Networking NRW

Associations, regular meetings, online communities

James Cameron’s »Avatar« set the standard, and soon 3D animations of the same quality will be made in Cologne. UFA Cinema GmbH and Danish company A.Film A/S, with their proposal for a 3D animation studio, are two of the 16 winners of the second competition of the Medien.NRW cluster.

On 1 November 2009, the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) media cluster moved into its agency premises in Cologne, and from here will operate as a State Government contact point for media companies in the region. Its tasks include developing the fundamentals for more commercial activity and innovation in film, television, radio, publishing, games and internet commerce, and supporting international cooperative projects.
»We network media companies beyond industry boundaries. Whether by personal meetings, our own event formats or virtual platforms, we generate impetus in terms of content in an increasingly digital media world, and encourage new cooperative projects,« explains cluster manager Marc Ziegler. In addition, the NRW media cluster also provides value adding tools on its own website. One particular service is the »Media Funding Compass«: It establishes transparency regarding all media funding sources of the State, the Federal Government and the EU in the media field.

Network platforms

The Medien.NRW cluster is not the only point of contact that creators of media can use for their networks. The association Eyes & Ears of Europe, based in Cologne, has dedicated itself to the design, promotion and marketing of audio-visual media. The Cologne composer and musicologist Dr. Anselm Kreuzer is among the regular guests of events organised by Eyes & Ears: »The conferences and events bring about a great deal of ideas and contacts, but not least a great deal of fun, too, which you simply need for successful work with audio-visual media.«

In addition, State media companies have founded the association »networkers nrw«. This association focuses on the funding and strengthening of commercial and scientific development in the field of information and communications commerce in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Cologne internet industry thus meets once annually at the »Cologne Online Stammtisch«. The starting point of this event was originally a group of the same name on the social business platform Xing. »Xing is ideal for making and maintaining new professional contacts,« explains Martin Müller, founding member of the Cologne Xing regional group. »In order to get to know someone better, however, or to establish a business relationship, a personal meeting is of course recommended. Personal things count, and business matters come up.«