Past, Present
& Future
DISPARATE INTERNATIONAL DNA STRANDS SWIM TOGETHER IN ONE BIG, HAPPY GENE POOL AT RECENT BINGER SUMMIT
Binger Summit
7-8 February 2011 by Binger Reporter Matthew Curlewis
At any given time, to an untrained eye, the Binger might appear to simply be an attractively-appointed departure lounge. From all corners of the world, participants and staff alike zip in and out at a jetlag-defying pace. To a trained eye however, the Binger is a petrie dish, or crucible, in which some of the most extraordinary cross-cultural products are birthed, nourished into life, and then shared across the planet.
What, however, gives these life-forms sustenance, and what will it take to sustain them into the future? Early February’s Binger Summit, set out to answer such questions and more, by putting the Binger itself under the microscope. And how to do that with an entity that is never at rest, that is constantly on the move? Freeze it in time for a moment, that’s how.
For the first time since the Binger’s 1996 inception, the Summit brought together from 11 countries, 32 of the Filmlab’s local and international advisors – all in Amsterdam, all for an unprecedented two days of sharing, collaborating, and envisioning what lies ahead. And what did the microscope reveal? That with continued hard work and strategic planning, the Binger’s future looks incredibly bright and full of promise.
For two days the Binger was abuzz with report sharing and workgroup breakout sessions – all sustained, naturally, by Chef Joep’s extra-creative lunches. Then it was time for the future to be given particular articulation in the Summit’s closing session, when local advertising agency KesselsKramer presented their work-in-progress new Binger identity. Responsible for the high-visibility Iamsterdam campaign, and for branding global success stories the likes of fashion label Diesel, Kessels Kramer are well experienced in making already-great things even better.
Their take on the Binger? That not enough people know about the amazing things going on here. Their response? An innovative campaign full of wit, intelligence and guts that – sorry! – cannot be revealed just yet. Suffice it to say, however, that the presentation made for a very upbeat closing session. Although of course this was a Binger ending, so what had to follow? Well, drinks of course, during which several advisors shared their thoughts.
Gyula Gazdag (since 2003 - Directors, Writers, Producers Labs): Well it’s been fantastic. And actually, really spiritual. By meeting each other we’ve discovered that we’re all the same blood, on the same foundation. There are differences of course – we need those differences – but in the end we all have the same goal in mind. That’s a wonderful thing to know.
Christian Routh (since 1997 - Directors, Writers Labs): A very comforting thing that came up repeatedly was the ole’, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ remark – and yet that can be held hand in hand with an approach to something like ‘new media’ of, well, let’s not get swamped by it, but let’s of course be open to all it may offer. And frankly [with a look of quiet astonishment and appreciation, around all the smiling faces in the Binger lounge], this place is a Rolls Royce. What everyone gets here? The quality of everyone – myself humbly included? It has to be one of the best, if not the best, of its kind in the world.
Helen Carmichael (since 2006 - Directors, Writers, Creative Producers Labs, Company!): Of course I always sell it, but now I can sell the Binger so much better. Now I have more understanding of the various components that make up the bigger picture. [Regarding the work of the two days]: There was a wonderful lack of ego in the groups. We’re all enablers. That said however, the breakout sessions were very useful and we got into some great discussions. It wasn’t just fluff!
David Howard (since 1996 - Writers Lab, Creative Producers Lab) and Mark Travis (since 2006 - Directors Lab), bouncing off each other. Mark: The commonality of thought is fantastic to discover – you realize that people have been putting this together, have been curating and giving shape to this thing that is the Binger, over the years. David: Even though we may not all have met each other, we’re constantly hearing little snippets about what other advisors say – both through the staff and through the participants themselves – Mark: and it’s wonderful when a participant will say, “Oh, right, yeah another advisor told me exactly the same thing.” It’s wonderful to know that level of agreement and support is simply in the air here.
Michael Donaldson (since 2002 - Directors, Writers Labs, Company!): It’s very interesting to see an institution come so far without losing its curiosity about how best to move forward. There are definitely those [institutions] who aren’t sensitive to that. You have to be intentional – particularly in the midst of these rapidly changing times.
Intentional. A great word, in fact, to encapsulate what the Binger Summit was all about. By bringing together the disparate characters that infuse the Binger with its energy, to examine where it has come from, where it is right now and where it can project itself into the future, the Binger Filmlab finds itself a crucible full of intent and possibility – to be all that it already is, while also remaining open to being a whole lot more.