GLAD 20 YEARS - Flipbook - Page 14
Thank You,
Minister
TV-Glad became a success! Only not financially. Funds were scarce in the beginning of 2000. Until
the 17 of April. On this day the then Minister for Economy, Marianne Jelved, served as bartender
at Toga Vinstue in Copenhagen. Citizens could come by and talk to the minister, present ideas that
needed political support to materialise.
“It was really crowded, but finally, it was my turn,” says Henrik Marentius. “You’ve got five minutes,” she said. “I told her about our approach and history, our thoughts on learning by doing, and
I was taking too long. People started booing. Then the minister rang the bell and closed the bar. She
asked how much we needed, and whether our idea was on paper.” The meeting turned out to be
crucial.
“I had imagined no more than having my say,” says Henrik Marentius. “So I burst out with five mill.
DKK (app. € 666,666) a year for six years, by which time I said we’d be self-reliant. She asked us to
come by her office the following day. I was sky high, and called Mikkel to say, he better gets ready to
haul ass.”
The short version: the meeting was held, a plan developed, and TV-Glad was granted considerable government funds earmarked for special initiatives in the fields of health, labour market and
social affairs.
“We received a letter saying, Dear TV-Glad, we have met your application with 3.9 mill. DKK
2001-2003. Lots of money, right? We were able to realise our vision. We hired most of the staff that
were working on long-term unemployment benefits, and we bought two big Mercedes crew cars,”
reminisces Mikkel Holmbäck.
In 2001, TV-Glad moved to new premises, 600 m²/6500 ft² on the third floor of Peter Ipsens Allé,
NW Copenhagen. At the housewarming on the 22 of November, there was a special greeting from
TV-Glad in Esbjerg, which went on air two months earlier. The two stations shared the same vision,
but cooperation was of yet mostly in name.
“The government’s support in the way of special funds continued for several years and have been
essential in developing Glad to what it is today,” says Mikkel Holmbäck.
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