• Sustainable support and scholarship providers from the industry
• Application phase runs until 15 April 2025, online information event on 1 April

The application phase for the third year of the »Entertainment Producing« master's programme at the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln is open until 15 April. Under the direction of format expert Prof. Jennifer Mival, this unique and part-time degree programme in the German-speaking world is dedicated to the development, production and exploitation of entertainment formats. Interested parties can find out more about the course content and how to apply at the online information event on 1 April at 5 pm.

The two-year degree programme was developed on the initiative of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and in close cooperation with high-profile entertainment producers from North Rhine-Westphalia. High-calibre cooperation partners and scholarship providers are already on board for the new year: Bavaria Entertainment, Endemol Shine Germany, ITV Studios Germany, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Netflix, Riverside Entertainment, UFA Show & Factual, Warner Bros. International Television Production and WDR.

The success of the practice-oriented degree programme is particularly evident in the careers of the students from the first two years, who have been promoted to management positions or have been able to switch to the entertainment industry as career changers. Students' project results are also further developed, optioned and pitched by the industry: Graduate Philipp Sindermann, for example, was invited to the MIPFORMATS PITCH in Cannes as a finalist with his Master's project and was able to present his game show format »Unknown Champions« to an international industry jury at the international trade fair MIPTV 2024.

The Master's degree programme is aimed at media professionals from the entertainment industry and career changers from related fields. As prospective entertainment producers, they will be qualified on a part-time basis to take responsibility for the content and economic aspects of the development process of an entertainment format as creative leaders. Supported by high-profile industry experts, they research existing format productions, including shows, factual entertainment and reality, and develop their own innovative entertainment concepts.

The lecturers include Marcel Amruschkewitz, Head of Programming VOX, Ute Biernat, CEO UFA Show & Factual, Michael Gaul, Director Legal and General Counsel Banijay Germany, Thorsten Haas, Deputy Head of Entertainment and Head of Strategic Development ZDF, Hannes Jakobsen, Founder & CEO DRIVE beta, René Jamm, CEO Warner Bros. International TV Production, Philipp Käßbohrer, CEO bildundtonfabrik, Arne Kreutzfeldt, CEO Florida Entertainment, Stephan Neumann, CEO Riverside Entertainment, Chris O'Dell, Head of Global Entertainment Production, FremantleMedia, Constanze Rimbach leadership trainer and business coach, Christiane Ruff, CEO ITV Studios Germany, Tobias Schiwek, CEO We are Era, Fabian Tobias, CEO EndemolShine Germany.

Prof Jennifer Mival: "Entertainment is THE genre of an uncertain time. The demand for entertainment productions on all channels is unbroken, but refinancing and distribution is more complex than ever. This makes it all the more important to take a critical look at the genre and gain a practical understanding of creative and economic relationships. This is where our Master's programme comes in and, in addition to professional practice, accompanies students in their next career steps. I look forward to receiving strong applications and am grateful that we can once again award scholarships through our cooperation partners to support ambitious entertainment talents in completing their Master's degree in addition to their job."

For more information, visit www.filmschule.de