Elephant & Goldfish will be led by Deborah Doherty and John Kennedy

Elephant Goldfish

Molinare and a group of ex-Windmill Lane execs have launched Dublin-based post-production and VFX house Elephant Goldfish.

The studio offers full post-production and high-end VFX, and is led by former Windmill Lane execs Deborah Doherty and John Kennedy. The pair are co-managing directors, with Doherty also executive producer and Kennedy as VFX supervisor. 

Elephant Goldfish is based in Dublin’s docklands, and is currently working on two feature films for horror studio Blumhouse. 

Deborah Doherty John Kennedy Elephant Goldfish Molinare

Doherty spent almost 20 years at Windmill Lane, expanding its audio and post services, with credits including projects for Netflix, Disney+, Sky, and BBC, spanning titles like Wednesday, Steve, My Little Pony, Kizazi Moto, Doctor Who and KIN. She also sits on the board of Women in Film and Television, Ireland. 

Meanwhile, Kennedy was with Windmill Lane for almost 30 years, running its VFX division and working on the likes of American Primeval, The Tourist, Bodkin and A Discovery of Witches. 

In addition, Windmill Lane’s former head of operations, Ed Smith, will support project management, creative, and technical teams while overseeing facilities, infrastructure, and day-to-day logistics as head of studio. Windmill Lane’s 20-year head of grading, Dave Hughes, will head the colour department. 

Kennedy said: “We started Elephant Goldfish on the belief that great work comes from great relationships, when people feel trusted, creatively challenged, and truly part of something. We place a high value on personal connection. It’s a big part of why people enjoy working with us. Being part of the Molinare Creative Group allows us to offer clients highly personalised, creatively led work, something Deborah and I have worked hard to be known for, backed by the strength of scalable support, technical reliability, and deep expertise when needed.”

Molinare Creative Group CEO Nigel Bennett added: “We’re incredibly proud to welcome Deborah, John, and their team into the Molinare family. Elephant Goldfish embodies our commitment to expanding creative opportunities for clients and talent alike, and reinforces our position as a diversified facility.”