Welsh TV production company plans to expand into new markets

North Wales Chronicle

16-07-2025

Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da, which is employee-owned and mainly produces content for Welsh-language broadcaster S4C, is now targeting a wider audience under the leadership of newly-appointed chief executive Bethan Griffiths.
The company is currently seeking to recruit a content director and an operations director as part of its growth strategy.
Ms Griffiths said: "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."
Cwmni Da, which means "good company" in Welsh, has already launched a scripted content division led by award-winning actor, director and producer Martin Thomas.
The company is also exploring international opportunities and has established connections with broadcasters in other Celtic nations, as well as in Korea and China.
Ms Griffiths said: "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."
A key part of Cwmni Da's evolution involves the careful integration of artificial intelligence into its production processes.
Ms Griffiths said: "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."
Cwmni Da was named one of the best places to work in the UK broadcast industry for the second consecutive year, a recognition Ms Griffiths attributes to its employee-owned model.
She said: "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.
"Happy staff create great content and that's what we're all about."