A lot of what Jim O’Donnell said is spot on. At the moment, we have an extraordinary growth in content demand out there, not just in Britain or the US but in the world, by virtue of the revolution in streaming. The amount of TV that is required out there is extraordinary. It has never been like this before. What has happened here with Wardpark and “Outlander” has been driven by that demand, but also by a desire to be in Scotland. We have seen enormous investment in that building come through “Outlander”, and that has created a legacy. It is not a one-off. The partnership that we have created with our landlord will go on and create another of the studios that Jim O’Donnell talks about.
It is an issue of political will. The evidence is there, and you have had it from everybody else—from various parties across the board, and through various meetings and paperwork. There is no question but that the “Outlander” effect has worked. Look at our impact on tourism. We are employing 230 people for 10 months a year, and we train 20 people a year. We are delivering for you. If you attract more of these shows, the knock-on effect will be incremental.
Jim O’Donnell mentioned Dan Dark coming up and saying, “It can’t work”. The issue is that we inevitably, if unfortunately, have to look at ourselves as being an offshoot of London. The political will is about shifting that gear, changing that perspective and saying that, as a nation and a country, we want to build the industry. It is our choice. You can let it continue as a kind of a victim industry that always has its hands out saying that we need more and we need special breaks, or you can shift the gear and attract businesses such as “Outlander”. If we have two or three “Outlanders” here, the amount of inward investment will be staggering.
It is not just about the building. The building has been an annoying, frustrating and tedious thing. I was on committees 20 years ago talking about a studio in Scotland, and it is just not coming about. It has to be about people in Government saying that they want to change it, that they want an industry and that they do not want it to be an offshoot of London, or our people and the best of our creatives going to London and being sucked into the international industry. It should say that we , as a nation, see that it is important, that we want to build the infrastructure, build the training and build the industry to encourage entrepreneurial producers and shift the gear.
Jim O’Donnell’s building, with that enormous investment, requires a huge amount of product to come in and pay for it. The Wardpark building is paid for: Sony has invested in it, so Wardpark will always pick up business. Jim O’Donnell’s building, in my opinion, needs the instrumental push of Government and well-funded Government agencies being out there in the world saying, “We’ll get you into Scotland”—or bribing people into Scotland, in the same way that Northern Ireland did. It made a political decision to build an industry, and then attacked in all areas—training, infrastructure, reputation and marketing—to bring people in.
When I started “Outlander”, all that I said to the agencies in Scotland was, “I want you to match Northern Ireland—I want you to prove to Sony and the studios in the States that we are open for business and that we will do what it takes to bring companies in and bring $300 million or $400 million investments into Scotland.” Nobody did anything about it. Promises turned to frustration, annoyance and irritation. I will not have those people in the building now, because I do not have the time for it and I do not see them in any way adding to the business or my business.
It is about making a decision. We have been talking about it for too long. If it is not a game that the Government wants to be in, it should let us get on with our jobs.