As accelerator lead Fanny Heinonen from Film Tampere noted, the whole AV-Growth project was originally designed during a period of strong industry growth, when Nordic and Baltic stakeholders were looking to strengthen their capacity to attract larger international productions. However, when the project and the accelerator programme launched in 2024, the market had already shifted. Against this backdrop, AV-Growth became not only a growth programme but also a resilience programme.
Over the course of the initiative, participants received international mentoring, built extensive business networks and explored new markets. While 19 of the 26 participating companies have achieved at least one of their key performance indicators in the past two years, the discussions highlighted that growth in the creative industries cannot always be measured merely through revenue and investment figures.
Many companies experienced substantial progress in business maturity, strategic thinking and international readiness. The accelerator programme revealed that creative businesses are often highly dependent on a few funding sources and that development may be more visible at project level than in company-wide financial performance. One key lesson was the importance of setting realistic expectations, particularly for independent creative businesses whose growth journeys rarely follow linear trajectories.
AV-Growth companies’ insights on growth
The event also showcased inspiring company stories from accelerator programme. Ausma Media, represented by Marta Selecka, demonstrated how full ownership of intellectual property can create long-term opportunities across multiple revenue streams, from digital content to merchandise. AV-Growth helped the company access new markets and expand its international reach.
For Dreamloop Games, represented by Joni Lappalainen, one of the programme’s greatest benefits was collaboration beyond traditional industry boundaries. Connections with film and television companies opened new perspectives, reinforcing the value of breaking down silos between creative sectors.
Meanwhile, Helsinki Casting & BBG highlighted how mentorship can support businesses during periods of uncertainty. CEO Katri Aksola described how mentor discussions encouraged honest reflection on leadership, sustainability and personal wellbeing. In a difficult market environment, growth became as much about making strategic choices and protecting personal boundaries as achieving financial targets.
Cross-media collaboration emerged as another major theme. Juha Fiilin from Fiilin Good Films and his assigned mentor Natasha Skult from (MiTale Ltd) discussed how intellectual property can be developed across games, graphic novels, film and television from the outset. Their experiences demonstrated the value of community engagement, early audience testing and strategic IP development in building sustainable creative businesses.
Growth takeaways
A recurring conclusion throughout the event was that growth is a human process. Technical skills, funding opportunities and business strategies matter, but lasting progress also requires confidence, resilience and a willingness to embrace change. Investing in participant communities, encouraging multidisciplinary collaboration and supporting entrepreneurs through uncertainty proved just as valuable as achieving numerical targets.
As AV-Growth accelerator programme has come to an end, the message is clear: in today’s rapidly evolving audiovisual landscape, success is about much more than growth metrics – it is about building the capacity to adapt, collaborate and create new opportunities, even during the most challenging market conditions.
AV- Growth project (2024-2027)
The objective of the project is to scale up growth for AV-sector companies, with a focus on workshops, mentoring, and implementing new growth tools. A joint cross-border AV production model is developed to support scaling up, aiming to enhance the availability of production resources, develop methods and skills, and offer services for larger markets.
Key outputs include the execution of the AV-Growth program, implementation of new growth tools for cross-border productions, and the development of a joint cross-border AV production model and pilot production. These efforts aim to attract investment, develop new business models, and increase the profitability of productions. The approach is unique in its combination of cross-border collaboration, matchmaking, mentoring, and the use of digital competence badges for skills standardization in Film and TV Industry.
Text and images by:
Dr Maria Salomaa, Senior Researcher
School of Business and Media
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
