The great challenges of audiovisual clusters in Spain

Jorge Algora, president of the Galician Audiovisual Cluster, shares the important challenges that audiovisual clusters (and the Spanish industry) will face in the near future.

And cluster is a fundamental element in the audiovisual framework of any region. Its main function is to integrate all sector agents to favor the cooperation between the different companies. It is essential that some know each other, develop activities together and create a playing field in which each of the companies and organizations come together. In the Galician Audiovisual Cluster we have both associates, like collaborating partners, which represent the industry in Galicia; All of them help to identify which are the lines that can lead us to the consolidation of our territory in the Spanish audiovisual ecosystem.

Las synergiesTherefore, they are fundamental to undertake our day by day and even face the uncertain moments. The pandemic, for example, paralyzed a large part of our activity. There are many companies that have fallen by the wayside or have found it difficult to maintain themselves. Fortunately, many of them were able to maintain lines of development, such as the field of videoconferencing, which has allowed them to emerge from this phase with a renewed strengthening. Added to this more recently is the war in Ukraine, which is the cause of this 10% inflation that has us all suffocated. Luckily, thanks to the associative stimulus of the clusters, the funds Next Generation and the collaboration of regional public institutions such as IGAPE and AGADIC, the level of production has recovered its course and faces tomorrow with great vitality.

The moment is uncertain and everything can change, but if things go their way and everything calms down, the sector should maintain the production level and generate new opportunities.

Take advantage of the new Spain Audiovisual Hub

The future is full of challenges, but one will probably stand out from the rest: the state plan Spain Audiovisual Hub to increase audiovisual production in Spain by 30%. Its possible success and correct execution could be a very important boost to the entire audiovisual industry. However, not everything is so simple: it is necessary to consolidate its axes.

Spain must be a filming attraction pole and, to do this, we must think national level.

we must not get lost in certain mistakes that have been committed in the past and that have led us to generate, for example, infrastructure that we do not need, the a make developments to save the immediate daily life. This plan requires an approach that seeks stabilize the audiovisual industry in the medium and long term. Spain must be a pole of attraction for filming and, to do so, we must think at a national level. For example, when a large production lands in Spain, you must be able to think that it is plausible to be in a Almeria desert and, the next day, plan a day of filming in a Galician Ribeira Sacra forest. It is essential to establish a solid network of professionals that are installed throughout the territory to favor this type of projects.

Particularly, since Galician Audiovisual Cluster, we have launched the I+P Incuba which is financed by the ICAA of the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and the Next Generation EU European Funds and with the collaboration of regional institutions such as AGADIC. Furthermore, in the challenge of internationalization, we go hand in hand with the Galician Institute economic promotion, IGAPE and the Galician Agency of Cultural Industries, facilitating the assistance of companies in the sector to the main markets. We have also been strengthening relationships between companies in the region for some time. Galicia Euroregion and the North of Portugal.

Promote complementarity vs. competition

It is essential to carry out work throughout Spain to enhance collaboration between the different companies. They cannot be independent bubbles, but they must be part of a common network that allows them to take advantage of all the opportunities that is in the market, which will also favor the achievement of all types of filming and projects.

That is one of the reasons why it was created during the pandemic. RACKS, the Spanish Network of Audiovisual Clusters. At this moment, we are six clusters that we try to see what is happening in each territory, looking for that complementarity that we were talking about and identifying everything we need to achieve the desired mobility of knowledge, technology and services. The idea is that, if there is a very powerful special effects company in Zaragoza, it has all the necessary tools to work throughout the country and open their horizon to the rest of their colleagues. I always like to say that you have to stimulate complementarity and not competition.

Es essential know how many companies there is each of the subsectors of the audiovisual sector. How many are we? What do we do? Where are we? How much do we bill? How much employment do we generate? What work pace do we have?

In fact, not so long ago, we had a presentation on RACKS at the Doré Cinemas. At this event, one of the most important objectives was identified as need to catalog the resources of the country's industry. It is essential to know how many companies there are of each of the subsectors of the audiovisual sector. How many are we? What do we do? Where are we? How much do we bill? How much employment do we generate? What work pace do we have?

We are accustomed to competition and rivalry, when what we must be clear about is that the different agents that are part of the information sector cultural industries they can strengthen your position if they collaborate with each other. On many occasions, we invite scouters of the platforms to Spain so that they see us and value us as business, but at the same time, we compete among territories to see who offers the greatest tax relief. That's not the way. The solution must go through how take advantage to all the national territory for the industry to grow sustainable way.

Continuous and transversal production

Both the plans from the public sector, as the possible transversality of the audiovisual companies, They must be oriented to the production stimulation, among other objectives. We must aim to consolidate a business ecosystem prepared to maintain production rates that come closer to other competitive industries. And not only in the mud of filming, but also in the R&D of the industries of the video game, screens, streaming, VFX o virtual reality, with which we already work from the Galician Audiovisual Cluster.

Achieving these objectives will be much easier through a coordinated industry and with common goals. However, this it's not simple. The creation and consolidation of clusters are slow processes because they are based on the trust, but the experience of other Audiovisual Clusters in Europe shows us that They are very effective for the development of the industry in different regions. In the end, the effort will have its rewards.