Chemnitz on the way to becoming the new "Hypezig"?

Frank Müller

"It's always an eye-opener, even for me." Frank Müller is co-founder of the "Creative Chemnitz" industry network. We take a seat in an office kitchen. Above us is an army of lamps in the shape of little flowers, below us a colourful plastic tablecloth with coffee and water on it. Frank Müller was waiting for us. Born in Dresden in 1978, he came to Chemnitz by a circuitous route: he completed his time in the German army in Berlin, then did a banking apprenticeship in Munich.

"My employer at the time then sent me to Chemnitz to study. At the time, business studies with a focus on investment banking was only available in Chemnitz," he explains. He only devoted a few months to the subject before switching to sociology, psychology and education: "To finance my studies, I slipped into the media industry and earned my pocket money by programming websites. And that's why I stayed in the city."

He is still involved in the industry today - as Managing Director of the advertising agency "Haus E", he is one of the initiators of the industry network "Kreatives Chemnitz". The umbrella organisation for the creative industries was founded last year and has attracted a lot of attention since then. Frank Müller is therefore our "Maker of the Week".

Mr Müller, the creative industry is perhaps not the first thing people associate with Chemnitz. Mechanical engineering or vehicle construction are closer. Does creativity exist in Chemnitz?
Frank Müller: Of course. And in principle, there is creativity even without our industry association. People who are creative have always been here. Mechanical engineers and vehicle manufacturers are also creative, of course, and have been for centuries in Chemnitz. That's why they are already well networked. That hasn't been the case for the creative industries so far. The sector employs many people and generates turnover, including in Chemnitz, but it has a predominantly small-scale structure that is difficult to grasp. You could say that the industry is everywhere and therefore nowhere. As a result, the players sometimes go a little under the radar in the public eye and do not receive the attention they deserve.

And the association aims to change that...
If an artist, designer or architect wants to get commissions, they need to be known. This level of awareness can be increased, for example with public events that present the industry as a whole or individual minds, or with a website that simply lists the creative people in the city. On the other hand, it is also a matter of holding talks with ministries or the city administration to ensure that funding programmes or public contracts are less likely to miss the needs of the creative industry.

After one year, the industry association has over 40 members, including newspaper publishers, advertising agencies, marketing companies, designers and photographers. But Dresden has Neustadt and Leipzig is "Hypezig". Frank Müller knows the activities and also the image of the neighbouring cities, and the local industry associations are networked with each other. He does not look enviously at his neighbours...

I don't think such comparisons will help us. Chemnitz has its advantages. It's big and strong enough that there are jobs for creatives here, even if I would sometimes like to see more understanding - for advertising, for example. As creatives, we can and must certainly help out more often. And Chemnitz is small enough for that. Manageable. The distances between the city administration, business associations, individual companies and cultural institutions are short. Even if there are occasional sensitivities between individual players, it is possible to quickly reach an understanding and sometimes decide something quickly. And when it comes to Chemnitz, the Chemnitz patriot is enough to stick together.

Does that also apply to "Creative Chemnitz"?
When I look at my company, I can say that Chemnitz has given us, but also many other companies in the industry, the opportunity to develop and grow at the location, so that we now occasionally have difficulties finding suitable skilled workers here locally. The network also offers the opportunity not to poach the best employees from each other, because that only works twice or three times anyway, but to develop together, to work together for the city and then to attract orders to the city. And the great thing is: Before "Creative Chemnitz" was founded, I thought that the creative people in the city already knew each other - but at our networking events, there are always aha moments, even for me, when I see who is out and about in the city.

At the beginning, Frank Müller was a little reluctant to be the organiser of the week. There are so many others who operate in the shadows. Is that typical Chemnitz modesty?
Sometimes it's a bit difficult for people from Chemnitz to say: "I like it". It's a long way from euphoria here. There's a lack of civic pride in the city - as a Dresdener, I'm perhaps allowed to say that. But "city" is a construct that means something different to everyone. For me personally, it has a lot to do with working in this city and a lot to do with friends. For me, it's not so much an architectural construct where you're happy when it's modern. I have an offer here where I may sometimes lack cultural depth, but the breadth is there. But it is also legitimate for me to say: I miss something here. Personally, I felt there was a lack of focus on the creative sector in this city because I realised that it was also hindering me or my company in terms of personal advancement, and that's why I was there when it was said that we would emphasise it more. But I didn't think about being a maker or being so far ahead.