De Madrid al Cielo: New Madrid Audiovisual Cluster Aims High

Speaking at a panel during Madrid forum Iberseries Platino Industria, founding execs of Madrids newly formed Audiovisual Cluster held forth on the opportunities of the new initiative which launched in March this year.

Also participating was Gonzalo Cabrera,director general of cultural promotion of the Community of Madrid who pointed out thatMadridgenerates an annual revenue of approximately 3.3 billion euros ($3.96 billion). The audiovisual sector in the Community of Madrid employs around 20,000 people directly. It accounts for 1% of the regional GDP. Moreover, it is projected to grow by approximately 25% in the coming years, thanks to technological, demographic and geopolitical changes that have recently occurred, he asserted.

Apart from Madrids current tax break of 31.25% that has lured multiple foreign shoots, he called for the formation of more post production companies. Their presence would likely attract more big budget productions as their respective time frames for shooting, post-production, and exhibition will have been significantly reduced, he noted.

Patricia Motilla, secretary general of Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, concurred:We need to put the city of Madrid on the world stage. Producers alone cant do that. The industry needs to be united; it needs to establish its strategy for global market penetration.

She also pointed to Madrids geographical advantage in Spain and its excellent connectivity that allows for an ease in deploying crews and equipment. Its incredible for any foreign producer that within an hour and a half, one can be at the sea and within 35 or 40 minutes, at a castle or in the desert.

We were talking about one percent of the GDP, as Gonzalo [Cabrera] mentioned. We can become three percent, and this cluster is the opportunity to do so, addedCarlos DUrsi, VP of Madrid Audiovisual Cluster.

If this progresses and develops as expected, it will become a high-quality strategic project and set everything in motion. We can aim for the cluster to become an innovative business group, a concept that exists and would allow us to jointly access the entire sector, including European funds, for instance, to increase financing, which will ultimately benefit the entire sector from our point of view at the Madrid City Council, saidAna Julia de Miguel, director general of institutional relations and strategic projects, Mayors Office of the City of Madrid.

Ral Berdons, CEO of Secuoya Content Group and president of Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, pointed out that Catalonias audiovisual cluster celebrated its 10thanniversary and Madrids was long overdue. Everyone agrees that Madrid is at the epicenter of production worldwide. We are the country that everyone looks to, and Madrid accounts for almost 67% of the production that takes place in Spain, he asserted, adding that Madrids Cluster kicked off with 37 companies and that in three months, it grew to 67 private and public companies.

As Ral Torquemada, head of the Madrid Film Office, pointed out, the Cluster aims to generate employment and business and boost the audiovisual sector and activity in Madrid.

Im sure we can achieve what Carlos mentioned, not just being 1% of the GDP but being 3% and helping ensure that this is not just a passing trend. Spain has come to stay at the core of production, to be strong, to be a reference, said Berdons who mentioned Madrid Content City, which he had fostered, implemented and currently presides over.

Its drawn attention from many places. Colombias President Ivn Duque came to see what had been done in Madrid, with the intention of replicating it in Colombia. Were doing it in Panama, were doing it in Guadalajara, Mexico. Weve been asked to do it in Lisbon. Were also doing it in Mexico City, he added.

The Cluster effectively confirms the need we had to bring together the strength of the public and private sectors to look at the world, to continue expanding, to internationalize much more, to be more present in more markets, to raise our voice, and truly be more present in these places, he declared.

Indeed, the fact that Iberseries attracted more than 1,500 people from 42 countries has been an encouraging step in the right direction.

Berdons also called for a stronger integration with universities and training centers to help the sector keep up with the fast-growing trends, from augmented reality to AI. Putting Madrid and Spain on the global map also calls for moreproficiency in English.Its not just about directors and actors speaking English; we need electricians, carpenters, everyone to speak English. English is indispensable in our industry if we want to make it strong and enduring, he said.

Theres something we do much better than others, something no other industry can do: the cultural industry provides emotional dividends to human beings. When we finish our days on this Earth, we wont take our financial dividends with us; we will only take the emotional ones, and thats our added value. With this cluster, we hope to exponentially maximize the emotional dividends we will distribute to our clients, DUrsi concluded.

The 3rdIberseries Platino Industria ran over Oct. 2-6.