Chris O’Dowd firm profits surge

Accumulated profits at Co Roscommon funnyman, Chris O’Dowd’s UK production firm last year increased four fold to almost €500,000.

New figures show that the accumulated profits at Hot Cod Productions Ltd increased by 275%, going from £94,426 to £354,699 (€491,493), in the year to the end of October 2014.

O’Dowd’s Hot Cod Productions is one of the companies behind his very successful ‘Moone Boy’ series, broadcast in recent years to critical and popular acclaim.

The sharp upturn in the company’s fortunes has coincided with the success of the semi-autobiographical series and the 36-year old’s continuing rise in Hollywood.

The firm’s cash pile during the period increased from £104,301 to £148,931.

The Roscommon actor is a favourite of one of the most influential directors in Hollywood, Judd Apatow. O’Dowd has starred in Apatow movies such as Bridesmaids and This is 40, as well as in the cult HBO series, Girls.

Separate accounts filed by the Irish-based production firm behind the third series of Moone Boy, Moone Boy 3 Ltd, show that it recorded a loss of €876,166 in the period to the end of July 2014.

However, the loss is understood to be attributed to the up-front costs of producing the series, which has been a major hit for broadcaster Sky.

Moone Boy 3 Ltd’s revenues totalled €2.66m, while the cost of sales totalled €3.4m.

Currently, O’Dowd is enjoying positive reviews for his portrayal of journalist, David Walsh in his pursuit of disgraced cyclist, Lance Armstrong, stripped of all his Tour de France titles, in the acclaimed movie, The Program.

Mr O’Dowd first came to notice here playing Brendan Davenport in RTÉ’s The Clinic between 2003 and 2005 with his breakthrough in the UK coming in the role of Roy Trenneman in The IT Crowd.

He also had a starring role in black comedy, Calvary written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, best known as the writer-director of The Guard, while he has also added roles in Cuban Fury and Thor: The Dark World to his recent list of credits.

A former UCD student, Mr O’Dowd represented Roscommon at several under-age levels right up to under-21.