The master's program DAS Creative Producing guides professionals from different backgrounds with their professional and creative development. The coming weeks DAS Creative Producing students and coaches will be featured. Hidde de Vries, film distributor and student, shares his experience.
Hidde, what do you do in addition to the master’s programme DAS Creative Producing?
I work as a film festival distributor. I support – mainly novice – filmmakers and ensure that their films are displayed at film festivals. Besides programming short film programmes, I am currently also setting up my own film festival.
How has DAS Creative Producing supported you in your work so far?
I used to just rely on my intuition. However, now I know where that intuition stems from, why I do things in a certain way or why I find them important. DAS Creative Producing mainly helped me articulate my vision. Not only on film, but also on art in its broadest sense as well as politically. For me, it has become easier to determine what I do and – especially – do not do in terms of collaborations with filmmakers and other projects. The master’s programme has clarified what is important to me.
What skills have you learned at DAS Creative Producing and how do you apply them at work?
The biggest change is that my priorities have shifted in my working life. At first I mainly worked as a film producer, and did film festival distribution on the side. Now I mainly focus on the latter. Film festival distribution is way more in line with my vision and values.
What do you find most inspiring about DAS Creative Producing?
The evenings where students have dinner together and show each other's projects. You get to know different artists and their work this way, which inspires me to change or refine my own projects. I find it interesting to be enrolled in a master’s programme with producers of different ages and backgrounds.
What advice would you like to give to a prospective student?
Don't underestimate it. The curriculum is intense but valuable. It really is a hyperbolic time chamber. You learn so much in such a short period of time that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everything – but in the end you can no longer live without it. After this training you are more critical than ever, you need to learn how to deal with that.
Are you a critical producer with an innovative vision who thinks beyond existing structures and disciplines? Apply for the master's programme DAS Creative Producing before April 7 2020. View the DAS Creative Producing Open Call for more information about the application procedure.