THE largest independent television production company in the Highlands and Islands has moved into employee ownership.
Eighteen staff at Stornoway-based MacTV have been given a stake in the business after it became Scotland’s latest business to make such a move.
MacTV, set up in 2001, is the firm behind productions like An Lot/The Croft and specialises in factual documentary, arts and music programmes in Gaelic and in English.
The company is one of the biggest producers of programming for BBC ALBA, including the Gaelic language channel’s flagship documentary series Trusadh.
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The firm's main production base is in the Hebrides, with staff also in the Central Belt, and in recent years the business has also been involved in a variety of international co-productions, working with companies in Canada, Ireland, Iceland and Wales.
Bill Morrison, MacTV managing director, identified employee ownership as a potential ideal solution on considering retirement, and linked up with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Co-operative Development Scotland to make the move.
He said: “With a workforce truly rooted in the community, the passion, skills and local knowledge of our staff is vital to the quality of our output.
“Our new employee owners now have an increased stake in their own future, with a say in the business, empowering them to shape its direction and drive growth.”
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