Wednesday marked our first outreach day at an event in the Cámara de Comercio de Medellín, organized by the Asociación MECA—a hub of 30 leading companies in the audiovisual industry. Throughout the conference, AI was a major talking point. Arturo Yepes highlighted how technology has historically democratized content creation, noting enthusiastically that "content creators are the new agencies!"

Data analysis stood out as a primary AI use case in Latin America. Major companies like Claro are now capturing precise, second-to-second data from their set-top boxes to analyze why specific demographics switch channels and where they go. As was noted during the session: "AI gave us superpowers to activate data through hyper-personalized ads, targeting exact user needs."

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From Cinema to Social Media

The event opened with a filmmaker from Enchufe TV sharing a pivotal moment in his career. After producing a film for the big screen that reached 80,000 viewers, he was stunned when the Enchufe TV team showed him a single social media video with over one million views. This realization shifted his perspective on reach and effort compared to traditional channels.

Arturo emphasized that traditional television is now using social media as a funnel, using engaging shorts to pull audiences in. After years in the industry, he considers community to be the most valuable asset in streaming. Community drives engagement, which is exactly what brands look for when choosing creators. His advice? "Your main goal should be to get people to share your video; tell stories that are interesting for brands." He encouraged the audience to find the sweet spot between the story they want to tell and the one that drives revenue.

The Cámara de Comercio de Medellín added that the city’s creative hub is booming, led by audiovisual and music. Their message was clear: "The creative must also be an entrepreneur, and everything we do in the city should aim for a worldwide audience."

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The Technical Backbone: Audio and Pipeline

During a panel titled Backstage 360, experts discussed the technicalities of production pipelines. A consensus was reached on the importance of audio: Medellín now boasts world-class audio infrastructure, a byproduct of the global "Medellín sound" in the music industry.

However, they cautioned about matching technology to the project’s reach. While the tech is available, using a Dolby Atmos-certified lab for a TikTok video is unnecessary overspending. To optimize budgets, they suggested involving sound designers as early as the script phase to ensure creative and financial decisions align with the business model.

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The Power of Gaming and IP

Mauricio Betancourt, CTO and Creative Director of Indie Level, shared a striking insight: the video game industry now generates more revenue than cinema and music combined. This is driven by unique consumer habits; platforms like Steam turn gaming into a social collection, where titles owned are displayed publicly to friends.

In this market, the key is Intellectual Property (IP) and testing before scaling. Publishers are no longer just looking for a great game; they want proof of a dedicated community. "How many people are in your Discord channel? How many have wishlisted the game? Those metrics give you negotiation power with international publishers."

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Investing in the Future

To wrap up, the Cámara de Comercio de Medellín highlighted its investment in creative industries, announcing a 20% tax return for investments made in the sector. They encouraged attendance at the upcoming investment round, where million-dollar deals are expected. The administration’s goal is clear: export Medellín-produced content to the world and show that Colombia is known for much more than just coffee.

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