The MGZstart scholarship from the Mediengründerzentrum NRW will enter the next round in 2024: start-ups and young companies from North Rhine-Westphalia that are active in media production can apply until 30 November 2023. This includes the areas of games, TV, streaming and cinema, web and XR. A jury will decide who will receive one of the eleven start-up grants in January 2024. Everything about the scholarship can be found here https://www.mediengruenderzentrum.de/mgzstart/
Promote. Advise. Network.
That sums it up in a nutshell. Scholarship holders benefit from 12,000 euros in start-up capital and special conditions with partners. In interdisciplinary seminars and coaching sessions tailored to the needs of the participants, the programme systematically teaches how to build, expand and sustainably establish companies. The scope of the scholarship ranges from industry insights and corporate management to the transfer of business and legal expertise. The MGZ’s extensive network also opens numerous doors for scholarship holders to successful studios, companies, publishers, broadcasters, platforms and industry events. Applications can be submitted until 30 November 2023.
https://www.mediengruenderzentrum.de/bewerbung
The alumni network
They produce award-winning cinema and TV films, web series, games and interactive projects. They are represented at the Toronto Film Festival, the Berlinale, the Webvideopreis and gamescom. Their names are augenschein Filmproduktion, bildundtonfabrik and the Good Evil. And they all have one thing in common: they were all scholarship holders of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW. Over 90 per cent of the alumni are still successful on the market in NRW today.
View the alumni here: https://www.mediengruenderzentrum.de/stipendiaten/
Successful in the games industry
Linda Kruse, founder of the indie studio “The Good Evil”(https://thegoodevil.com) is an alumna of the class of 2013. She says of her time at MGZstart: “I particularly liked the fact that you really work together on an interdisciplinary basis and that synergies were formed very quickly.” Her recommendation: “Go to the Media Start-up Centre because it gives you a good start.” You can apply here: https://www.mediengruenderzentrum.de/bewerbung
Fancy more?
The MGZ offers further information on the scholarship and the application process here:
Information event
Thursday, 2.11.23 at 18:00
Media Start-up Centre NRW, Room 314/315
Schanzenstraße 28, 51063 Cologne
Zoom information event
Thursday, 23 November 2023 at 18:00
Meeting ID: 839 9878 3407
Identification code: 950008
In addition, there is now the opportunity to obtain advice by telephone every Tuesday from 16:00 to 17:00. Please register for all information appointments at info@mediengruenderzentrum.de.
Valuable contacts in the media industry
In few industries are contacts as important for success as in the media industry – not only with clients, but above all between industry colleagues. Only those who are always up-to-date, build networks and share their experience can survive in the media industry in the long term. This is why the Mediengründerzentrum NRW sees itself as a network operator and developer in many respects.
Rainer Weiland, Managing Director of the MGZ: “Targeted support for newcomers is extremely important, especially in economically challenging times. With our scholarship, we provide input orientated towards practice and brand development. And it has been very successful since 2006: more than 200 of our alumni – over 90 per cent of graduates – are still present in the media market today – with strong companies, innovative projects and award-winning productions.”
https://www.mediengruenderzentrum.de/bewerbung