The projects chosen will have a place in the Almogàvers business incubator for six months starting in September, with the safety protocols set out by the health authorities in place. The format for this year’s programme has been adjusted because of Covid-19, with more emphasis on virtual support and training and valuable new content and approaches.

Specialist teams for Barcelona Activa and professionals from the sector will be helping the projects to develop their proposals, products and principal services by working on a feasible and sustainable business plan through services such as:

• Practical workshops and activities to boost the community and open access to other initiatives to foster work dynamics beyond the programme.
• Business support: individual support and mentoring from relevant professionals, as well as follow-up on the evolution of the companies created.
• Intensive support in the search for funding.
• Monitoring of the evolution of projects with specialists through a project management programme.

A sample of the city’s creativity and innovation

The fourteen projects chosen to take part in this year’s CREAmedia are linked to audio-visuals, design and support platforms for the creative and cultural industries. They are:

• Publishing Scope Music: help for emerging composers, through blockchain protection, licensing, bookings and royalty exchanges for their work at an international level.
• Ecosneak: production and online sale of footwear made from recycled plastic from the sea.
• In Crime Content: production study on audio-visual content, with joint productions between sustainable brands to save costs and raise awareness.
• Barcelona Miquel: choreographer, project manager and dancer.
• Tundra Studio: strategic study and creative audio-visual content aimed at businesses and music groups. Brings together creative agency services and audio-visual production analysing the image needs of each client and conceptualising and producing content to measure.
• Reolivar: design, creation and manufacture of products made from olive residues.
• Filmpedia: video learning platform which transforms existing audio-visual content (films, documentaries, TV content, videoclips etc.) into learning tools.
• Barcelona al Azar: project promoting play-based dissemination of heritage centring on Barcelona. Card game.
• Versatil: agency and producer serving the creation of an entire aesthetic line of an artist (audio-visuals, photography, graphic design and merchandising), acting as a launch platform for new artists with the intention of creating a community, catalogue and portfolio.
• Weekndr.tv: music channel selecting weekend music events in Barcelona and offering audio-visual content on social media.
• Laurence Diana: design-based smart furniture for a top-end European market.
• Dublab Barcelona: online platform mainly offering a radio and the idea of giving a voice to small projects.
• CameraShare: online marketplace for the hire of audio-visuals and venues between individuals.
• Artechsel: booking agency for artists which acts as a distributor for technology shows and is aimed at the public sector, individuals and corporate events.

An economic force on the up

The city has a rich business network for the creative industries. Barcelona accounts for 51.1% of jobs in this sector in Catalonia and 13.4% of all jobs in the city are in this sector. There are more than a hundred SMEs with creative sides to them in the 22@ district alone.

The CREAmedia programme is an initiative by Barcelona Activa, the ICEC Business Development Service and the Fundació Catalunya Cultura. It forms part of the government measure to boost the creative industries, presented at the end of 2019, which includes international promotion plans, collaboration with schools and universities and innovation to boost these projects.