Professionalization in space: Social-spatial strategies of culturepreneurs in Berlin

This article discusses the social interactions and spatial practices of young businesspeople, the so-called ‘culturepreneurs’, and the networking activities they use to form professional scenes in the field of design production in Berlin's cultural industries. This article primarily deals with a problem currently facing entrepreneurship and creative industries: how do young start-up entrepreneurs overcome structural paradoxes between individual professionalization and competitiveness on the one hand, while improving their entrepreneurial performances by depending on a badly needed innovation climate provided in social contexts and professional scenes on the other? For the purposes of this article, ‘scenes’ will be conceptually understood as a necessary prerequisite for creative milieu formations. They are considered to be informal, communicatively established social constructions and are based on the local narratives as well as the self-descriptions of entrepreneurs. Infused with a unique mixture of local myths and everyday life stories, these scenes serve as atmospheric stimulation for many people endeavouring to feel connected to a specific urban place – in this case Berlin – where they can launch their own entrepreneurial project.