Green production is increasingly in demand and requires a special sensitivity for sustainable management in productions. UFA, which has been committed to green approaches in its in-house productions for several years, has been supporting interested production managers with training as a Green Consultant since March 2021. A total of 26 UFA colleagues have already successfully completed their exams: Production Manager Hendrik Voß (UFA Show & Factual), Production Coordinator Kathrin Bernsau (UFA Serial Drama), Production Coordinator Anne Frohne (UFA Fiction), Production Manager Marc Waterkamp (UFA Serial Drama), Production Manager Sven Bischof (UFA Show & Factual), Senior Production Manager Zita von Klot-Heydenfeldt (UFA Show & Factual), Production Manager Tobias Krisa-Yamamoto (UFA Serial Drama), Production Coordinator Nina Jansen (UFA Serial Drama), Production Coordinator Dorothee Müller (UFA Show & Factual), Set Decorator Fionn Krämer (UFA Serial Drama), Production Manager Katja Hartwig (UFA Fiction), Production Coordinator Kerstin Plake (UFA Fiction), Production Manager Milena Baumann (UFA Fiction), Health/Safety Coordinator Nicole Kibrité (UFA Fiction), Assistance to Nataly Kudiabor and Matthias Adler Nora Usanov-Geissler (UFA Fiction), Corona/Hygiene Officer Stefanie Wade (UFA Fiction), Junior Production Manager Peggy Hurtig (UFA Show & Factual), Junior Production Manager Marcel Merscheid (UFA Show & Factual), Junior Production Manager Gerold Teufelsdorfer (UFA Show & Factual), Junior Production Coordinator Laura Kings (UFA Show & Factual), Assistant Production Manager Lisa Goertz (UFA Fiction), Production Manager Dix Frohberg (UFA Serial Drama), Line Producer Assistant Jonas Weisser (UFA Serial Drama), Production Coordinator Jennifer Höller (UFA Show & Factual), Production Assistant Juliane Höveler (UFA Show & Factual) and 1st Production Manager Felix Kinne (UFA Show & Factual). Production Manager Felix Kinne (UFA Show & Factual) are trained UFA Green Consultants.

“For our industry, we have to learn that CO2 reduction in all areas and trades of a TV production phase, be it casting, production or post-production, makes a decisive contribution to being able to protect our nature and that everyone must be prepared to do their part,” says Head of Production Hendrik Voß.

“I was very pleased to have the opportunity to do this training because I am privately involved in environmental protection and sustainable living and was keen to find out how we can make the footprint we leave behind in our work even greener,” says Production Coordinator Kathrin Bernsau about the Green Consultant training.

“Sustainable action is a matter close to my heart, both privately and professionally. In this respect, I was very happy to accept the offer to train as a Green Consultant. It was an intensive and exciting two weeks with lots of good discussions. In Philip Gassmann, we had a great lecturer who was able to convey even rather dry subject matter in a clear and entertaining way,” reports Marc Waterkamp, Head of Production at UFA Serial Drama.

Anne Frohne, Production Coordinator at UFA Fiction, emphasizes with regard to green producing at UFA: “There is a lot to do in the high-end sector, but also an incredible amount of possibilities and opportunities. In future, we must not only excel through quality, but also through sustainability and resource management. I am convinced that UFA, with its more than 100-year history, has the experience, the backing and the women and manpower to realize ‘green producing’ and make its contribution to preserving a planet worth living on for future generations.”

Sven Bischof, Head of Production at UFA Show & Factual, also points out the responsibility of the media industry: “There is no question that environmental protection and the reduction of CO2 is important. I think it’s time for us media professionals to rethink and do our bit. Implementing projects under the aspect of ‘green producing’ will certainly not be easier, but it is necessary and we as UFA should recognize and accept our responsibility here.”

“I thought it was important to do this training because I can use my specialist knowledge and strong arguments to motivate those around me and achieve improvements. We must now use the time of change and work together with partners on clean production structures. However, we should not only show responsibility within the framework of production, but also act as a role model and source of ideas for others,” emphasizes Tobias Krisa-Yamamoto, Head of Production at UFA Serial Drama.

“By jointly rethinking and adjusting small habits, major, positive changes can be brought about within the climate footprint, which not only protects the climate, but also promotes team spirit,” says Nina Jansen, who is responsible for production coordination at UFA Serial Drama.

“I have long been an advocate for green issues at UFA Show & Factual. As a newly qualified Green Consultant, I’m delighted that I can now officially use my expertise to promote green producing and sustainability in our productions. As a production coordinator, I have to carry out the_{CO2 calculation} myself in future productions anyway and now have a much better understanding and more background knowledge. Philip Gassmann really gave us a lot of things to take away with us that we can really use in the implementation. It was very informative and also helpful!” says Production Coordinator Dorothee Müller.

Set decorator Fionn Krämer adds: “With Nina Jansen, we already had a green consultant in our production. She was constantly bombarded with questions, especially from my department – set design – some of which were very technical and detailed. At some point, it became clear that our rather large production department would like to train another consultant. Due to the many question marks in my trade and a general interest in green topics, I was happy to take this on board. You don’t have to lie to yourself: our industry, which is not exactly indispensable for life and limb, still has a lot of room for improvement when it comes to sustainability. So I think it’s very welcome and ultimately overdue that things are now gaining momentum, and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

“There is no question that environmental protection and the reduction of CO2 are very important these days. We media professionals have been rethinking for some time now and doing our bit. It’s nice to see that you can sometimes achieve something with just a few simple means. However, implementing projects well from a “green producing” perspective is unfortunately not getting any easier or cheaper. But it is necessary and we as UFA are also aware of our responsibility here,” summarizes Felix Kinne.

“For the production managers at UFA Fiction, this is a mandatory further training measure. As production managers, it is important to know what we are talking about when we want to produce ‘green’ or sustainably. With the in-depth knowledge we have gained in the training, we can place this important topic in the forefront when developing the material and recruiting the team,” says production manager Katja Hartwig about the Green Consultant training. “Green producing doesn’t happen overnight. It’s an ongoing process. And in many areas we have to learn to rethink. It also costs money at first. For me, the most important thing is not just to work through criteria to get a Green Motion label, but I want to support and convince my production teams to such an extent that in future we may not even have to talk about achieving certain sustainability criteria, but will long since take them for granted and they will no longer lead to additional costs.”

Kerstin Plake, Production Coordinator at UFA Fiction, states: “Since green producing is now a topic in every production, I simply wanted to know what it’s all about, what needs to be considered. Moreover, additional knowledge means additional qualifications. I think each and every one of us should keep our eyes and ears open to see where it is possible to save_CO2. This also applies to the working environment.

The Green Consultant training course is offered by Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s Production Management department in cooperation with the Munich Chamber of Industry and Commerce and lecturer Philip Gassmann and is the only certified training course in Germany alongside the training offered by the Munich Chamber of Industry and Commerce itself. The course, which consists of two 5-day training modules, teaches participants all the basics of sustainable production planning and deals in depth with specific implementation measures that can make productions greener.