Little Bird, Lots of Realness: Ciclope 2025 Recap

By Becca Falborn, CEO & Founder/President, Little Bird

Over the last few years, the Ciclope Festival in Berlin has gained more and more popularity among US-based companies from the production, post production and agency communities. Each year the festival enlists panelists and topics that are meant to amplify innovation, craft, real-talk vulnerability, and relevant topics affecting the industry as a whole, with these discussions led by industry leaders worldwide. 

This was my second year attending, with four companies that I rep in attendance: Let It Rip Pictures (production), Lime Studios (audio post), Cutters Studios (creative editorial), and Storefront Music (original music and sound and music supervision). In writing this, I wanted to deliver a diverse perspective, cultivated by people from all different walks of the industry regarding how they all experienced Ciclope. 

As a rep and connector of people, most of my week was spent wrangling client outings, events, meetings and networking, while making it to as many panels as I could. The festival truly is such a great opportunity for new connections, and collaborating with like-minded people who truly have a love for the craft and creative process. 

So, I’ll start with the positive; I love that Ciclope embraces the weirdness. There’s something about being in a room full of incredibly creative and diverse people, especially when you’re looking at these panelists on stage, some heavily tattooed, and expressing themselves through not only their craft but through their personal style. It’s just refreshing to see. As a new-business owner still in my first two years of launching Little Bird, I’m inspired to talk with, meet and hear the perspectives of those who started businesses years before me, and what their experience has been like. There was an entire panel surrounding imposter syndrome and persona (more on that later), and it’s something I experience every day. It's like when you see a duck or swan swimming in a lake: they look cool, calm, and collected above the water, almost graceful…but below the water their legs are treading water and trying to stay afloat, working tirelessly to do so. We’re all just ducks!

Now for a little tough love, and I’ll come right out and say it: there’s a serious lack of post production representation on panels, not just at Ciclope, but across the board with other organizations too. We’re no strangers to the heightened mandates over the last few years, for agencies to use their in-house production and post production teams and how this has had an extremely negative impact on independent production and post production companies – a topic I’ve been very vocal about on my social media (and will continue to be). It’s a struggle that is felt by every single independent company that is not owned by an agency holding company, no matter how big or small, successful or struggling. It affects all of us.

There was a whole panel around it, called “Preserving Competition: Brands & Independents Forging Direct Relations,” and not one agency or post production EP was on that panel, which seemed a bit odd. To be quite frank, this panel seemed to ruffle the most feathers – everyone sitting within my earshot was heated while listening to this discussion. The icing on the cake was a cost consultant moderator plugging her book. It showed poor taste and was quite tone-deaf. 

My biggest takeaway from that talk was about the claim that there’s a “healthy” competition between the in-house and independents…to which I posed this (unanswered) question on the festivals discussion section for the panel questions on the app: 

Is it really “healthy” when the agencies are not being truthful about the mandate to bring work in-house, which is depleting the work flow of the independent vendors? All we hear from HoP’s on many panels across all festivals and conferences is that “it’s not mandated,” but the agency producers and creatives have confirmed they are indeed being instructed to do so, which creates friction. 

As someone who always wants to seek truths and solutions I am genuinely curious, how do we unveil the honesty and transparency and stop placating the independent companies? My reasoning for pointing this out is to try to be a voice for the side that’s clearly not being heard, or really having a voice at all in these conversations. How do we find a solution if the most essential part of the equation is not being considered? 

So, since my goal is amplify voices and perspectives from all walks of the industry, I had a chance to talk to these incredible industry leaders about their Ciclope experiences: 

AGENCY 

Nicolette Spencer, SVP, Head of Integrated Production at INNOCEAN: “Ciclope this year was... interesting. As always, it was full of passion, creativity, and a shared admiration for craft — and for each other. The energy was there, and the volume of panels was impressive. But if I’m being honest, some of the conversations would be better served with added depth. And there are some pretty immediate solutions to be found. 

“The panel that had everyone talking, of course, was the group of advertising and production experts (moderated, surprisingly, by a cost consultant) who suggested that the solution to shrinking business opportunities was for production companies and post houses to bypass agencies altogether and go direct to brands. Um, what? 

“First, consider that without having been in a boardroom with senior brand and business executives, it can be difficult to fully understand a marketing department’s bandwidth, priorities, or appetite for managing production partners independently of their agency. 

“Second, and more importantly, the real challenges facing production and post today — like the rise of loan-outs, opaque bidding processes, and the internalization of work by agencies and brands — went largely unaddressed. I didn’t hear a single official panel offering real solutions to these very real, and frankly existential, threats to our community. I heard a lot of promising solutions being discussed informally outside the panels, and elevating those discussions in an official capacity will be vital to the livelihood of our business. 

“These challenges affect all of us—across production, post-production, and both independent and holding company agencies. Excluding any part of the creative process isn’t the solution. 

We're better together. 
Our industry is full of brilliant people, I hope we continue to hear from all of them as we navigate these challenges, together.” 

Jessica Gardner, Freelance Executive Producer: “I sent myself to Ciclope as a freelance agency EP because I wanted to be surrounded by creativity and people who still value the craft. I’ve been told recently that holding companies and internal production partners are the way of the future, and that clients don’t care about the work anymore. I adamantly refuse to believe that. Thankfully I found myself at a festival surrounded by like-minded partners in my industry—people who revel in and celebrate the magic that happens when the right creative partners come together to make work they truly care about.”

When asked what her favorite panel was, Jessica felt strongly about a few, “The easy answer is the last one with Ian Pons Jewell: ‘Director’s Cuts Are Everyone’s Cuts.’ IPJ has that mix of bashfulness, self-deprecation, and creative genius that, as a producer, I’m immediately drawn to—and want to protect at all costs.” 

More from Jessica: “Some of my favorite sound bites that I scribbled down in my notebook during the ProdCo Founder/Director’s talk were: ‘Advertising is not the place where we make art. More often than not, we’re in it because we’ve fallen for something.’ 

‘You want someone who is driven by the soul.’ 

‘It’s not a director’s cut; it is the fulfillment of the creative promise.’ 

“An honorable mention goes to the second day’s panel, ‘The Persona and the Person,’ featuring Ali Brown of Prettybird, Alberto Ponte of Someplace, Sally Campbell of Somesuch, and Jason Kreher of De-Yan. They each opened up about the insecurities and struggles they’ve had to overcome. These are co-founders, CEOs, and executive producers whom I deeply admire, and it was refreshing to learn that they, too, second-guess their outfits and are vulnerable no matter how accomplished they are. I knew, even while sitting there, that this type of discussion in this forum was something I would only experience at Ciclope.” 

And when asked I asked her about those interested in going next year, she said, “DO IT. Try not to over-plan or set specific expectations. Just go with an open mind, a blank notebook, and say yes to everything.” 

PRODUCTION 

Tomek Kulezsa, Founder & Executive Producer, LET IT RIP PICTURES: “There aren’t many festivals in the world that truly mix the tribes — where production folks, agencies, directors, and brands actually meet, talk, and laugh over the same beer. Ciclope Berlin is one of those rare gems. 

“We go every year. It’s the perfect mix of work, inspiration, and a little bit of well-deserved nightlife. Well yes - the panels started with the usual “AI is changing everything” talk, but quickly shifted to what really matters: the craft, the chaos, and the people behind it. 

“Highlights? ‘Volem La Pilot’ by the ProdCo team and ‘No Project Without Drama’ by Tempomedia, Canada, Heimat TBWA & Hornbach — both reminding us that trust between agency, production, and client is where great work starts. 

“I also loved the conversations with directors and producers — Martin Piroyansky and Keith Schofield were brilliant. They talked about fun, hobbies, AI (and not AI), and everything in between. That kind of candid, slightly chaotic honesty is what makes Ciclope special. 

“And the best part of Ciclope? The conversations that happen off-stage. In the foyer, over a cigarette, or a late-night pilsner. It’s a big small festival where everyone’s accessible, and the talk is honest, funny, and real.

“If you’re going...come early, breathe in Berlin’s autumn mood, and get ready for good chats and even better nights.”  

POST PRODUCTION 

Heather Richardson, Executive Producer, Cutters Chicago: Heather attended the festival for the first time this year. “I loved the panel ‘Untold Stories: The Persona & the Person,’ reminding us that no one is the ‘Persona’ and we are all just self-conscious as hell. I also really liked getting an international perspective in ‘Preserving Competition’ and thought Florence Jacob (Caviar Paris, UPC France and EPA Europe) was brilliant overall. It was hopeful to hear her say that essentially, in France they've adjusted business models to new realities, stopped grieving the ‘old days’ and become proactive...something we could learn a lot from!” 

Caitlin Grady, Managing Director & Executive Producer, Cutters NY: Caitlin returned to Ciclope for the second time, and has this to say: “Ciclope is the best of the festivals since we get a chance to peek into the brilliant minds of some of this industry's most interesting talent. It's not just the usual production voices, directors come on stage and talk to us. Ian Pons Jewell delighted the crowd with a lo-fi pen to paper drawing that gave us a glimpse into the way his brain works. We've all seen his incredible creations once they're finished and polished, but it's a gift to be able to witness his passion and unique point of view on paper. Keith Schofield shared a piece he created from a music video he shot long ago supplemented with weeks of AI prompting exploration, his own journey with Sora and Midjourney, for us to appreciate and learn from. These are exceptional experiences for the audience.” 

Susie Boyajan, Executive Producer, LIME Studios: Susie, who’ s based in L.A., returned to Berlin for the second time and found herself appreciating the passion: “For me, the highlight of Ciclope is hearing the stories—hearing why someone connects with the work, how it sparks something in them. You bring your creations, and this place turns them into conversations, connections, and community.” 

Matt Nelson, Managing Director, STOREFRONT MUSIC: Matt recounts an all-around positive first-timer experience at the festival: “I think the biggest benefit is the focus on craft. That and the environment the festival has created for attendees to immerse themselves in the best our industry offers creatively. We’re all together in one place, getting inspired by the speakers, the talks, and then encouraged to network. They are on to something!

“To round this all out - Ciclope continues to be one of the most beneficial festivals your team can go to whether you’re brand, agency, production, or post production. It’s inspiring, it talks about real topics, and it’s pushing the envelope. There’s something for everyone, panels that relate to each niche corner of the business, and so much networking to be had.”