»Masterclass Entertainment« on non-fictional entertainment starts at the ifs

• Industry partner Prime Video enables scholarships
• Kick-off with Volker Neuenhoff

The »Masterclass Entertainment« 2024 started yesterday at the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln with 11 participants from different areas of entertainment production.
Over a period of six months (June - November), the compact, part-time intensive training programme will teach creative core skills for an entertainment industry in transition. This training programme focuses on storytelling, format development and creative leadership – key aspects of creative leadership and innovation in a changing market. The use of AI in the development and production of entertainment formats will also be discussed and tested. In addition, networking among the participants and with the industry will be promoted.
The three three-day face-to-face modules at the ifs are supplemented by online sessions on specialist topics and genre trends, exclusive industry insights and case studies as well as networking events.

The ifs was once again able to win Prime Video Deutschland as a cooperation partner for this year's Masterclass. Prime Video Deutschland is supporting the programme both financially and in terms of content with experts. In addition, Prime Video's support will enable seven scholarships to be awarded this year.

After an introduction by ifs professor Jennifer Mival (Entertainment Producing), the focus of the first module of the masterclass will be on the basics of format development and storytelling. Volker Neuenhoff, Head of Entertainment German Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, the film and TV production and development department of Prime Video, will also be a guest lecturer. Among other things, he will be teaching cross-genre strategies for non-fictional storytelling using the example of award-winning formats such as »LOL: Last One Laughing«, »Apache bleibt gleich« and »Joko presents: The World's Most Dangerous Show«. In addition, the masterclass will be taught by other high-profile players from the entertainment industry such as Catherine Harwardt, Chief Executive Producer & Head of Documentary, DRIVE beta, Hannes Jakobsen, CEO & Founder, DRIVE beta, Bernhard Sonnleitner, Vice President International Scouting & Trends, Seven.One Entertainment Group and Fabian Tobias, CEO Endemol Shine Germany. ifs Professor Jennifer Mival will once again be in charge of the programme.

"Good storytelling and clear creative leadership are the foundations for successful content," says Volker Neuenhoff, Head of Entertainment German Originals at Amazon MGM Studios. "In the Masterclass Entertainment at ifs, we teach these fundamentals to the managers of tomorrow. We are delighted to be able to support young creatives on this year's course with our scholarships and expertise."

Jennifer Mival, ifs Professor of Entertainment Producing affirms: "It was an inspiring start with highly motivated participants and exciting insights from Volker Neuenhoff. Thanks to our cooperation partner Prime Video, we were able to award seven scholarships for this year for the first time."

The ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln has been offering further training in various formats in the field of non-fictional entertainment since 2019. In 2021, the first Master's programme in Entertainment Producing in German-speaking countries followed at the ifs under the direction of Professor Jennifer Mival.

Founded in 2000, the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln is now one of the leading training centres for audiovisual media in Germany. The ifs offers film and media professionals high-quality and future-oriented degree programmes and further training with a high degree of practical relevance. Its location in the film and media centre of Cologne particularly characterises its claim to be close to the industry. The ifs is an initiative of the state of NRW and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, which is a shareholder of the ifs.

More information at www.filmschule.de

You can download a photo here. Please note the photo credit.
Caption: The participants of the Masterclass Entertainment with Volker Neuenhoff, Head of Entertainment German Originals at Amazon MGM Studios (2nd row, 2nd from left) and Prof. Jennifer Mival, ifs, (2nd row, 2nd from right). Photo: Heiko Specht

Created on 28.06.2024