Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 15, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Audio and video production, web design, game development and, not least, digital journalism: career fields in the media industry are varied and employment prospects are good. As the world’s largest training institution, SAE Institute (www.sae.edu), with the strong practical focus of its courses and close industry contacts, offers the best possible conditions for students to begin successful careers after graduation – whether as freelancers, employees or their own entrepreneurs. Last year, four graduates from Cologne pooled the knowledge and skills they had acquired at SAE in their respective disciplines and founded a network called “Bakklapark” (www.bakklapark.com), which sees itself as an open landscape for media services. They create websites, motion graphics, 3D visualisations, corporate films, sound designs and much more for their customers. Recognition from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and an already impressive client list confirm the success of this innovative start-up and demonstrate the strong foundations that education at SAE Institute gave its founders.
Learning to Know – Learning to Act
Company founders Bert Kunert, Sebastian Schilbe, Michael Schmitt and Jörn Westhoff all studied audio, video, web and games at SAE in Cologne. The decisive initial advantage when founding Bakklapark was therefore that SAE education had provided important experience very early in every area of the company’s later activities – whether working with state-of-the-art equipment, the close practical relevance of the exercises, or good contacts in the industry and therefore with potential future clients.
Bert Kunert, Managing Director Audioservice at Bakklapark, explains the concept’s direction: “At Bakklapark, the network idea takes centre stage. There is therefore no permanent-employee mentality; instead, we see ourselves as a dynamic network of creative minds who inspire and support one another. Everyone contributes their contacts and network connections – our time at SAE Institute in Cologne provided valuable assistance when we were starting out.”
Bakklapark’s concept was also recognised by the media initiative of the North Rhine-Westphalia state government and awarded a scholarship from AV-Gründerzentrum NRW worth 10,000 euros, together with an individual consultation and coaching programme.
Götz Hannemann, Head of Marketing at SAE Institute, is pleased that the network concept has received official recognition: “With Bakklapark, it fits perfectly that all the company founders also work as SAE instructors in Cologne. They can therefore pass their knowledge and experience on to subsequent generations. The network is thus built not only ‘upwards’, but also ‘downwards’.”
