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‘Don’t move to Sweden just looking for a job, move for the whole experience’

Not many people can say that their time in Sweden started with being in the same room as Paul Simon, First Aid Kit, Yo-Yo Ma and Swedish royalty, but that's exactly how Georg Bungard's move to the Nordic nation got under way, with his now wife Mia Salazar eventually following.

'Don't move to Sweden just looking for a job, move for the whole experience'
Filmmakers Mia Salazar and Georg Bungard in Stockholm. Photo: Personal

Originally from Cologne and Barcelona respectively, Bungard and Salazar have the dream jobs of producing videos for a living. Yet neither were in that industry when they first met in the Catalan capital, where the German had befriended some Swedish filmmakers. It sparked a chain of events that would eventually lead to music royalty, real royalty, and Stockholm.

“My friend who had moved back to Stockholm called and asked me to come and film something with him here, behind the scenes at the Polar Music Prize. I said sure, booked a flight for a week, and in my second day in Stockholm in 2012 I ended up at Marie Ledin’s house – the daughter of Abba manager Stig Anderson – with Yo-Yo Ma and Paul Simon,” he laughs.

“We got to be backstage at Konserthuset, the King and Queen were there. It was a very idyllic, intense experience. Amazing. We also got to know First Aid Kit, I was sitting with my camera somewhere at the top of the Konserthuset filming their performance and got goosebumps, I’ll never forget it.”

After returning home, he excitedly told Salazar that he wanted to move to Sweden. She wasn't so keen to abandon her beloved Barcelona at the drop of a hat, however.

“He told me Sweden was amazing, he got to know it in the summer, and with all that stuff happening he thought it was the best place ever, so he decided he wanted to move here. Which I campaigned against because I love Barcelona,” she recalls.

“Then I came to visit in the summer and thought ‘OK, this is nice’. When I finally moved it was winter here of course, which was horrible.”

Salazar was previously a musician in the Catalan city, but wanted something new in life, and ultimately the move to Stockholm proved to be the right option:

“I had quit music in Barcelona and needed a change. I decided to change my life radically, move to Sweden and start working in film and challenge myself.”

In Stockholm, the duo soon got involved in forming filmmaking collective Nuet, which led to the completely different challenge of renovating a new work space – finding an office isn't easy in Sweden's capital, where space comes at a premium.

“We had been working together in different projects as freelancers and we found this crazy big warehouse space in Örnsberg. It was a run-down building from the 1960s in this area that’s being gentrified, and one of the last rough buildings there. We decided to renovate it. We spent four months on that,” Bungard details.

“We literally tore everything down and turned it into a new place. We built a dark room, a sound studio, a place for painting, photography. It was such a nice place. A lot of people tell us they miss it so much,” his partner adds.


Bungard flying a drone in Norway. Photo: Personal

“Nuet was the place where we started to feel like real locals, that we’re from Sweden now. It was multicultural but everyone became Swedish too, I started to feel like a part of Sweden and began working with beautiful people,” she continues.

The collective eventually grew, so they decided to move on and leave the space, with Salazar and Bungard now going it on their own through new company Bungard Film, but the members still work together occasionally on different projects. Nuet helped them a great deal in their growth as filmmakers, they believe, as well as though the challenging first couple of years in the Swedish capital.

“It's definitely tricky to get in the door at the beginning. You meet a lot of people wanting to get into film here, and it’s hard for everyone. In the first two years we managed to get investment, and after those two years we started to see a return. But it was a risk,” Bungard notes.

“We basically said yes to any job that came our way. That included events, business videos. I even filmed a training video at a prison once!” he adds.

The spirit of collaboration also continues in the way the duo work on their projects: jobs are alternated depending on the budget and needs. So for example, while one person edits one project, they may also direct a different one.

“I'm usually involved in the creative part, but according to the production budget we balance things. So in Cuba for example four of us got to do a little bit of everything here and there,” Salazar explains, referring to a new documentary on Cuba, directed by Maceo Forst, that they are particularly excited about.

Then there is another documentary, this time on Norway, which they’re also desperate to show the world.

“That's about a musician from a well known band in Spain called La Habitación Roja. One of the guys lives in Norway leading this double life – he tours during the summer in Spain, and spends the winter in Norway working in a hospital where people go to die. We’ll publish that documentary in a couple of months,” she reveals.

As for Bungard, one project he remembers fondly was working on Eurovision in 2016:

“We made postcard films, travelling to eight different countries like Slovenia, Belarus, Croatia, Bosnia. That was so cool.”

Looking to the future, Salazar has recently been given the title of creative assistant to director Pablo Maestres, who is based back in her home city of Barcelona.

“He makes these incredible music videos, and I write treatments with him. I help him with the writing of treatments for adds, music videos, he’s a genius. Anything he makes is gold and I’m so happy to be involved,” she beams.


Not quite Barcelona weather. Photo: Personal

She and her husband also have the goal of making more films together, in particular on social issues:

“We want to do more work together with just the two of us. We're both very interested in politics for example, are constantly reading and taking in information, we really want to make a political film. Hopefully we can do that”.

The plan is to stay in Sweden for the time being, but when asked if they would recommend aspiring filmmakers come to the Nordic nation to pursue their dream, Bungard points out that it’s no walk in the park.

“I've seen people fail here before, it’s really tough. I wouldn’t recommend it to everybody, you have to be very hungry. You can't just send e-mails, you have to turn up at different places and advertise yourselves. Swedish people like to speak in person, but if you write e-mails it doesn't work. Freelance filmmakers here really work their ass off.”

“I wouldn't recommend people to move here just looking for a job. I’d recommend you move here for the whole experience, to challenge yourself. Move here if you’re ready to take on what it takes to do it,” Salazar concludes.

For members

WORKING IN SWEDEN

How to switch to a career in Sweden’s booming gaming industry

Sweden's gaming industry is crying out for top international talent, but the skills shortage also creates opportunities for professionals in other fields to switch to a career in gaming. Senior experts share their best tips with The Local.

How to switch to a career in Sweden's booming gaming industry

Home to world-famous gaming studios like Mojang, King and DICE – the creators of Minecraft, Candy Crush and Battlefield, respectively – Swedish games have been downloaded nearly seven billion times. Every fourth person on the planet has played a game made in Sweden.

And the number of new gaming companies and employees is only increasing, despite concerns about the impact of the pandemic, according to a report from Sweden’s gaming industry association

In 2022, Swedish gaming studios increased turnover by 18 percent to 32.6 billion kronor, setting a new record. Combined, the turnover of the 23 listed computer game companies amounted to 61 billion kronor – a threefold increase since 2020 and almost twice as much as in 2021.

However, the talent shortage is an ongoing struggle, and the industry relies heavily on foreigners to plug the gaps.

“There’s a massive skills shortage, especially on the technical side, due to the sheer amount of coding required. I think the industry wants to do more to keep growing the Swedish game phenomena, but the talent shortage hinders us,” says Ludvig Moberg Edenbäck, people experience partner at Mojang Studios.

But if you’re a gaming newbie, how do you make the switch?

Bringing a fresh perspective could be your ultimate ability

Magdalena Björkman, a senior producer at Arrowhead Games, has a background in linguistics and started her career in the manufacturing industry back home in Poland.

“The gaming industry needs people from different backgrounds more than ever. We really need to encourage people who bring different perspectives to the table to come in,” she says.

After studying Japanese, Björkman worked as a translator and coordinator, acting as a conduit between Polish and Japanese engineers. One day she stumbled across a job ad for a Polish games developer looking for an assistant producer who could handle localisation, and eventually started looking for opportunities outside of Poland, landing a role at King in Sweden.

“Swedish and Polish work culture is totally different. I had to get used to not having to be the loudest person in the room to get my opinion across, which I actually really like. It was really, really nice working for King. It was a lot more collaborative. In general, Sweden felt a lot more progressive than Poland.”

Björkman knows other linguists who switched to gaming too and says being able to interpret and translate what people are saying to others is a crucial skill, especially as a producer.

“Whatever you do, you always end up working with people, communication and translation. I’ve always been trying to connect people, and as a games producer, being able to translate different perspectives to help collaboration. Gaming is also a multinational crowd. So if you come from linguistics and you know how to work with different people and cultures, it’s a good fit.”

You don’t need to know how to build games – but you need to be passionate about them

Luis Cascante, currently chief of staff at Rovio and head of the board of education for Futuregames, stresses that this is an industry that values passion. “If you don’t care about games at all, don’t bother,” he says. Gaming isn’t just a business, it’s a creative art form, and you’re unlikely to get hired if the interest and passion aren’t there.

“I’ve worked with studio founders who basically tell everyone they expect passion, whatever their role is, and if they don’t have it, there’s no place for them in their studio,” says Cascante.

Around half of Mojang’s staff have a technical background, and 30 percent are foreigners. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se

Mojang’s Moberg Edenbäck, who is an avid gamer, agrees that demonstrating an interest in gaming helps, although it’s not a strict requirement for all roles.

“At Mojang, we’re in a unique spot because we’ve been around for 15 years and a lot of people that reach out to us have grown up with Minecraft. Sometimes Minecraft is even the reason they started coding, and working here is basically their dream job,” he says.

“But if that’s not the case, one thing people can do to demonstrate interest is to have hobby projects. A lot of people create games in their spare time, or designers and artists create characters just for fun. If you do that, it’s definitely a positive.”

Identify your transferable skills to help you level up

Like any other industry, there are plenty of transferable skills that make your application more desirable. Coders have a slight advantage, as games are built using programming languages (specifically C++ and Java), putting experienced coders in high demand.

“If you’re a C++ developer and you have some experience, even if it’s not with games, you will always be on the map. There is absolutely no shortage of roles that you can apply for,” says Luis Cascante.

Many blockbuster games are built using C++, and experience with 3D creation tools like Unreal Engine and Unity provides the easiest entry points if you come from a technical background.

Cascante says data analysis is another sought-after skill: “It’s not necessarily part of hands-on game creation, but data analysts are definitely in demand. At Rovio, none of our data analysts are from Europe, because we simply can’t find them.”

“If you’re good at maths, statistics and SQL, studios are more likely to pick you up, even if you’re slightly more junior because there’s such a demand right now,” he adds.

DICE, headquartered in Stockholm, is one of the major players in the gaming industry. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se

But it’s not all about coders.

“Producers, artists, designers, marketers and HR practitioners are all needed to successfully build, launch, and market a successful game,” adds Moberg Edenbäck.

Project management, product management and UX design are also highly transferable skill sets, with many people bringing this kind of expertise into gaming after starting out their careers in other industries.

Network, get a mentor and look for internships

Some practical tips Magdalena Björkman shares for those wanting to switch to gaming are to network, look for mentors, and keep an eye out for internships.

“People are very friendly in the gaming industry, so just talk to them! It’s easy to reach out and approach people as mentors, which can help a lot. Also, look for internships, and go to networking events,” she says.

“There are more opportunities now compared to ten years ago, with boot camps and such. I work with a producer at Arrowhead now who had a background in publishing, but he did a course, and now he’s a full-time game producer.”

However, she urges people not to take the decision to switch careers lightly.

“Gaming can be tough. You need to love what you’re doing, take care of yourself, and have other hobbies outside of gaming. It’s easy to get consumed,” she says.

Get an education in gaming

For those who are truly committed to switching to a career in gaming, studying at one of Stockholm’s specialised gaming schools may be an option (they also offer evening classes).

Unsurprisingly, Futuregames’ Cascante is a big advocate for gaming schools and believes they’re a great pathway into the industry for people with the interest but not the experience.

“I’m chairman of the board of education at Futuregames, and we see people in Stockholm are actually taking courses to break into the industry,” he says.

“They take around two and a half years, which sounds like a lot, but you get a lot of training and professional internships in studios. The schools are really good at matchmaking between companies and students. Often the students stay on after their internships, and if they don’t, they still get at least six months of real experience in the industry.”

Minecraft has sold more than 300 million copies, making it the best selling game ever. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se

Other schools include the Sweden Game Area and The Game Assembly, which offer courses in everything from agile project management in gaming to game design and 3D modelling for artists. Most of Sweden’s gaming studios offer internships regularly, including Mojang.

Swedish universities also offer part-time remote modules in for example coding. It’s free to study at university in Sweden for EU citizens and for non-EU residents who are in Sweden on another permit than a student permit, so for example work permits or spouse permits.

Ride the post-boom wave

The gaming industry has a historic reputation for only hiring people with gaming experience, but Björkman believes this mindset is changing.

“In the past, the industry has been a little elitist. It used to be that you needed ten years of experience to get into gaming, but now that’s changing and it’s becoming more open. This is great because we need experience from different industries to bring new know-how and knowledge. We don’t need to do things the same way all the time,” she says.

This is no surprise. After substantial long-term success, it makes sense that a talent-strapped industry has to start casting its net a little wider.

The conclusion? As long as you’re passionate, proactive, and can offer a valuable new perspective, it’s definitely possible to switch to a career path in Sweden’s burgeoning gaming industry.

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