Ciara Appelbe

With over 25 years in film and television, Ciara Appelbe began as an Assistant Director on BBC’s Ballykissangel and spent a decade in production office roles before transitioning to executive production. Since 2006, she has worked with World 2000 Entertainment, known for The Tudors (Showtime) and Vikings (MGM). Ciara now leads development at O’Sullivan Productions, fostering new projects and emerging writers.

She holds an Honours degree in Psychology and Geography from University College Cork, along with a Certificate in Counselling Skills and a Graduate Diploma in Integrative & Humanistic Psychotherapy. Her unique combination of production experience and psychological training enables her to develop projects tackling sensitive and significant themes.

As Head of Development at O’Sullivan Productions, Ciara continues to support large-scale historical dramas while also championing innovative, authentic content for both local and global audiences. Recent work includes producing the short film STRAY (NTA TV and Short Film Scheme 2024) starring Eva Birthistle and Isabelle Connelly. In 2021, she co-produced the comedy feature Deadly Cuts with Auveen Lush. The film debuted at No. 3 at the Irish box office and became the highest-grossing comedy by an Irish female director in 20 years, later topping Netflix Ireland’s charts.