A North Wales TV company is looking to make two key appointments and harness the power of artificial intelligence as part of ambitious growth plans.
Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da is restructuring the senior management team following the departure of managing director Llion Iwan to take up a new role as chief content officer at S4C.
Former operations director Bethan Griffiths, who took the helm temporarily after he left in March, has now been appointed as chief executive.
The aim now is to recruit a new content director and an operations director to expand the business into new UK and international markets in addition to the core output for S4C.
Earlier this year the company launched a new scripted content department headed by award-winning actor, director and producer Martin Thomas.
Recently Cwmni Da, which means good company, lived up to its name when it was crowned as one of the best places to work in the UK broadcast industry for the second year running.
One of the reasons cited by the staff why they are so happy was the decision seven years ago to turn Cwmni Da into an employee owned trust which means they all have a stake in it.
As a board member, Ms Griffiths played a major role in the transformation and says she’s now looking forward to leading the company to “an even brighter future”.
But running a television production company wasn’t on the cards when she studied for a degree in Welsh and media literature at Bangor University.
Afterwards, rather than training to become a teacher like most of her peers, she opted instead to go for a diploma in bilingual administration at Coleg Menai.
Her first foray into the world of broadcasting came when as part of the 12-month course she went on work experience to Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC) which represents independent TV production companies in Wales.
She said: “I then applied for a job with S4C providing maternity cover in the press office with the legend that is David Meredith, an unconventional – some might say slightly eccentric – but absolutely brilliant communicator, and the wonderful Aled Islwyn.
“As well as learning a huge amount from them, we had a lot of fun along the way. It was a really good team.”
When the nine month contract came to end, Ms Griffiths returned to TAC, gaining accountancy qualifications along the way, before joining Ffilmiau’r Bont.
After landinga job as a finance officer with Cwmni Da in 2007, she rose through the ranks and went on a leadership course to Bangor University thanks to the then Cwmni Da owners Dylan “Dygs Huws”, Neville Hughes and Ifor ap Glyn.
She recalled: “I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot but I didn’t realise how valuable it was until later in my career when I became a board member here helping to implement the transition to become an employee owned trust.
“One of the main reasons for the change was to safeguard the ethos of Cwmni Da and make sure it stayed rooted here in Caernarfon rather than being bought out by a larger company.
“We feel it’s worked really well because we’ve retained our identity and the people who work here feel a real sense of ownership and commitment.
“We are lucky to have a brilliant team here. Our staff are the beating heart of Cwmni Da – they are without doubt our greatest asset.
“I feel very privileged to have been appointed chief executive while at the same time feeling a real sense of responsibility which I take very seriously.
“Llion left big boots to fill but his departure was an opportunity to look at the structure of the company to make sure we’re set up in the right way to grow and develop in future.
“The new content director and operations director will be key appointments because they are going to be fundamentally important in shaping our future strategy. It’s a really exciting development.
“One big priority will be supporting and mentoring the team so they can reach their full potential individually and collectively so that we can fly as a company.
“Making television programmes in Welsh for S4C is the core of our output and that will always be the case.
“Everybody here is united in the desire to ensure that the Welsh language thrives but we are also keen to provide programmes for non-Welsh speaking people in Wales.
“Recently, we have been very successful in making programmes in English, like the Chris Cooks Cymru series featuring the remarkable chef, Chris “Flamebaster” Roberts, for BBC Wales and three extraordiany stories for the Our Lives strand for the channel.
“We are also looking to international horizons because we have the ability and talent to cater for audiences outside Wales.
“With that in mind, we have built up and retained relationships with broadcast partners in the Celtic countries as well as Korea and China.
“The other thing that sets Cwmni Da apart is that we are able to work across multiple genres, including entertainment, documentaries, true crime and drama as well as children’s programmes.
She added: “As part of our evolution, we are looking at the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence– done sensibly with proper safeguards it can add real value to our programme making.
“We are already using AI in at least two programmes which are due to be broadcast later this year.
“We are using different kinds of AI to enable dramatic reconstruction by using an image or archive material to create footage from it as well as forensic analysis of evidence.
“AI is also a very useful tool in conducting audience research to find out definitively what people actually want to watch – but we are very clear that all findings need to be properly checked and verified by the team.
“The fact that for two years running Cwmni Da has been named as one of the best places in the UK broadcast industry speaks volumes.
“Happy staff create great content and that’s what we’re all about.”
