In this guest post, Roland Willaert (photo), CEO of the Entertainment Master Class (EMC), shares the results of a scholarship competition, worth €13,500, held during MIPTV 2009.

When we launched the EMC at MIPTV 2008, we were selling an idea: an executive education programme, created by the entertainment industry for the industry, and involving many of the industry's biggest names. Over the course of a one-year road-show programme, broken down into genre-targeted training modules, up-and-coming industry talent would be brought together with established players to share, compare and explore the development of entertainment properties.

But in order for the EMC to fulfil its potential, we knew we needed to attract the best. The best mentor-trainers, of course, but just as importantly, the best young talent in the business.

It was with this in mind that we decided to launch a scholarship competition at MIPTV, to mark the start of our second academic year. To qualify for the award, worth €13,500 ($17,800), we invited candidates to fill in an application form at our stand, after which they were interviewed by one of the EMC faculty. Around 50 candidates came forward and all of them impressed us with their enthusiasm and intelligence. The next step was to decide which applicant would take the most away from a year with the EMC; and, ultimately, give the most back to the entertainment industry in the years ahead.

In the end, the decision made itself. Even in such strong field, one applicant stood out: Omri Marcus, a writer, satirist and creative director based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Although he is still very young, he has already proved his talent in several disciplines, such as comedy and format development. He is widely held to be one of the most talented young creatives in Israel, having been involved in almost every satirical show on Israeli television over the past decade. He could not, in short, be a better ambassador for the EMC.

But as we begin our second academic year, we are looking at a very different world to the one that existed this time last year; not least in terms of the ongoing financial crisis. In response, the EMC is introducing a more flexible system with regards to its curriculum. Instead of committing to an entire year's training programme, students can now select individual modules, mixing and matching the courses they feel are most relevant to their needs, schedules and budgets.

Find out more about the EMC