The non-profit organisation behind the non-profit concept of etalenta
e-TALENTA gGmbH is an officially recognised, non-profit organisation. Its purpose is the promotion of art and culture and, in connection with this, the promotion of education.
What does „non-profit“ mean?
Non-profit status involves many aspects. The key point, however, is that any profits may not be distributed, but must be used for a non-profit purpose. This means that neither founders, shareholders nor investors benefit. This is all regulated in the articles of association and there are clear legal framework conditions, compliance with which is regularly checked by the authorities.
How is the non-profit organisation etalenta gGmbH financed?
In addition to donations, the company’s main source of income is the surplus of the future subsidiary Image in Motion GmbH, which operates the casting platform etalenta. The casting platform is obliged to donate any surpluses exclusively to the non-profit organisation etalenta gGmbH.
Non-profit projects to support actresses and actors (examples)
Scene Partner Communitiy
With the Scene Partner Community, actresses and actors can quickly and easily find other colleagues who would like to rehearse scenes together, film self-tapes or support each other in practising languages and dialects.
At the same time, they can offer themselves as a scene partner and thus help other members of the community. This way, everyone benefits from the wealth of experience and creativity of the entire community – and no one is ever alone in the preparation phase.
Self-Tape and Casting Lab
One of etalenta’s missions is to create spaces for actresses and actors to exchange ideas and support each other. Together with the Fat Cat – the cultural centre in the former Gasteig in Munich – we launched the „Self-Tape and Casting Lab“.
During an appointment in the lab, actresses and actors meet to prepare and practise casting scenes together and give each other feedback. Over the course of a typical evening, some people work actively and receive feedback from audience members under the guidance of a moderator. Afterwards, for example, the casting scene is performed again and the audience can once more share their thoughts on the changes. There is no pressure or need to perform.
It is a space for trying things out, exchanging ideas, practising and networking. After a successful pilot phase, regular appointments are now being offered.
Knowledge Community
In the Knowledge Community, actresses and actors share their specialist expertise with colleagues. The idea behind it: those who have gained experience in a particular field pass it on to others. This creates a collegial platform for further education and exchange that makes in-depth specialist knowledge accessible without the need for expensive training courses.
The workshops and webinars are organised and held on a non-profit basis, which means they can be offered free of charge or for a small contribution to expenses. The range of topics is deliberately kept open and grows steadily with the knowledge of the community. Examples from past events include an introduction to voice-over work, a workshop on script analysis, or insider knowledge from a trained criminal investigator for authentic crime roles – knowledge that would often be difficult or costly to access through conventional training providers.
Members of the community can not only attend events, but also contribute their own expertise as a knowledge provider, enriching the collective experience of the entire community.
etalenta.social
etalenta.social is a professional network for the European film, TV and theatre industry. Everyone in the industry is invited to connect on etalenta.social to bring the European film industry closer together. etalenta.social is part of Mastodon – a social network based on open and free standards, without algorithms, advertising or commercial interests. It is therefore a real alternative to X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and is becoming increasingly popular.
Workshops and training offers on a non-profit basis
Another task of the company is to give actresses and actors the opportunity to acquire valuable knowledge without having to spend a lot of money. We work together with experts who support the non-profit initiative.
An example from Poland: individual counselling sessions were offered with casting director and producer Krzysztof Łączak (member of the Polish Casting Association PCDG). The casting director took the time to respond to each participant individually and made suggestions on how they could present themselves even better in the future.