On December 1, Jonathan Natzel succeeded Rainer Weiland as MD of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW (MGZ). Weiland left the MGZ at his own request at the end of July. Walikd Nakschnandi, Managing Director of Film and Medienstiftung NRR had been acting as interim managing director of the MGZ.
With the appointment of Jonathan Natzel, the vacant leadership position at MGZ has finally been filled. The decision also comes as a relief to those responsible for media policy in North Rhine-Westphalia. "The Media Start-up Center NRW is a central component of our diverse and innovative media landscape. It strengthens the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that young media entrepreneurs bring to our state. With Jonathan Natzel, the Media Start-up Center is gaining a new, experienced management team that will further develop precisely this strength of the MGZ," says Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs, and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of the State Chancellery.
Natzel brings with him the relevant experience. In 2017, he founded his own media company, Weltenmacher. He is also a strategy consultant and interim manager, as well as a lecturer at the Technical University of Cologne. Every year, the MGZ supports young founders in the field of audiovisual media and games. In addition to the City of Cologne, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW (Film and Media Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia) is also a shareholder. Its managing director, Walid Nakschbandi, had been interim co-managing director of the MGZ since the summer, after Rainer Weiland retired at his own request.
"I am very pleased to place the management of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW in the hands of Jonathan Natzel. With his entrepreneurial vision, creativity, and keen sense for new developments, he brings exactly what the MGZ needs right now. The media and start-up landscape is changing rapidly – which makes places like the MGZ all the more important for promoting creative, young, technology-based entrepreneurship, networking talent and strengthening our location in North Rhine-Westphalia," says Nakschbandi.
Jonathan Natzel himself adds: "We are currently experiencing a profound structural upheaval in the media industry, both economically and technologically. This makes spaces where creative founders can turn their ideas into viable businesses all the more important. With its diverse range of programs and interdisciplinary approach, the Mediengründerzentrum NRW offers just such a space."
