The prize of 5,000 euros will help with the consolidation and growth of initiative. Created by Miquel Cerdà, the platform facilitates learning through new formats which transform audio-visual pieces into quality educational content.

Filmo, a web platform for renting audio-visual material developed by Daniel Benejam and Xavier Vidal, received the runners-up prize of a business mentorship worth 1,500 euros, awarded by the ICEC.

This edition of CREAmedia focused on the transformation of business models in the context of the pandemic, driving participating projects to adapt to the new circumstance and to create new business models which are more digital.

Call for the 16th edition

As from 15 March, ten new projects will be chosen for the next stage of CREAmedia, which starts in April and includes candidate projects in areas such as art, creative spaces, music, audio-visuals, journalism and videogames.

Creative and cultural industries are getting more backing as a strategic sector for the city’s economy, as shown by the government measure of October 2019 to support them.

Backing for creative industries

Support policies for this industry rely on subsidies and facilitating access to funding, as well as the revitalisation of places such as the DHUB and the generation of new facilities such as the future incubator for creative and cultural industries at the Palo Alto site etc.

CREAmedia, now with fifteen editions behind it, is an initiative by Barcelona Activa. The programme is supported by the ICEC and the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, with the latest edition also attracting support from the PAC, the ESCAC and the Fundació Carulla.

The programme has changed its format to include a six-month incubation space at the Incubadora Almogàvers in the 22@ district, which is home to a hundred fledgling SMEs with significant creative components.

Resilient sector

In 2019, Barcelona accounted for 49.5% of jobs in all creative industries in Catalonia and 48.1% of companies providing employment in creative sectors.

The sector has withstood the impact of the pandemic very well, with a year-on-year drop in employment of 0.8% during the third quarter of 2020. The fact that drop was so slight can be attributed to non-traditional formats (videogames, digital publishing etc.), which created 1.5% more jobs between September 2019 and the same month in 2020.