Shiftworks: driving local pride

“We felt that more could be done to promote the local scene and local talent in Estonia. We started with the music festival, showcasing local talent, and then came the conference part, to explore various topics and offer networking opportunities for actors in the sector. The city festival came later, shining the spotlight on parts of the city that are not so well-known. It became a tool to promote music and Tallinn in general. Festivals can be a very effective way to promote a city,” explains Helen Sildna, founder and CEO of Shiftworks.

Helen argues that at the heart of identity you will find integrity and pride. “What has good quality in our city? What is worth presenting to the world?” she asks. “The pride of citizens in relation to the content they create is at the core of the whole story, and it has important knock-on effects: People started caring about the content that we have right here in Tallinn. They take pride in it. And international press recognition helps to fuel that pride. We’ve seen the creative scene coming together, creating a new type of quality…“

The same has happened with another festival organised by Shiftworks, in Narva, the easternmost city in Estonia, plagued by declining industry, job-loss and societal challenges. “We saw that the Station Narva festival makes them all proud of their city, builds new pathways and helps to turn around the image of a post-soviet industrial challenged city to one of more opportunity. It connects the city’s youth to creative networks across the country and boosts the local economy. This generates hope and that has a snowball effect.”

To fuel its work, Shiftworks recently received support in the form of an EU-guaranteed loan from Finora Capital, backed by the EIF under the EU’s Investment Plan for Europe. The biggest challenge for festival organisers, as Helen explains, is bridging the cashflow gap: “Revenue comes after festival, but we need to be sustainable all-year round and pay for services up-front. Bridging this gap is what we needed a loan for.” She continues to describe how businesses in the cultural and creative sectors face difficulties accessing finance: “We don’t’ own real estate or anything considered a tangible asset in the eyes of a bank looking for collateral. That’s why we were thrilled about this opportunity.”