Heidi Neuburger-Dumancic
Born in Vienna in the 1970s and raised in a sheltered working-class mother-father-child family, I felt the desire to tell stories and immerse myself in foreign worlds of thought from a very early age. Books were my friends. And an undefined fantasy creature. But that soon passed, much to my parents' reassurance. Of course, I also had real friends (later).
Even my primary school teacher told me that my parents didn't need to worry about sending me to grammar school. That was new territory for them. In German, at least, I would definitely succeed with my imagination and my desire to invent.
My penchant for language(s) then continued through secondary school - yes, Ancient Greek doesn't necessarily come in handy when traveling, but hey, I have first-hand knowledge of ancient mythology, plus that doesn't hurt when it comes to storytelling - and into university.
In applied linguistics, I learned that language is also power and sensitized and sharpened my senses in this respect. Because, as a saying from the internet goes: “Words cast spells. That's why it's called SPELLING” (author: unfortunately unknown).
Theater studies and film studies were then only the logical continuation, including an exercise on comparisons between theatrical performance forms and shamanistic rituals, and with a horde of other motivated film aficionados, I am proud to have also anchored film studies at the University of Vienna as part of a project study in history.
I was already constantly active in the cultural sector during my studies: in the independent off-theater scene, I tried out pretty much everything that came up. Editing, producing, directing, acting, PR.... everything.
I earned my first regular income as a media educator at the wienXtra media center. Together with my colleagues, I taught young people how to use cameras and editing suites and ran the wienervideo&filmtage, a film festival for productions by young people. Many of them are now colleagues, which makes me particularly happy.
I then shot two short films in New York with friends, with a real film camera, on 16mm. The trip was a bit of a mouthful, the production was realized with sweat and tears - the team consisted of three people. The tasks of equipment, camera assistant, continuity, dolly grip and focus puller fell to me. Female multitasking 😉
I earned my first regular income as a media educator at the wienXtra media center. Together with my colleagues, I taught young people how to use cameras and editing suites and ran the wienervideo&filmtage, a film festival for productions by young people. Many of them are now colleagues, which makes me particularly happy.
And then there was working with words again - this time with spoken words. After training as a speaker, I was able to work as a speaker and presenter. It's a job that still gives me a lot of pleasure because I can bring content, service and performance together in one moment. For more than 20 years, I have been able to do this for the Kulturvermittlung Steiermark or DIAGONALE, for example, or the MLA, the Media Literacy Award, where the topic of media education, which is always with me, meets my work as a presenter and designer.
The task of empowering people and supporting them to tell their stories through media is something I took on with dedication for 5 years as head of training at OKTO before I was allowed to create my own ideas and content - when one of my biggest dreams became reality, my “own” film magazine on television.
Together with a colleague and friend, what we had secretly wished for for months became reality in 2012. At DMG Film, we took over the editing and production of “Lichtspiele” for ServusTV. Manifestation matters 😉
That was the beginning of more than 10 years as editorial director for various TV formats such as magazines, reports, shows, documentaries - and, coming full circle, a book program.
Now it's time to go my own way and put everything that life has taught me so far at the service of my own cause and new customers. And to keep learning, to feel the pulse of the times and to tell content in the appropriate form.
Together with a woman I apparently met by chance....
Skills:
Editing, casting, editorial management, moderator, management, speaker, copywriter, media educator, coach, production, directing
for
W.U.T., vis plastica, frames, vision works, T.I.V., webfreetv, Okto, wienXtra medienzentrum, FilmABC, Media Literacy Award, DIAGONALE, VIENNALE, Crossing Europe, wienXtra-ifp, Kulturvermittlung Steiermark, DMG Die Mediengesellschaft, flamenco.viena, Bring Me The Rabbit
Productions
“literaTOUR”, “Musikvideo Counterpoint”, “Lichtspiele”, “Heimat.denken”, “Wien Woche in Budapest”, “Kristallnacht - Zeitzeugen berichten”, “Zeit.Ort”, “Impuls - Maßstab Mann”, “Impuls - Arma Alte Frauen”, “Gala der Lipizzaner”, Reportage Superfoods“, Reportage Unser täglich Brot”, “Musikvideo Europa”