Across Europe, cities are looking for new cultural and economic activities
and opportunities that can create growth and employment by diverse,
tolerant and innovative ideas. Inspiring efforts to build “creative” cities
need sound and specialized expertise within the audiovisual sector
especially when fund raising becomes more and more competitive.

Creating growth, employment and to improve at the same time the
city’s visibility require new and powerful strategies – with maximum
synergies on the cultural and economic level and solid cost/benefit ratios.
In the era of digitalization, the audio-visual industry is a growing and
innovative sector with high impacts and returns in the several
layers of society.

ECORYS in partnership with leading experts from the
audio-visual industry will provide the trainee complete information
about tools and funding how to boost the cultural and economic
activities in his city, based on sound analysis and practical insights
from across Europe.

This workshop targets professionals from medium-sized
and larger cities across Europe working in the sectors of
economic development and culture – including film commissioners
and managers of local funds. However, the workshop does not
require specific prior knowledge of the audio visual industry.

• Insight in the various possibilities and conditions how to attract,
  manageand fund audio visual activities in your city;
• Insight in the economic issues of audio visual activities:
  cost/benefit ratios, employment and funding opportunities
  for your city on European level in this sector; such as the
  Media programme, Culture 2000, Interreg, FP7, Progress and
  Eurimages;
• How to use the audio visual possibilities to market and
  promote your city on a regional national and international level;
• Ability to assess impacts and benefits of the audio visual sector
  for your  city;
• Expert’s suport in designing and fine-tuning your own strategy;
• Increased capacity and confidence to take forward your
  own action plans.
   

The ECORYS Academy is the central brand for our offer.
ECORYS Research & Consulting is a leading European knowledge-based
firm, specialised in economic, social and environmental development at
local, regional, national and European level. In the Netherlands, the UK,
Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Spain we are deeply engaged in assisting
cities and investors in the development of successful projects.
This wealth of practical insight is complemented by a portfolio of leading
national and EC funded projects in the areas of urban development,
culture and enterprise.

The trainers are: 

Renate Roginas has headed for eighteen years the International
Business Affairs at TELFRANCE, one of the major French production
companies based in Paris. From 2001 until 2005 she has been Executive
Director of Eurimages, the European Fund for co-productions at the
Council of Europe. Her core business is raising finance for young talent
and creative producers, focusing on the new European Union member
film industries.
 
Mark Denessen has more than 12 years experience in fund raising
from several E.U. programmes, lobbying, project management and
communications in cultural, creative, audiovisual and Internet projects
as consultant in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and
Switzerland. His company MDMC.EU serves clients such as MTV,
Rotterdam Media Fund, MFG Baden Wurttemberg, Screen South,
Film Fyn,  City of Pecs, ICIC Barcelona,  Zentropa Studios, Mediadesk
Switzerland, Mediadesk Flanders.

Jan Maarten de Vet is managing director of ECORYS in Brussels.
He is the principal author of the State of European Cities report and
the principal evaluator of the URBAN II Programme. He is leading in
the economic assessment of urban development projects and
successfully leads the ECORYS Interreg project development course.

Peter Aalbeck Jensen is chief executive of Zentropa Entertainments.
Zentropa has produced more than 70 international and Scandinavian
quality features, co-produc- tions, and low budget films. With an
annual turnover that has reached $30 million (Euro 29.3 million), Zentropa
is the largest film production company in Scandinavia. A position it
has maintained since 1994. During the years Zentropa has expanded
beyond the limits of Scandinavian territory, successfully establishing
several production units in Europe. Moreover the company co-works
with many other European production companies and is always
interested in new collaborations. Zentropa produces music videos,
documentaries, television entertainment, and crossmedia projects.
Projects produced by Zentropa enjoy critical acclaim worldwide and
have been rewarded with the most prestigious prizes the festival
circuit has to offer, among these The Golden Palms and The Silver Bear.
Moreover Zentropa has represented Denmark at the Academy Awards
on four occasions.

Jacques van Heijningen is director Rotterdam Media Fund. The fund is
ready to help anyone involved with film or the audiovisual media.
They are the contacts for filmmakers, TV producers and documentary
makers, in search of finance or facilities, who (wish to) realise productions
partly or entirely in the city or region of Rotterdam.
The Rotterdam Media Fund (RMF) focuses on encouraging audiovisual
activities in the Rotterdam region. The fund is pursuing a municipal
policy that encompasses the development and promotion of a healthy
economic climate for the film and media industry both city- and
region-wide. The fund provides facilities and financial support for
feature films, documentaries and TV productions that are produced
partly or entirely in the Rotterdam area. Jacques van Heijningen
was also the director of The Dutch Film Festival in Utrecht, director of
The Rotterdam Film Commission and is initiator and partner in regional
European cooperation projects.