Munich:

The Secret is in the Mix

The fact that Munich exerts a magical attraction not only on visitors, but also on entrepreneurs, investors, media professionals and filmmakers is nothing new. That this trend continues without change, however, and that the state capital of Bavaria maintains and in fact even extends its leading position in this area, is a more than encouraging fact, based on factors that are attributable above all to a great variety of advantages within the Munich area.

»Munich is one of the leading media locations in Europe. It offers media professionals ideal conditions and scope for creativity«, confirms Dieter Reiter, chief executive of the Department of Labor and Economic Development, who is able to base his assessment on reliable figures.

»With more than 3 billion television viewers, the Olympic Winter Games number among the greatest media events around the world. For the media industry in Munich too, a successful bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2018 would be an enormous opportunity. With more than 10,000 press representatives, the international media community will be attending the media center of the trade fair city. Munich 2018 will be a catalyst for modern formats and creative ideas within the media sector, tailored to the communication behaviour of the young generation.«

Willy Bogner, former alpine ski racer and managing director of the Olympic Winter Games application company »Bewerbungsgesellschaft München 2018 GmbH«

After all, a significant share of the annual turnover of Germany‘s information and communications industry is generated alongside the river Isar. In addition, the entire media industry has a strong position in the Munich area, where all media platforms are represented and neither a one-sided focus on television and production – as can be observed for instance in Cologne – nor a one-sided focus on the advertising industry like in Düsseldorf has resulted.
Moreover, Munich is also a stronghold of the film industry. For more than 80 years, the Bavaria Film Group with its numerous subsidiaries at the headquarters Geiselgasteig on the doorstep of Munich has been the heart of the movie city. Production companies of the movie industry and the TV sector are provided with access to the entire range of services offered by the Bavaria studios. With films like »Wickie und die starken Männer« / »Wickie and the Strong Men« (Michael »Bully« Herbig) or »Die Päpstin« / »Pope Joan« (Neue Constantin Film), successful Munich-based producers and directors also ensure that a lot of money is being earned at the cinema box offices. Oscar winners like film directors Caroline Link or Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck have laid the basis for their careers at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film / University of Television and Film (HFF) in Munich. To ensure that creative filmmaking by the HFF students continues in the future, the renowned university will be given a new domicile in a prestigious new building on the premises of the art galleries at the end of 2010. Furthermore, top-class film technology from Munich, developed by the world-famous company ARRI, has often made its way to the winner‘s podium in Hollywood; all in all, ARRI has brought the much-desired technology Oscar home to Munich 16 times.

Creative Potential

The fact that Munich is also the home of many excellent creative companies and prominent figures of the advertising industry was proved at the award ceremony of the 12th German Media Prize in February 2010. The trophy, which is awarded each year for the most effective media strategy by the trade magazine »Werben & Verkaufen«, this year went to the agency Mindshare in recognition of its advertising campaign for the Munich-based company Telefónica O2. The winner of the category »most creative media idea« was the Munich agency group Mediaplus / Plan.Net with its TV campaign for Carglass. The agency group Mediaplus / Serviceplan attracted a high level of attention with its below-the-line campaign for Amnesty International on a day of action marking the anniversary »60 Years of Human Rights«. And last but not least, Florian Haller, chief executive officer of the Munich-based think factory Serviceplan, emerged as the winner of the »Media Personality of the Year« award.

Landeshauptstadt München
Referat für Arbeit und Wirtschaft
Wirtschaftsförderung