KROSSOVER is the interdisciplinary media initiative under the roof of the International Academy of Social Sciences, Innovative Economics and Psychology (INA gGmbh) at the Berlin Free University (FU). Founded in 1997 by the journalists Inge Dähne and Nico Mesterharm, KROSSOVER defines itself as a multinational network overcoming medial boundaries and building digital bridges – within Europe all the way to Asia and America.

Krossover is also „family business“. Inge Dähne was born in 1939. In the times of the German „Wirtschaftwunder“ she paved her career as a writer and editor for magazines such as „Patents/Eltern“, „Jasmin“ and several newspapers before she married Hans-Jürgen Mesterharm – also a journalist and manager for the Axel-Springer-Publishing Company. In 1967 the couple announced the birth of their son Nico and moved to West-Berlin – then an island surrounded by the Berlin Wall and the GDR. Mother and son started to work together when Nico was 8 years old within the Berlin theatre group „Liederkarren“ (LP: „Liebe Eltern, stören wir?“). After hundreds of performances in Berlin, Bonn and Vienna Nico Mesterharm was hired for the TV series „Heiter bis Wolkig“ (ZDF). Moreover he appeared in TV shows („Montagsmaler“), feature films („Danny`s Traum“) and magazines („Kennzeichen D“)

When the wall tumbled in 1989 for reunification Nico Mesterharm has started already to study German language, economics and musical science in Heidelberg. He returned to Berlin and co-founded the innovative electronic music label D’Vision – together with Chris Zippel (producer and remixer of Pet Shop Boys, Marianne Rosenberg etc.), Yoram Roth (Rotor Media) and Thomas Jost (Funkturm Publishing). „Techno“ promised a musical revolution and a new club scene was emerging in Berlin-Mitte. D’Vision tried to connect the young and the old generation of music makers from all all around the globe. The legendary voices of Yma Sumac, LaVern Baker, Eartha Kitt, Hildegard Knef, Ruth Brown or Maxene Andrews (a former „Andrews Sister“) met fresh talents such as Rhythm Method, Spiral Tribe, Dominic Woosey, Alec Empire (CDs: „Berlin Visions“, „New Architecture of House“, „Noise, Love & Unity“ amm.)

But in 1994 the musical mainstream had again won over the underground culture. Dr. Motte´s famous Love Parade turned into a pop carnival and D`Vision was history. Nico Mesterharm and Inge Dähne took over the Berlin „a-verbal“ publishing company, where German essayists Max Goldt and Wiglaf Droste began their career and Marianne Enzensberger, Manfred Maurenbrecher or Fritz Teufel made their first publications.

A-Verbal`s non-fiction books and biographies, such as Hildegard Knef`s „O-Töne: Für mich soll`s rote Rosen regnen" (by Axel Andree) or the subculture anthology „Berlin Technology" (edited by Nico Mesterharm, Wolfgang Brückner and Joel Amaretto) were equally well received by the critics and the readers, as was the „Edition D" – books about the reunified Germany and German personalities from both side of the border. Ines Veith`s „Frauen von Hoheneck“ dealt for instance with female polical prisoners in the GDR. Inge Daehne and Nico Mesterharm were also editors-in-chief for „Ein Kessel Buntes" (on TV-entertainment in the GDR) as well as for Berlin`s „Hauptstadt Illustrierte".

In 1997 the founding of KROSSOVER stemmed from all of these backrounds: With their newest venture Mesterharm/Dähne not only wanted to combine all kinds of modern media (including internet) but to educate and school amateurs how to use them. The multinational team works according to the principle of „Civic Journalism". Writers, photographers and artists try to translate investigated and experienced knowledge directly into action; they not only report about social structures but actively intervene.

Within a model project for the Protestant Church of Berlin Mesterharm/Dähne produced theatre plays (e.g. „Wer ist Erich“ – about the work of German writer Erich Kästner), books, newspapers and a TV documentary („The Trip“/EIKON). Over 30 events, meetings and panels took place in the Jesus Christus Church of Dahlem, in which pastor Martin Niemöller and the Confessional Church put up resistance during the Nazi dictatorship. There the highly acclaimed „Dahlemer Foyer“ was held as a unique round-table-discussion with participation of Richard von Weizsäcker, Heiner Geissler, Gregor Gysi, Wolfgang Huber, Johannes Rau, Gesine Schwan, Wolfgang Thierse and many other German opinion leaders. Up until now Inge Dähne continues to write plays for traumatized children at the „Kinderhaus Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.“ and the „Berlin Dome“.

In the new milennium KROSSOVER made ist reputation as a production house for TV features and documentaries – such as „Joy`s House“ (ITB Toura D´Or 2002) or „Battle for Life“ for the European Cultural TV channel arte. Nico Mesterharm invented the COM.PASSION project as a result of his work on AIDS in SE Asia. In July 2004 COM.PASSION premiered at the 15th World AIDS Conference in Bangkok – together with the German Cultural Foundation Goethe-Institute.

The name KROSSOVER is therefore not a mere play on words but offers a substantial program. In a United Europe of the third millennium in which cultures, directions in art and creative concepts mingle, the network makes room for open-minded thinkers, for strangers and for the unknown. In co-operation with qualified researchers and committed scientists of the International Academy for Social Sciences and Innovative Economy (INA) KROSSOVER tries to draw up concepts for an ethical planning of the future.

If you want to know more about KROSSOVER, please visit our German website www.krossover.de.