Quarto Communications has announced a strategic partnership with Blue Ant Media Inc.

Blue Ant, a new company overseen by media executive Michael MacMillan, is purchasing 15% of Quarto's shares with the option to increase that amount to 24.5% in the first year.

Quarto is a multimedia company whose brands include Cottage Life, Explore, Outdoor Canada, and Canadian Home Workshop. The company also produces books, websites, social-media apps, and consumer shows.

MacMillan retired from Alliance Atlantis in 2007 after selling the firm to CanWest and Goldman Sachs.

Blue Ant also recently announced it has reached an agreement to purchase a controlling interest in GlassBOX Television, subject to CRTC approval. GlassBOX has developed a platform of digital and broadcast properties including Bite TV, AUX TV and the newly acquired Travel and Escape Channel.

Al Zikovitz, CEO of Quarto, noted the partnership will help the company's brands push further into television and digital media. "We want to better serve our audience and our advertisers by expanding our reach to cover the broadest possible range of our consumers' interests and needs," he said.