Galway Film Centre

Funding secured for new filmmaking initiative Comhoibriú, Creative Enterprise West (CREW)

Galway Film Centre has secured funding for Comhoibriú, Creative Enterprise West (CREW). Comhoibriú (CREW) is a strategic collaboration to develop the Digital Creative Sector in the West of Ireland by establishing a Centre of Excellence providing co-working space, incubation and accelerator programmes, training and outreach for Film, TV, Animation, Games, Immersive Tech, and Design creatives.

Galway Film Centre (GFC), founding partner of Comhoibriú (CREW) together with Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and the Western Development Commission (WDC), welcomed the news that CREW has secured €2.7m in funding from Enterprise Ireland through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. This funding will enable the rapid execution of the CREW initiative to empower Digital Creatives in the West of Ireland.

CREW will apply a strategic, integrated approach to the establishment of a Digital Creative Hub, Enterprise programmes, Education and Training applying a model successfully implemented elsewhere including the UK. CREW will drive this model from their Centre of Excellence at the Digital Creative Hub to be located at GMIT’s Centre for Creative Arts and Media with their Programme for Startups and Founders and through their Community with training and education.

CREW is a regional initiative built on the strengths we have in the West of Ireland. Already today we have resilient entrepreneurs, highly networked individuals, SMEs, Agencies, Institutions, Networks and Community based hubs that form the foundation of the ecosystem required for our Creative Industries.” Duggan continued “CREW’s goal is to achieve radical collaboration amongst these stakeholders, to provide the focal point for that collaboration and to enable creative talent in the region to innovate, use new technologies, develop new services, and compete for new opportunities locally and internationally.

Alan Duggan, Manager – Galway Film Centre

CREW’s partners represent the public and private sector, higher education and a broad base of industry partners regionally, nationally and internationally. Through the appointment of an experienced board and project team with deep sectoral expertise, they will position CREW as the leading knowledge hub in the region for Digital Creatives.

Learn more about CREW at the Fís TV Summit on the 23rd of January in an Taibhdhearc Galway when there will be an information session sharing details of the initiative or by contacting Galway Film Centre or by visiting GalwayFilmCentre.ie