▷Interview with Alía, the new association of the audiovisual industry 🥇

The pandemic has left the cultural scene like a desert. The interruption of productions, the closure of cinemas and theaters, the decrease in capacity… and the uncertainty about how the recovery will be managed by public administrators have had repercussions in the most remote areas.

Among the initiatives born, coincidentally, there is the formation of Alía, the Audiovisual Industry Alliance, to bring together all the companies that work in audiovisual post-production. This alliance brings together audio post-production, image post-production and production services companies.

The initial list of founding companies, although more will continue to be added, is included at the end of the interview.

ALÍA's interim spokespersons, Roberto Butragueño (Elamedia Estudios) Javier Valdés (Ad Hoc Studios) and Roberto Sacristán (Aluzine). We had Javier Valdés as an interlocutor, who kindly also provided some photos of his facilities to illustrate the interview.

You can visit Alía's website here and its Facebook page here.

Interview with Alía, the new association of the audiovisual industry

How was Alìa born?

This association was born as a natural response to the current needs of the technical industry of the audiovisual sector in Spain. Our union makes us a valid interlocutor in front of the public administration and other relevant bodies for the sector, both national and international.

Is it a consequence of the pandemic or does it come from earlier?

This is a request that has been spreading in the industry for some time. Since the disappearance of the AITE, the void in this regard was evident, although our objectives are broader and renewed based on the current situation.

Why have companies in the audiovisual sector not joined so far?

As we have commented, the decomposition of the AITE has left an empty space and a bit of disappointment, and has cost the industry back together. The current reality has led to this. It is more necessary than ever for the Spanish audiovisual industry to evolve together, especially in the face of a new competitive scenario in which many Spanish companies already enjoy international prestige.

What kind of companies does it bring together?

Companies in the audiovisual sector that provide the sector with technical solutions and services at every stage of film, advertising and television production.

Was the partnership successful?

A lot, we do not stop receiving new requests and the initiative is very well received by the sector, the media and the administration.

What percentage of the sector does ALÍA bring together?

Without having carried out in-depth studies on the subject, what is certain is that more than 80 companies in the sector expressed their interest as soon as the proposal was launched. As we begin to achieve our goals, we are confident that more and more companies will join ALÍA.

What goals does ALÍA have?

In general terms, our objective lies in defending the interests of the technical industries and audiovisual services companies, the direct consequence of which is the development, the impetus and ultimately the growth of the entire audiovisual sector.

Our short-term objectives are to make visible and give the value that corresponds to our entrepreneurial activity, an essential part of audiovisual production, for which we must introduce ourselves and meet in front of the organizations of the audiovisual sector and in the medium term become interlocutors of the industry in front of us. to these organizations and other associations, so as to be able to reach agreements that facilitate the improvement of the conditions for developing our economic activity.

On the other hand, the association wants to be a source of information and a meeting point for its members.

Who are your natural interlocutors?

Mainly public administrations, other national and international associations and bodies, linked to the audiovisual sector.

What is the state of post-production in Spain?

Except for the current state of exceptionality caused by the global pandemic, the post-production sector has enjoyed excellent health for years. In our country we have first-rate professionals who work in national companies of international prestige which, fortunately, we have among our associates, therefore we have the necessary know-how to defend the interests of the sector.

Do you feel recognized?

In the same way that for the viewer a film is related to its main actor, rarely to its director and never to its technical team, technical companies do not have public recognition, which often weakens our position in the industry. However, technical companies are responsible for the materialization of creative ideas, without our work there would be no audiovisual production. Our union through association allows us to raise our voices and defend our interests more effectively.

Companies making up the Audiovisual Industry Alliance (ALÍA):