This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Álvaro de la Vega, Deputy Director General for Legal Regime and Authorizations. A.G.Environment and Mobility. Madrid City Council, who gave us his opinion about the situation of our sector at this moment regarding the city of Madrid, what initiatives are being carried out and where the industry is going.
Don’t miss the full interview:
- What is the position of the Madrid City Council with respect to the audiovisual sector?
From the Madrid City Council we are fully aware of the importance of the audiovisual sector for the city. In this sense, we want Madrid to be a reference for the sector, since it is about being able to attract investment for the city, create direct and indirect jobs and collaborate in the dissemination of the image of our beloved Madrid.
- What are the new initiatives to boost the sector?
The Madrid City Council is working on several lines of action at the same time, on the one hand to improve the management of permits that involve occupation of public roads, incorporating more staff to the department that depends on the General Subdirectorate of Legal Regime and Authorizations that I direct and that is responsible for its processing, In addition to incorporating modern management systems that improve transparency and the proximity of the management to the citizen, as is the case of the incorporation of QR codes to the authorizations and occupation signs, which allow any citizen to know who is authorized and under what conditions. In this sense, from the City Council we are aware that bringing the management closer to the neighbors is always a good idea that will indirectly benefit the sector.
At the same time, the City Council, through the Film Office, carries out actions to attract investment and promote Madrid, which collaborate closely to achieve the common objectives set.
- Madrid is having an incredible number of shootings lately, how do you value this boom and how is this year going?
I value them as the result of the good work done and the efforts of many public servants who put everything they have every day to do their job well and who are well aware that their colleagues on the other side of the window, that is, the audiovisual sector, are in a certain sense partners and cooperators, and in that spirit they constantly work as facilitators of authorizations whenever possible.
- What does filming in the city involve?
A great satisfaction since, on the one hand, it generates investment, wealth and work, and on the other hand, it is a source of pride to see and identify the city you love on the screen.
- Un Once again this year, APCP together with SCOPEN are preparing the report on the economic impact of the advertising production sector. How do the results of these studies affect the public administration?
Quantitative knowledge of the data is essential to be able to guide both political and public management decisions. It is obvious that the greater the economic and social impact, the more public efforts can be demanded and facilitated.
- How do you assess the evolution of the sector in the last few years after the pandemic?
My personal assessment I would define it with the word “spectacular”. I have the impression that the pandemic tried to slow down a latent explosion that is now coming to light. It is a responsibility as far as public management is concerned, but we are confident that we will know how to give it the response that the challenge deserves.
- Where do you think the city of Madrid is heading in relation to the production industry for both fiction and advertising?
Towards the highest and most ambitious, also being aware that this goal must be accompanied with the balance with the life of the neighbors and in this sense it is essential that we all make the effort to be able to make the same the importance of the audiovisual sector for our city.
