TV production company producing drama and documentary content for Irish and international broadcasters. Comparable as an Irish indie with a similar operational scale and broadcaster-relationship model.

Emerging players

• Lovely Productions: Irish indie producing factual and documentary content for Irish broadcasters. Comparable as an emerging Irish indie in the same commissioned-factual ecosystem, though at an earlier stage of development than Red Shoe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redshoe_tv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@redshoeproductions4215/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/redshoeproductionsltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/redshoe_TV

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Shoe Productions