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16 December 2021

ZOO DIGITAL GROUP PLC

("ZOO", the "Group" or the "Company")

ZOO Academy launches to develop the next generation of media localisation talent

Partnership with University of Sheffield will offer the industry's first professional development course to train dubbing script adapters

ZOO Digital Group plc (AIM: ZOO), the leading provider of end-to-end cloud-based localisation and media services to the global entertainment industry, announces the launch of ZOO Academy, a programme of academic courses, educational collaborations and practical workshops to inspire and develop the translators, script adapters, dubbing actors and directors of the future.  

With demand for content production surging around the globe, ZOO Academy is working with leading universities and teaching professionals to proactively build long-term capacity in the localisation talent pool, particularly among those languages that currently have low supply. ZOO Academy Partners will deploy ZOO's cloud-based scripting and dubbing platforms (ZOOsubs and ZOOdubs) as part of audio-visual translation courses around the world.

Under the Academy framework, ZOO has forged a landmark partnership with the University of Sheffield to offer the industry's first professional development course in dubbing script adaptation. The online course, which will be taught by the university's leading academic specialists in media translation, incorporates contributions from a global team of experienced script adapters representing over 20 dubbing languages. The course is due to commence in early 2022 and will feature real world exercises and case studies consisting of TV and film content provided by leading content creators, Magnolia Pictures and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Stuart Green, CEO of ZOO Digital, said:

"ZOO Academy will cultivate the talent pool of the future and support the delivery of high-quality media localisation at scale for years to come. It will develop a skilled resource of translators, adapters, actors and directors, across all languages, who are expertly trained to work on premium media and entertainment content using ZOO's cloud-based scripting and dubbing platforms. Our dubbing course with the University of Sheffield is an industry first and an excellent example of how we are leading the way and skilling up the industry to meet demand for global content."  

Professor Dominic Broomfield-McHugh, from the University of Sheffield, commented:

"Alongside ZOO, our researchers from the School of Languages and Cultures have created a modern professional development course that will equip script adapters with the creative and technical skills to entertain audiences around the world. We'll be providing new generations of translators, language students and academics with the tools they need to successfully contribute to the global media industry. We believe this collaborative university-industry approach is essential to the success of such training and we're delighted to have been able to forge this partnership with ZOO."

Gabe Monterrubio, VP, Digital Media Production at Magnolia Pictures, commented:  

"Magnolia Pictures is pleased to lend its support to this important industry initiative. With the increased demand for more content across multiple languages and territories, we are encouraged by the program ZOO has developed to inspire and educate the dubbing and adaptation talent of the future. We look forward to their potential collaboration on our own upcoming localization projects."

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About ZOO Digital Group plc:

ZOO Digital supports major Hollywood studios and streaming services to globalise their content and reach audiences everywhere, by providing world-leading, technology-enabled localisation and media services.

Founded in 2001, ZOO Digital operates from hubs in Los Angeles, London and Dubai, with a development and production centre in Sheffield, UK. The company is targeting $100m sales in the medium term.

The Group provides media services through its platforms that include: ZOOsubs, ZOOdubs, ZOOstudio. Its full-service proposition delivers the end-to-end services required to prepare both original and catalogue content for digital distribution; these services include dubbing, subtitling & captioning, metadata creation & localisation, artwork localisation and media processing. Alongside this offering, ZOO also provides its customers with management platforms and strategic solutions to support their own internal globalisation operations.

ZOO is a go-to service partner for media businesses looking to globalise their content across different territories, languages and distribution platforms. Using its innovative technology-enabled approach, ZOO helps its customers to reduce time to market, lower costs and deliver high quality products to their global audiences. The business has frameworks in place with all major Hollywood studios and streaming services. Its customers include Disney, NBCUniversal, HBO and ViacomCBS.

ZOO's competitive advantage arises from three interlinking factors - the leading role it has played in the digital transformation of its sector; the world class proprietary platforms that it develops to enable this transformation; and the global supply chain of thousands of freelancers, working collaboratively in ZOO's platforms, which delivers services that scale easily to meet demand. These factors combine to make ZOO uniquely geared to capitalise on new market opportunities in a fast-paced and constantly evolving industry.