why?

Life is short. To get the most out of it, we go below the surface and find and tell stories that explore the ultimate questions of life. Stories and formats that encourage us to live authentically and grow.

how?

We tell people’s stories, exposing their real-life challenges and vulnerabilities and making their life stories tangible – with all the moments of tragedy and comedy they contain. What we experience up close can move us and touch us emotionally – and can open our eyes to other ways of looking at existence, empowering our own personal growth. That’s what it’s all about.

In the classic hero’s journey, an individual rises above himself: He is forced to change, to transform himself, in order to accomplish the seemingly impossible – slay the dragon. It’s the same with each of us. Every one of us is battling inner and outer “demons,” and we all want to experience the strength to change ourselves in ways that liberate us and gain us our freedom.

That may sound a bit overly dramatic, but precisely this is at the heart of all good story-telling. When the narrative is authentic, it demands the best from us – the courage to change, the courage to be free. This is compelling. This is enduring. This is “why” we do this.

Art exhibitions also have this power to transform and liberate us. We share our wonderful historical space with other creatives and artists.

As business angels, we help entrepreneurs take their vision and make it reality. Every start-up that benefits people over the long term contains a great story that is worth developing.

Freedom

a. medial freedom

We decide intuitively and autonomously what we work on – based on “gut instinct.” We think outside the box, approaching new ideas in a spirit of openness and playfulness. We’re also open when it comes to the choice of our partners. The material itself – the content – is the basis for and helps shape the collaboration or co-production.

“Format workshops“ are often the starting point for an exciting new project. At other times, simply an exchange of ideas is enough. We’d love to hear yours: bernd@zeitderfreiheit.de

b. spatial freedom

Our home is the “Brückenloft” (Bridge Loft) in the heart of Leipzig, spanning the Weisse Elster river. The bridge was conceived in 1928 for the transportation of goods used in the production of wool yarn. Now, almost 100 years later, it is a space where we create and transport ideas and visions. These days, rather than wool, it is stories that are being spun here. It’s a “safe space” and a symbol of our external and internal freedom.

We entrusted the interior design to the Leipzig architectural firm “bla°.” Inspired by the idea of the “time of freedom,” they came up with a radical design. As bla° CEO Robert Laser put it:

“A bridge connects and permits movement to the opposite side of the river bank. Like the river that flows beneath it, this movement knows no beginning and no end. The design created by bla° is intended to reflect this tension between time and space. The emptiness and sense of infiniteness will task visitors with using the space in a new and different way each time they are there. It provides a recurrent and yet transient opportunity for and responsibility to freedom.”

Bernd Schumacher, founder of “Zeit der Freiheit,” remarks: “From the first moment I saw it, I was fascinated by this place. In a quiet moment, if you just take in the feeling of floating, the play of light, and the views the bridge opens up, you begin, as did Goethe’s ‘Faust,’ to sense ‘what it is that holds the world together in its innermost folds’.”

We warmly invite you to look inside this magical space:  brückenloft.com.

c. entrepreneurial freedom

As business angels for sustainable startups, we promote entrepreneurial freedom. We help founders turn their visions into reality – minus any excessive regulatory hurdles or restrictions.
&nbsp
Our core competencies include strategic consulting, media placement, and financial planning. Contact us at:
theresia@zeitderfreiheit.de

Together with expert internist and gastroenterologist Dr. Eckehard Schmidt-Hengst, we join the entrepreneurs on their journey. Important milestones include the production of their food products and nutritional supplements, a thrilling appearance, including a deal, on the television program “Höhle der Löwen” (“Shark Tank” in the U.S.), retail placement of their products, expansion of their on-line offering with the brands histafood.eu and histanutri.de, and finally, being named “2022 Entrepreneurs of the Year” in the category “Female Empowerment.”

Investment in SO`USE

Three Leipzig entrepreneurs – Ben Kamrad Wollscheid, Thomas Niermann and Benedikt Pilz – are in the process of revolutionizing the restaurant industry. With SO’USE, customers can order and pay right from their table, using their own smartphones. There’s no app to download, and SO’USE integrates seamlessly into the restaurant’s POS system: https://so-use.de/en. “Zeit der Freiheit” became a shareholder in this start-up in 2021.

“Zeit der Freiheit” Workshops

We are always happy to share our core competencies in workshops or project-related support.

Bernd’s WORKSHOPS: Developing Non-Fiction Formats, Relaunching an Ongoing Format, “Telling People’s Stories in Documentary Formats”

Theresia’s offers: Financial Planning During Development, Cost Calculation for a Production, Financial Monitoring of Ongoing Productions, “Project Controlling” workshop.

References & prices provided upon request.