After eight years as the face and voice of producers, Elizabeth McDonald is moving back from the spotlight. The long-serving president and CEO of the CFTPA will step down in late August.

‘It’s been an immensely rewarding opportunity for me and this is a fascinating industry,’ McDonald says. ‘I hope that people will say in retrospect that I made a contribution.’

The odds are good. McDonald’s legacy includes Prime Time in Ottawa, active participation in the creation of the CTF and, perhaps most significant on a personal level, the commissioning of the annual ‘Profile’ reports on the economic well-being of the film and TV industry.

McDonald says Profile was created out of frustration that there was no broad statistical roundup of film and TV production. So the former librarian took it upon herself to commission what became an indispensable document to producers and scribes alike.

‘It is a contribution that I made and I believe it is one that the CFTPA will always have to continue because it’s become so important.’

McDonald’s departure comes at a critical juncture in the production business. With the economy sputtering, production volumes falling off, significant cuts being made to funding and a severe drop-off in dramatic production, some would argue McDonald’s skills and experience have never been more necessary. But McDonald insists that her departure will allow her to focus more on the important issues such as drama and the CTF as she steps away from the day-to-day operations of the association.

McDonald adds that she was partly inspired by Trina McQueen who resigned as head of CTV and has been pursuing individual projects such as her recent CRTC report on drama, allowing her to use her background and knowledge to get deeper into important issues.

But the prevailing motivation for her departure, McDonald says, is to be able to spend more time with her family. With a new prime minister due in Ottawa in early 2004 and the changes sweeping the industry, the coming years will require a full commitment from the CFTPA and its boss. ‘Whoever does that [job] has to be there to follow it through with the industry. I knew that I wasn’t ready to make that commitment.’