Within the framework of the Station Narva festival, scheduled to take place next week, a business day will take place at the OBJEKT creative incubator on September 20. The event focuses on the role of producers and managers, as well as the impact of technology on the creative sector. The speakers will include Russian classic of contemporary cinematography Alexander Sokurov, acclaimed film-maker Johanna Schwartz, punk musician and publicist John Robb, as well as entrepreneurs from Ida-Viru and project managers of the cultural capital project of Narva.

Business Day is co-financed by US Embassy in Estonia and by EAS from the European Regional Development Fund through the project No EU51523.

The program of the day will begin with a greeting from representatives of the city of Narva, followed by an inspirational speech by Peter Zashev, professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, about the clashes of different cultures and the possibilities of small ideas to survive in the big world, as well as a speech by the English punk maverick John Robb about complex relations of pop culture and technology.

The speakers will then discuss regional, national and international creative industries with their business models and opportunities for collaboration. The potential for a creative leap in Narva will be analyzed by the head of the Prototron Foundation and the founder of OBJEKT, Jana Pavlenkova, and the head of marketing and industry interaction at IVIA Vadim Orlov. An overview of Russian TV series as the latest export items will be made by Anna Gudkova from the St. Petersburg State Institute of Cinematography and Television, and Richard Foster, press director at the Rotterdam based non-profit foundation and a multi-media alternative cultural centre WORM, will talk about the symbiosis of experimental film, music, art, new media and theatre.

After lunch the architect and project manager of Narva2024 Ivan Sergeev, political analyst Kristina Kallas and executive director of the Arvo Pärt Center Anu Kivilo will discuss the possibilities of Narva as an international center for creativity and cooperation at the panel discussion “Narva is Next”,.

An award-winning film producer and director Johanna Schwartz and director of the Estonian Film Institute Edith Sepp will share their experience of turning the city into a hub of film production. A powerful transformative power of technology in cinematography will be presented by the living legend of Russian cinematography Alexander Sokurov, who, in addition to his innovative film screenings, won dozens of major awards at international film festivals, and is known for his direct comments on politics and culture.

The business day will end with the networking hour of the Startup Wise Guys business accelerator, a discussion from Narva BAZAR, screening and discussion of the new startup comedy “Unicorn” at the Vaba Lava Narva studio hall.

The business day, held under the heading “Producers’ market”, is aimed at promoting local and regional competencies, as well as creating innovative models of cooperation for European, Russian and American companies. It also explores the possibilities of Narva with its diverse community, vibrant history and unique location as an intermediary between different cultures, territories and regions.

Station Narva & OBJEKT Business Day Program

09:45–10:00 Gathering and coffee

10:00–10:15 Welcoming words by Anton Ossipovski and the city of Narva

10:15-10:30 Clash of cultures or how small ideas survive in a Big World by Peter Zashev, entrepreneur and Professor of Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

10:30–10:45 Pop culture and technology: The Shock of the New by John Robb, journalist, musician, founder of the music site and magazine Louder Than War (UK)

10:45–11:40 Creative economy and startup scene in Estonia and Narva

• Creative leap of Narva,  Intro presentation by Jana Pavlenkova
• Startup Estonia in Ida-Viru by Elina Dubova, Startup Estonia
• Industry and creatives by Vadim Orlov, IVIA
• IP in creative industry: Russia vs. Europe by Julia Yashkina (RU)
• Creative work in Narva with Japan by Alexander Bitskov (EE / JP)

11:40–12:50 Creative business-models

• Cooperation between entrepreneurs from creative industries and from other sectors by Kristiina Urb (EE) from EBS 
• TV series as education and export by Anna Gudkova (RU)
• WORM Open City in Rotterdam: mixing disciplines of film, music, arts and theatre by building a community by Richard Foster (NL/UK)
• From NY to Narva: launching a new club by Reigo Ahven, founder of Philly Joe’s Jazz Club

12:50–13:50 Networking Lunch

13:50 – 14:50 Panel discussion “Narva is next”: creative hub and collaboration spot? Ivan Sergejev, Kristina Kallas, Anu Kivilo

Special excursions at 14:00 – 15:00

Narva creative hub OBJEKT by Anton Ossipovski

Ida-Viru Industrial Parks by Vadim Orlov

15:00 – 16:30  Breaking the borders 1.15 min

• Working with people across borders and building trust – NATO head of communication 
• Transforming a city to become a film set by Edith Sepp, Director of Estonian Film Fund
• The powerful tool of storytelling by Johanna Schwartz, an award-winning producer, director and filmmaker
• No Cuts: transformative technologies on screen by an award-winning? by filmmaker Alexander Sokurov (RU), Sokurov Fund
• Tech to live with art (AI, mixed-media, BigData and other scary words) by Prototron teams 
• Building a start-up vs making a film: what can we learn? by Rain Rannu (EE)

16:30 – 17:30 Networking by Startup Wise Guys & OBJEKT with intro by Egita Polanski (LT)

18:00 – 19:30 Bazar Talk at OBJEKT

18.30 – 20.00 Startup comedy “Chasing Unicorns” screening and discussion with the film’s producers at Vaba Lava Studio Hall