Choose the right counsultation offer for you:
As a first point of contact, we recommend our group consultations. Here you will learn about the various support services offered by Kreativ Kultur Berlin. You will gain insight into the structure and logic of relevant cultural and business development programs, as well as key networks and contacts in the city. Your individual questions will be answered in a small group setting - exchange and networking guaranteed! The consultations will be held in German.
You are already working on a concrete project or have already founded a company? Whether you are working solo or in a team, the focus is on your specific questions and concerns. We cover topics such as marketing, financing and the economic development of creative products or services. The goal of this consultation is to jointly define your next steps and to inform you about suitable support options, networks, contact points and concrete funding opportunities. We can also advise you in English.
When is crowdfunding worth looking into for your project? And what should you pay attention to when planning a campaign? We offer an initial crowdfunding consultation in which you can answer precisely these questions. We demonstrate the potential and the limits of crowdfunding, give you practical tips for realistic planning, and tell you where you can find more information and support in Berlin. The consultations will be held in German.
In our regular expert consultations, we connect you with professionals from various sectors and subject areas with expertise in topics that are particularly in demand, such as film funding, sustainability and fashion design, and digital business models.
Sign up for our newsletter to find out about all new events! At the moment our newsletter is only available in German.
The Creative Industries Consultation Service‘s team regularly tours Berlin’s neighbourhoods for pop-up external consultation days– maybe coming soon to a neighbourhood near you?
Sign up for our newsletter to keep informed of all the upcoming dates! At the moment our newsletter is only available in German.
Creative Industries Consultation
We advise and inform Berlin-based freelancers and entrepreneurs from all areas of the arts, culture and creative industries. From start-up projects and alternative forms of financing to the further development of existing business models, we support creative freelancers with our free, personal consultation services.
You can find helpful information in our ever expanding
Use our
For whom?
Berlin-based freelancers and entrepreneurs from the fields of design, film, music, visual arts, performing arts and the literature and press industries.
What?
Free consultations and information on the topics of self-employment, entrepreneurship and financing of creative business models, as well as on further support structures in Berlin.
Which consultation suits you best?
Open group consultation
As a first point of contact, we recommend our group consultations. Here you will learn about the various support services offered by Kreativ Kultur Berlin. You will gain insight into the structure and logic of relevant cultural and business development programs, as well as key networks and contacts in the city. Your individual questions will be answered in a small group setting - exchange and networking guaranteed! The consultations will be held in German.
For whom?
Students, freelancers, self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs, teams and project designers from all areas of the arts, culture and creative industries with an interest in founding a start-up, gaining more experience or reorienting themselves professionally.
1-on-1 orientation consultation
You are already working on a concrete project or have already founded a company? Whether you are working solo or in a team, the focus is on your specific questions and concerns. We cover topics such as marketing, financing and the economic development of creative products or services. The goal of this consultation is to jointly define your next steps and to inform you about suitable support options, networks, contact points and concrete funding opportunities. We can also advise you in English.
For whom?
Freelancers, self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs, and teams with start-up experience or a concrete start-up project from all areas of the arts, culture and creative industries.
Crowdfunding consultation
When is crowdfunding worth looking into for your project? And what should you pay attention to when planning a campaign? We offer an initial crowdfunding consultation in which you can answer those questions. We discuss the potential and the limits of crowdfunding together, give you practical tips for realistic planning, and tell you where you can find more information and support in Berlin. The focus here is on reward-based crowdfunding. The consultations will be held in German.
For whom?
Freelancers, self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs, students, teams and project designers with a suitable project from all areas of the arts, culture and creative industries.
Our consultation team
Melanie Seifart
Project Coordination Creative Industries Consultation Service
Hardly anyone knows Berlin's cultural and creative industries better than Melanie Seifart. Before joining Kreativ Kultur Berlin in 2016, she headed the Berlin-Brandenburg regional office of the federal government's Competence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries for three years. At Kreativ Kultur Berlin, she is responsible for the consultation services and events offered by the creative industries consultation service. She studied cultural management. What distinguishes Melanie as a consultant is her diverse work experience. While at the German Society in Berlin she supported numerous projects promoting intercultural education.
Mareike Lemme
Consultant Creative Industries Consultation Service
Mareike Lemme knows Berlin's culture right to the edges of the city. She has been working at Kreativ Kultur Berlin since 2019. With a background in architecture, she worked before for ten years as a freelancer at the intersection of urban and local economic development as well as cultural management and tourism, mainly in the context of publicly funded projects. In her previous position, she co-initiated the networking platform Schöneweide Kreativ and relaunched "Kunst am Spreeknie", a cooperative festival format. Mareike loves working in interdisciplinary teams. That's why she founded with two partners Kola Bora, an office for user-centered urban development. At Kreativ Kultur Berlin, she is co-responsible for both the creative industries consultation service and the topic of crowdfunding as an alternative form of financing.
Dimitra Maragkaki
Assistant Creative Industries Consultation Service
Dimitra Maragkaki joined Kreativ Kultur Berlin in August 2022 as a project assistant for the creative industries consultation service. Previously, her professional focus was on the implementation of cultural projects mainly in the field of photography and video. Dimitra studied cultural theory and art history in England and Scotland. Amongst her various professional experiences she adds theoretical perspectives and knowledge to the team.
She worked in different artistic institutions and mentored international artists, learning about their professional challenges and needs. In 2017, she moved from Edinburgh to Berlin as part of the START - Create Cultural Change program. After working as a project manager at Gesellschaft für Humanistische Fotografie e.V., she successfully completed a training program in film production which she focuses on at Kreativ Kultur Berlin.
Foto: © Marcelina Wellmer
Other offers
Expert consultation
In our regular expert consultations, we connect you with professionals from various sectors and subject areas with expertise in topics that are particularly in demand, such as film funding, sustainability and fashion design, and digital business models.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about upcoming dates! At the moment our newsletter is only available in German.
Meet You There
The Creative Industries Consultation Service‘s team regularly tours Berlin’s neighbourhoods for pop-up external consultation days– maybe coming soon to a neighbourhood near you?
Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about upcoming dates! At the moment our newsletter is only available in German.
Do you have a question about our consultation services or want to submit a specific request?
Eleven questions about our consultation service:
01. Who is eligible for the service?
Our consultation service is specifically targeted at self-employed professionals in the cultural and creative industries, especially in the fields of design, film, music, literature, performing arts, visual arts and media. During our consultations, we lay particular emphasis on the entrepreneurial perspective. Hence, we do not offer advice on traditional government-backed funding streams that were established for the promotion of the cultural industries, nor on non-profit. To address these questions further, we recommend getting in touch with our cultural funding consultation service.
02. What can I get advice on?
Primarily, the consultations are about giving creative professionals an overview of what funding opportunities and support structures are available in Berlin. They also discuss how a good idea can be turned into a business model, addressing questions such as: What services do I offer? To whom do I offer them? What is special about my company and how do my services create value for others? You can find more information in the detailed descriptions of our consultation services.
03. How much does a consultation cost?
Our consultation services are free of charge.
04. Where do consultations take place?
Our consultations take place online, by e-mail, telephone or on site at our location Podewil.
05. How long does a consultation take?
The duration of a consultation depends on the type of consultation you are attending: Typically you can expect our group consultations to take two hours. The 1-on-1 orientation consultations, individual counsultations on external consultation days and expert consultations take one hour respectively.
06. Do I need to prepare something for my consultation appointment?
Yes. The better you prepare, the more you will get out of your consultation. In preparation for your consultation you should get clear about what questions you would like to get answered and wich issues you would like to discuss during the consultation. That way the consultation can provide you with answers that are better suited to your specific situation. The questions in our registration form give you an idea of what you should think about before the consultation. Keep in mind: Attending our group consultations is the first step on your journey with us.
07. Can I have multiple consultations?
Depending on your individual project and your needs, you could be eligible for more than one consultation.
08. How can I book an appointment for a consultation?
As a matter of principle, appointments are made using our online booking tool. When you register, we ask for your contact details and all relevant information to be submitted ahead of your consultation. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. If you have any further questions about our consultation services or would like to provide additional information ahead of your appointment, please send us an email at kreativwirtschaftsberatung@kulturprojekte.berlin.
09. How can I inform myself about funding opportunities etc. in advance?
In our
we offer templates (e.g. a cost and financing plan), tutorials, Q&As and much more.
10. In which languages are the consultations held in?
German and English
11. What are the limits to what you can provide?
We do not grant any funding ourselves! We do our best though to give self-employed professionals in the cultural and creative industries a broad overview of relevant funding opportunities and financing options. We do not know everything! But we do our best to answer your questions. We are no experts in all areas of the cultural and creative industries! But we do work closely with other consultation centers in Berlin and can point you into the right direction. We can't guarantee that you will run a successful business or earn more money after a consultation with us! But we try our best to accompany you on your way to becoming an economically successful self-employed professional.
Important: We do not offer any tax or legal advice!