Meredith Burkholder

Written By Thomas Claesen
 
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Meredith is the CEO, Founder, and Director of Webfest Berlin - a short-form series festival. She’s on the leading edge of the new streaming industry creating spaces for brand new and undiscovered filmmakers to be seen and connect with those who can change their world. It’s not odd that she’s a woman in this space. It’s not odd that she’s working in short-form series. What’s unique is that she’s an American who started this company in Berlin, Germany not knowing anyone in the city and not speaking the language.

Born and raised in Texas, Meredith grew up with super supportive parents. Most of her family have successful, but what most of society calls “safe” jobs - lawyers, veterinarians, or working for the insurance firm started by her great-grandfather. She went to an all girls school where she excelled at math and sciences and was encouraged to go to college for engineering. She did just that until she realized engineering was not her thing and made the dramatic switch to being an art history major.

Upon graduation she left for NYC with dreams of running an art gallery. When that dream seemed far away upon landing and in combination with the cost of living in New York, she began looking for opportunities in the her favorite medium - photography. She landed a job at a commercial photography studio, which lead to learning to produce commercial photoshoots and then producing for reality tv. Show she worked on included Running w/ Russel Simmons on Oxygen, How Cake Will Travel for Food Network, Style by June MTV Series, and Chopped for Food Network to name a few.

After ten years in New York City, she was getting bored with limited access up the career ladder and at the same time fell in love with an old friend from Texas who happened to be living in Lugano, Switzerland. Just like that, she was packed up and bound for Europe. The realities of being isolated in a country you don’t speak the language and can’t find work took it’s toll on her and the relationship. After a year and mutually agreeing the relationship wasn’t working they did what most breaking-up couples do, they decided to both move to Berlin, a city neither of them had lived in before, and start a new company together.

While in Berlin and starting their company, Meredith picked up work as a producer for a web series looking for a crew and helped with production management. Next thing she knew, that show won the grand prize at the Melbourne Webfest, then qualified for the Marseille Webfest, and then was sent on to the Los Angeles Webfest. The whole webfest world was new to her (and most of the world) and she loved the low barrier to entry, creativity and resourcefulness the industry was based around. At the LA festival, the founder seeing an opportunity but a lack of interest in making it happen, asked Meredith if she’d want to create a festival for Berlin. Not knowing what that would look like or how to make it happen, she said yes.

Today Meredith is the CEO, Founder & Director of Webfest Berlin a short-form series festival, as well as a consultant for short-form series, has written a book on short-form series, is producing a 1/2 hour series of her own and planning a second webfest location.

Super exciting for Webfest Berlin 2019 is that Powerful Ladies is a partner! In addition to promoting the festival, we’ll be on site in Berlin September 12-14th hosting two Powerful Ladies panels and two workshops. Come join us for amazing discussions, meeting amazing women, and having fun with the international crew of Powerful Ladies. Tickets for the full series start at 50 euros and include all showings, Powerful Ladies events, awards, red carpet and party!!!! Deal of the year. Buy tickets HERE.

To connect with, support or collaborate with Meredith you can:

To learn more about Webfest Berlin, the 2019 Submissions and buy Tickets to attend the festival September 12-14th you can:

Thomas Claesen

Owner & designer at Clawsun. Originally from Belgium, but now located in Nashville, TN. Drumline instructor in my free time.

https://clawsundesign.com
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