Testimonials

“I founded the production company Wolfgang & Dolly LLC in 2017 after a decade of freelance jobs and working in other production companies as assistant producer, line producer, junior producer, executive producer and finally a producer in my own right. The company has a diverse portfolio of projects in development. Although it is challenging to find an angle for a European co-production outside of the immediate surroundings due to the limited language territory my colleagues and I find ourselves in, we do our best to develop projects that can travel beyond our borders. Croatia is a relatively small market and there is always something to do regarding further development of national film and AV sector in a country with its own language and a modest home market in terms of population. The European film and TV sector is characterised by a large number of SMEs. Given the low number of permanent staff members and the fact that film and TV projects take long to develop, finance, produce, promote and distribute, flexibility, agility, passion and a collaborative mindset are the core competences in my company. Those competences are highly required during these unprecedented times when all our production operations are interrupted, as well as distribution ones. We are creative thinkers and problem solvers – two sets of skills that will be required for post-COVID-19. Indeed, as a producer, I see my role as both that of a creative and a businessperson. I am of course undertaking all the financial and legal risks for our productions, and I also work in close collaboration and creative synergy with our script writers and directors on each individual project. The producer always has the first or second opinion on any creative decision, whether during the development, creation or actual production phase! Like all the producers I am working within Croatia and in Europe, my ambition is to contribute to making our industry a champion in creativity, diversity and sustainability. And SMEs like mine are one of the main factors in the European innovative approach to stories to be told on screen. This is not a drawback for Europe, it is our strength that determines our role in the future.”

Barco is headquartered in Belgium. Founded more than 80 years ago, the company has been active in cinema since the early days of digital cinema at the end of the 90s. Initially, we produced digital cinema projectors. Research and development, as well as manufacturing took place in our Belgium office. With the massive conversion of the industry from analogue to digital technology between 2005-2015, we grew to the global n°1 position in the domain of cinema projection. Also, in that period, we expanded our activities and product portfolio to media servers and audio solutions for cinema. Today, we have over a 50% market share in the global cinema projection market and over a 15% market share for media servers. In my position as Director of Cinema Technology, it is my job to bridge the world of technology with that of cinema and movie-making. It is important to scout for new innovations and trends, both on the technology side as well as the creative content creation side. Combining these with a good understanding of where cinema exhibitors want to go, could be and should be going, allows Barco to organize for a future-proof portfolio and stay ahead of the game. The COVID-19 crisis has hit the cinema market right in its heart: theater exhibition went from an almost 24/7 business to standstill. The same has happened to the content creation and production side. The impact on equipment manufacturers for cinema is there, but contained: the biggest complexity probably comes from the logistics side of getting materials in and out. Our inhouse R&D-, service- and project-teams are continuing to work, ready to support our partners and customers for the renaissance of cinema later this year!

As head of CG Entertainment, which is involved in both digital distribution and DVD/ Blu-ray, I am looking to acquire rights for and publish the widest possible selection of films and AV content. CG Entertainment’s catalogue includes Italian classics, European and international art house films, genres such as horror or sci-fi, children’s titles and documentaries. We strongly believe in cultural and genre diversity in our catalogue and we strive to make our audiences discover films and AV content through our online This is more important than ever in light of the unprecedented circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Acquiring distribution rights to films and AV content is a risky business and we work hard to recoup the investment in acquisition, marketing and distribution. Some titles do very well, others require more effort to develop an audience – each title has its own tailor-made promotion plan. We must therefore be able to rely on full commercial freedom to agree on different types of exclusivity, including territorial exclusivity, with producers of films and AV content. This helps mitigate our financial risk in acquisition and to works towards recouping the investment in rights acquisition, marketing and distribution. Our mission is to ensure the best distribution of and best access to the films and AV content in our catalogue – that is why we are in business.”

“Svenska Bio is a family-owned cinema chain founded in 1914 in Sweden, today operating 200 screens in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Our company is renowned for its efforts towards providing audiences with the best possible cinematic experience, regularly investing in new technology and innovative marketing strategies. My family have always been in exhibition, so I grew up loving the cinema. But my most memorable childhood experience was Disney’s The Fox and the Hound. I saw it during the school summer break, and I remember that when the teacher asked us what we did during summer, the visit to the cinema, watching The Fox and the Hound, was all I wanted to talk about. As Chief Marketing Officer at Svenska Bio, my focus is to enhance our customers’ journey and the challenge is to choose from the many opportunities to do so. Which ones should we focus on and when? What will make the largest impression on the audience to make them come back and visit us soon? Amongst the various projects we worked on in the past, I have helped our company transition to cashless in November 2016 – a world-first for a major cinema chain. And we continue to adapt and innovate for the changing needs and preferences of our customers. During the current pandemic we have been required to adapt to a situation that is new to all of us. Not even during World War II did my great grandfather need to close his cinemas. But we have had to now. But instead of totally pulling down the curtain, we have started what we call On Demand Cinema. Our customers can rent an auditorium of their own to either watch a movie or play video games. This has proved to be enormously popular and it keeps cinema going in the minds of our customers and our staff a bit occupied during these exceptional times.”

“The audiovisual sector has been experiencing radical changes during the last decade and is now facing unprecedented uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Globalisation, the financial crisis and digitalisation have led large segments of our industry to transform business models and change the way of work. This transformation is characterised by the emergence of new modes of production and distribution. It has radically changed the skillset demanded for new and evolving jobs. At the same time, change is driven by audiovisual people that seek more inclusion and equality to be reflected in the stories we tell and at the workplace. These transformations are of a global nature and offer an opportunity for more cultural exchange, sustainable growth and quality jobs. However, long-term cooperation among competing actors – businesses and people – is key to make this transformation successful. Women and men in front and behind the camera, set and screen are hit hard by the economic and social impact of the pandemic. They turn to business and union leaders not only to mitigate the impact but to build a sustainable path to recovery for the AV sector through dialogue. I would like to highlight three opportunities for cooperation that are important for the future of the European audiovisual sector: mutualisation of skills development should be supported to ensure upskilling for a largely freelance workforce; sector initiatives committing all stakeholders to boost equality and inclusion are a prerequisite to bring about a cultural change; the promotion of collective bargaining is key to establish a level playing field among all actors in the Single Market. The structural, technological and social transformation is likely to intensify. We embrace change and believe that strong partnerships make growth and quality jobs happen.”

Kinepolis Group NV was founded in 1997 as a result of the merger of two family-run cinema groups. In addition to its cinema business, the Group is also active in film distribution, event organization, screen publicity and property management. In Europe, Kinepolis has 55 cinemas spread across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Poland. Since the recent acquisition of Canadian movie theatre group Landmark Cinemas and American movie theatre group MJR, Kinepolis also operates 45 cinemas in Canada and 10 in the US – for a total of 110 cinemas, 1,074 screens and almost 200,000 seats worldwide. I was not even 4 yet when I saw my first movie on a Big Screen. My parents went to see Le Chat with Jean Gabin & Simone Signoret. I was fascinated by the screen and I still have the final scene very clear in mind. Then I discovered Mary Poppins which was more in accordance with my age. As International Content Director, I’m in charge of elaborating and implementing Kinepolis’ booking and programming strategy adapted to each market to increase the number of admissions, Gross Box Office and enlarge audiences in all our cinemas. I dedicate most of my time to attending film markets, festivals or conventions, meeting up with our partners from distribution, negotiating, analysing markets and trends, elaborating action plans and sharing with our teams around the world. The current COVID-19 crisis has proved how much every actor of the industry are interdependent. Collaboration and joined forces have probably never been so necessary as well as the necessity to keep the connection with audiences as well as designing the right programs to our movie-goers.

We believe that diversity is good for business. UK independent TV production brings in revenues of over £3 billion a year. Yet in an increasingly complex marketplace, producers must find original stories that resonate with audiences in the UK and worldwide. At Pact, we have launched programs that are dedicated to shift the dial on diversity and inclusion. We support and work with Project Diamond, a unique cross industry diversity monitoring and data collection system focusing on the major UK broadcasters. Our Inclusive Leadership Laboratory launched in 2017 provides tailored support for senior leaders who want to develop their inclusion strategy. We also run two entry level initiatives for under-represented groups, in London and Scotland. Each trainee undergoes a 6-month paid placement at an independent production company, working in entry level roles from runner to development researcher. The scheme has an impressive retention rate with 77% of its alumni still working in TV, film and related industries. Responding to gaps and challenges we have created bespoke programs to translate good intentions into inclusive working practices which we believe will contribute to the growth of world-class content creation in our sector now and in the future. We cannot predict the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on our industry, but going forward, we stay committed to helping the sector to shift the balance on Diversity and Inclusion.”