Christoph Warrack

Christoph Warrack

London, England, United Kingdom
4K followers 500+ connections

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About

An impact innovator, convener and communicator working at the intersection of the…

Activity

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Experience

  • Woodland Savers Graphic

    Woodland Savers

    London, England, United Kingdom

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    Talgarth, Wales, United Kingdom

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    London, United Kingdom

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    London, United Kingdom

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    London, United Kingdom

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    London, United Kingdom

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    London / UK

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Education

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graphic

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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    I studied development economics and randomised controlled testing with Professors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, who would together go on to be awarded the Nobel prize in Economics (2019) for their development of this approach to microeconomics and poverty alleviation.

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    Activities and Societies: Year Representative

    I studied performance at Drama Centre London, within the ecosystem of Central Saint Martins, but itself one of the most rigorous and respected acting and directing schools in the world. Over 18 months we made a thorough examination of the process and techniques of filmed performance, with reference to the system of Character Analysis developed by the school's founder Yat Malmgren, which he himself had adapted from Rudolf Laban's theory of Movement Psychology. I devised and directed a play…

    I studied performance at Drama Centre London, within the ecosystem of Central Saint Martins, but itself one of the most rigorous and respected acting and directing schools in the world. Over 18 months we made a thorough examination of the process and techniques of filmed performance, with reference to the system of Character Analysis developed by the school's founder Yat Malmgren, which he himself had adapted from Rudolf Laban's theory of Movement Psychology. I devised and directed a play, Boundary Dispute, taking three actors through a process of independent character development, with reference to the work of John Cassavetes and Mike Leigh, and we performed the play at the Cochrane Theatre in May 2005. I directed a short film, Kate 123, from a script by Gwanwyn Mason, which opened the local Clerkenwell Film Festival. And I directed a 25 minute short, The Surviver, from a script by television writer Roland Moore; the film won the Redemptive Storyteller Award in the US.

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    Activities and Societies: Film Reviewer for award-winning university newspaper Concrete

    I transferred after a year at Southampton University with a 2.1 in Formal Logic. I read Philosophy, including courses on Political Philosophy with Prof Martin Hollis, Aesthetics, and Creative Writing in the renowned eponymous department founded by Malcolm Bradbury. I found out later that I was a few doors down the hall from the late author W.G Sebald, who was there teaching German literature at the time. I wrote film reviews for the student newspaper Concrete (Student Newspaper of the Year…

    I transferred after a year at Southampton University with a 2.1 in Formal Logic. I read Philosophy, including courses on Political Philosophy with Prof Martin Hollis, Aesthetics, and Creative Writing in the renowned eponymous department founded by Malcolm Bradbury. I found out later that I was a few doors down the hall from the late author W.G Sebald, who was there teaching German literature at the time. I wrote film reviews for the student newspaper Concrete (Student Newspaper of the Year 1996), earned extra income from DJing, and roamed remote stretches of East Anglia.

Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • Homeless Link Graphic

    Get Creative - Steering Committee

    Homeless Link

    - 3 years

    Poverty Alleviation

    Contributor to the expert group for Homeless Link's Get Creative initiative, amassing and circulating innovation and best practice amongst arts organisations working in the homelessness sector. Open Cinema was one of three companies featured in a 2014 'influencing paper', published to help homelessness agencies make the case to funders that the arts provide measurable value in catalysing the work they do at the frontline.

  • Various Non Profit organizations Graphic

    Panellist

    Various Non Profit organizations

    - Present 15 years 3 months

    Arts and Culture

    ACCESS VFX
    Visual Effects Industry Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion
    Working Group Member, 2017 - present

    VIDEO FOR GOOD - CHARITY MEETUP
    Google UK, September 2017
    Presentation: Participatory Video for Charities

    TEN YEARS AFTER THE CRASH
    The RSA, London, September 2017
    Panel: Beliefs, Values and Worldviews in the Workplace

    COMMUNITY SCREEN FORUM
    University of East Anglia, July 2017
    Presentation: Social Value and Sustainability in Community…

    ACCESS VFX
    Visual Effects Industry Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion
    Working Group Member, 2017 - present

    VIDEO FOR GOOD - CHARITY MEETUP
    Google UK, September 2017
    Presentation: Participatory Video for Charities

    TEN YEARS AFTER THE CRASH
    The RSA, London, September 2017
    Panel: Beliefs, Values and Worldviews in the Workplace

    COMMUNITY SCREEN FORUM
    University of East Anglia, July 2017
    Presentation: Social Value and Sustainability in Community Cinema
    Presentation: The Future of Cinema

    DBACE Awards 2017
    Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise
    Shortlister

    DIGITAL SHOREDITCH
    London, May 2015
    Presentation: Anywhere can be a Cinema, Cinema can be Anything

    EUROPEAN SOCIAL FRANCHISING NETWORK CONFERENCE
    Gothenburg, May 2014
    Seminar: Distributed Innovation

    UALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
    London, April 2014
    Seminar: Open University Cinema

    CLINKS / ARTS ALLIANCE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
    Cardiff, March 2013
    Seminar: Filmmaking in Prisons

    LOCALITY NATIONAL CONFERENCE
    London, March 2013
    Workshop: Cinema in Libraries

    LOCALITY NATIONAL CONFERENCE
    Manchester, July 2012
    Panel event: Arts, Culture and Resilience

    THE OXFORD JAM
    Social Enterprise Conference, Oxford, March 2012
    Panel moderator: The Film Jam

    LOCALITY NATIONAL CONFERENCE
    Manchester, November 2011
    Panel event: Libraries and digital assets

    BAFTA
    Rushes Short Film Festival, June 2011
    Screening of three Open Cinema short films, and panel discussion

    OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE VENTURE LECTURE SERIES
    London, RSA, March 2011
    Panel on social innovation

    SHEFFIELD INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL
    Sheffield, November 2010
    Panel event: Community Cinema

    EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
    Edinburgh, June 2010
    Panel event: "A Time to Play: Cinema in the Digital Age"

    SKOLL WORLD FORUM
    Said Business School, University of Oxford, April 2010
    Panel event: "Compelling Action: Social Change Media in the Age of Information Overload"
    Note: one of 'rotated panellists' from audience, not official panellist.

  • Chairman

    Churches Together in Westminster

    - 7 years 5 months

    Poverty Alleviation

    Member, Homelessness Task Force (September 2005 - January 2013)
    Chair, Homelessness Task Force (January 2007 - January 2013)
    Representative, Homeless London (January 2006 - January 2007)
    Chairman (January 2010 - January 2013)

    Churches Together in Westminster is an ecumenical body galvanising voluntary action amongst the approximately 50 churches in the centre of London.

    As well as outreach and support projects, my work here involved advocacy on human rights issues…

    Member, Homelessness Task Force (September 2005 - January 2013)
    Chair, Homelessness Task Force (January 2007 - January 2013)
    Representative, Homeless London (January 2006 - January 2007)
    Chairman (January 2010 - January 2013)

    Churches Together in Westminster is an ecumenical body galvanising voluntary action amongst the approximately 50 churches in the centre of London.

    As well as outreach and support projects, my work here involved advocacy on human rights issues affecting homeless people in the City of Westminster, including participation in a working group which successfully prevented a bylaw outlawing street homelessness being passed.

    Each year I convened a public debate as part of the AGM, featuring discussion by experts on a topic of pressing social concern. Themes included the Media and Citizen Journalism, Christianity Under Threat in the Middle East, and the Church and the Big Society. Guests included Ed Stourton, Giles Fraser, Danny Kruger and Lord Boateng.

  • Society of St. Vincent de Paul Graphic

    Volunteer and local group chair

    Society of St. Vincent de Paul

    - 2 years 4 months

    Poverty Alleviation

    I visited prisoners on Sundays, and isolated older people in care homes on weekday evenings. This was where I overcame my hesitations about voluntary work, discovered that there is greater value to be apprised in these forgotten corners of society than in the limelights, and gleaned the seeds of my later work.

  • National Media Museum Graphic

    Advisory Panel

    National Media Museum

    - 1 year

    Science and Technology

    Contributor to the multi-year review process into the role and strategy of the museum. I advised on the place of community and participatory media in the mix of outreach activities the museum provides, on festivals, partnerships, communications and branding.

  • Working Group member

    Access VFX

    - Present 7 years 1 month

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    Access VFX is an initiative led by leading international visual effects companies to increase inclusion and diversity in the film industry. Each year, as part of National Inclusion Week, we host a week of events promoting access to careers in visual effects and the wider industry for people from under-represented demographics and communities.

    In 2017, I hosted a screening and moderated an industry panel respectively at BFI Southbank and Double Negative for participants of a filmmaking…

    Access VFX is an initiative led by leading international visual effects companies to increase inclusion and diversity in the film industry. Each year, as part of National Inclusion Week, we host a week of events promoting access to careers in visual effects and the wider industry for people from under-represented demographics and communities.

    In 2017, I hosted a screening and moderated an industry panel respectively at BFI Southbank and Double Negative for participants of a filmmaking programme for people affected by cancer and mental health difficulties.

    For Access VFX Month in October 2018, I facilitated partnerships and mechanisms to connect young and diverse talent with major employers in the visual effects industry.

  • Goldsmiths, University of London Graphic

    Guest Lecturer

    Goldsmiths, University of London

    - 1 month

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    At the invitation of emeritus professor Tony Dowmunt, I gave a lecture to students on the MA Documentary programme on documentary and social impact, using Open Cinema case studies.

  • The University of Edinburgh Graphic

    Guest Lecturer

    The University of Edinburgh

    - 1 month

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    At the invitation of Susan Kemp, programme director in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, I presented a lecture to students of film at the university on community cinema and social impact.

Publications

  • Get Creative Influencing Paper

    London

    Open Cinema was part of the experts group of arts and homelessness organisations informing the development of the report produced by Homeless Link, the national umbrella body for homelessness organisations in England, through its Get Creative project. The study looked at how these organisations can work with the arts, examples of good practice, and explored the difference these programmes can make to the lives of participants.

    Other authors
    • Laura McCullagh
    See publication

Courses

  • Impact Investment Readiness

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  • Social Franchising

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Projects

  • Movement to Work

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    Movement to Work was a 12-week pre-apprenticeship programme for technology giant Cisco Systems, led by Jane Lewis (then at) Living Networks. Open Cinema contributed the film skills component, enabling 14 young people excluded from education, employment and training to build life, media and enterprise skills through film production skills development.

    Three of the participants gained access to Cisco's paid and accredited apprenticeship programme (worth £150k per individual). All 11…

    Movement to Work was a 12-week pre-apprenticeship programme for technology giant Cisco Systems, led by Jane Lewis (then at) Living Networks. Open Cinema contributed the film skills component, enabling 14 young people excluded from education, employment and training to build life, media and enterprise skills through film production skills development.

    Three of the participants gained access to Cisco's paid and accredited apprenticeship programme (worth £150k per individual). All 11 others gained full-time work in the company's supply chain.

    A combined showcase for Movement to Work and Reboot UK (see separate project) was hosted at BFI Southbank in July 2016, presented original films and other participant achievements. I moderated a vibrant panel and audience discussion amongst sectoral leaders, service managers and programme participants.

    Other creators

  • Reboot UK

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    Reboot UK was a Lottery-funded digital inclusion programme, piloting various creative approaches to accelerating digital skills among excluded groups. A second phase of the programme is currently in development.

    For the pilot, Open Cinema delivered community cinemas with partner organisations and participants in homelessness centres in Stockwell, Croydon and Sheffield. The film clubs co-created technology-themed film seasons - with titles including The Ape and The Microchip, and The…

    Reboot UK was a Lottery-funded digital inclusion programme, piloting various creative approaches to accelerating digital skills among excluded groups. A second phase of the programme is currently in development.

    For the pilot, Open Cinema delivered community cinemas with partner organisations and participants in homelessness centres in Stockwell, Croydon and Sheffield. The film clubs co-created technology-themed film seasons - with titles including The Ape and The Microchip, and The Innovator's Dilemma. Film screenings took place on a weekly basis, with post-screening discussions facilitated by cinema coordinators, and regular appearances by special guests. The cinema coordinators doubled as peer mentoring coordinators, training participants in IT skills as well as in how to train and support their peers in these activities. A film on the Stockwell project can be watched here: https://vimeo.com/177998536

    We also produced three films on the pilots for Reboot UK. One on the Evolve Cinema in Stockwell (above), one on Leeds MIND, and another on the Abington Centre of Education for people with multiple and complex needs.

    Two participants from Evolve in Stockwell progressed to the Movement to Work programme we were delivering in parallel for Cisco Systems (see separate project).

    A combined showcase for Reboot UK and Movement to Work was hosted at BFI Southbank in July 2016, presented original films and other participant achievements. I moderated a vibrant panel and audience discussion amongst sectoral leaders, service managers and programme participants.

    Other creators
    See project

Honors & Awards

  • RSA Catalyst Award

    The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce

    Airbase - a new digital platform enabling any premises to host course of learning - has been awarded a Catalyst Award to support the development of partnerships, in preparation for its Alpha launch in July 2018.

  • RSA Scaling Catalyst Award

    The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce

    Open Cinema was awarded the highest Scaling Catalyst award by the RSA in support of its work to develop long-term partnerships in the social sector and its country-level franchise system, subsequently launched in its first iteration in Finland in 2017.

  • Best Short Documentary

    Moondance Film Festival (US)

    For "The Right to Food", one of four participatory films made for the UK Common Rights Project (Housing Justice / Just Fair), exploring the rights of homeless people to food, shelter, water and sanitation.

  • Fellowship

    Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce

    Elected fellow

Organizations

  • RSA

    Fellow

    - Present

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