Celebrating 10 years of BIMM Berlin

It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed…

From our humble beginnings on Warschauer Straße, through rehearsal rooms in shipping containers and our recent expansion into film and acting. Come and take a look at our journey over the past decade.

Since opening our doors on 7 October 2015, BIMM University Berlin has quickly established itself as a leading destination for emerging creatives across the music, acting, and screen industries in Europe.

“It fills me with immense pride to have shaped the growth of BIMM University Berlin from its early beginnings into a thriving, world-class international campus over the past decade. Witnessing generations of diverse, exceptionally creative students pass through our doors inspires me to champion our next chapter as our extraordinary alumni continue to shine on global stages and screens.”

Robert Witoschek
International Campus Dean, BIMM University Berlin

Many of those who’ve joined us over the past decade as emerging musicians, actors, directors, producers, performers or business professionals have since forged careers in the creative industry of their choice, helping inspire our current students who aim to follow in their footsteps.

Much like Berlin itself, we have gone through many transformations since 2015. Our identity, physical premises, and community have all continued to evolve day after day, with no signs of slowing down. We believe that our ability to quickly adapt to the industry around us is the secret ingredient of our success.

“Over the last decade, our priority has been to keep our curriculum closely aligned with the music industry, whilst creating opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom. Through a combination of masterclasses led by industry professionals, events, festivals, conferences and extracurricular activities, we collaborate with partners and other faculties to give students opportunities to develop their skills, build professional networks and gain real-world experience across different career paths.

I am incredibly proud of the impact BIMM Berlin has had on the wider community, supporting people from diverse backgrounds and building a strong, inclusive creative environment. This is made possible by the quality and dedication of our lecturers and staff, who combine industry expertise with strong educational practice. Seeing our students develop into highly skilled professionals and go on to build successful careers is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role…”

Luisa Lerma
Head of School, Music Faculty

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Since 2015, BIMM University Berlin has celebrated some huge numbers, including:

• Welcoming over 2,000 students since 2015

• Bringing together students from 80+ countries

• Facilitating over 350 events

• Hosting 324 masterclasses with top-tier industry professionals

 

It’s important to remember that our educational services extend beyond our current student body. In addition to our popular degrees and short courses, we have also invested time developing training programmes for established professionals across the creative industries. As we continue to diversify our educational offerings, we are excited to see these numbers grow.

Our exclusive masterclasses: Who has paid us a visit?

Since 2015, we’ve welcomed some huge names through our doors, delivering unique masterclasses and workshops exclusively for our students. These have included:

• Mark Williams (Actor, Harry Potter)
• Peaches (Electronic Artist and Producer)
• Divinity Roxx (Bass Player and Songwriter, Beyoncé)
• Gordon Raphael (Producer, The Strokes)
• The Kooks
• Tim Pope (Music Video Director, David Bowie / The Cure / The Darkness)

Big chapters from the past 10 years

2015 – Our humble beginnings on Warschauer Straße.

BIMM Berlin started its journey into the German music industry in a typical Berlin ‘backyard building’. With the permission of our partners noisy Rooms, we set up our first campus in a former carpentry workshop, a location with the perfect design and infrastructure for music studios and rehearsal spaces.

Classes began in October 2015, and quickly we realised that Germany was bursting at the seams with passionate musicians looking for a home to perfect their craft. Thanks to noisy Rooms, we were given a soft landing into Berlin’s creative scene, as they became the foundation of our first student community, allowing us to share their facilities alongside Music Pool Berlin in a unique Tri-lateral partnership on Warschauer Straße.

As we grew, it was clear we were just getting started. During this time, noisy Rooms already had a plan to establish a purpose-built hub for musicians, but the building had not yet been selected.

2017 – Our first big move

In 2017 we outgrew our first premises, and began our migration to the second. Many Berliners will recognize our 2017 campus as the current Urban Spree building, now a popular industrial complex home to art galleries, dance clubs, food stands, and a beer garden.
Due to some unfortunate delays with documentation and administration involving a variety of stakeholders, our facilities weren’t fully ready in time for the start of the academic year. But we didn’t let that stop us. Instead, we came up with the radical idea of hiring shipping containers and turning them into rehearsal spaces, allowing our students to practice and hone their craft without disruptions.

Not your typical campus setup, but pretty cool, right?

But once again, after two years, it was time for us to grow even further. Only this time it was final.

2019 – The House of Music

After four years of procedures and negotiations, we, together with our partners Noisy Rooms, relocated one last time to the widely recognisable House of Music on Revaler Str. 99, just a stone’s throw from our previous campus in RAW-Gelände. The House of Music stands proudly as Berlin’s oldest existing industry building, dating back to the 1860s.



The pictures above show what House of Music looked like in 2016, prior to its €12 million refurbishment by RAW-Gelände. The building was fully revived, returned to its former glory, and is now where we are currently located. A dedicated home for creativity known not just throughout Berlin’s music scene, but across greater Germany too.

With industrial-inspired design, it’s more than just an educational centre and rehearsal space. The building also houses a stage with pro sound and lighting to set the scene for conferences, concerts and showcases. The ‘crohn chandelier’ and R.A.W. designs create a cosy vibe for up to 150+ guests.

Despite only being open since 2019, the House of Music has become a household name in Berlin’s music scene. It has transformed into the perfect microcosm of the creative industry, housing artists, agencies, music management, and our students under the same roof.

Currently sharing the offices at House of Music alongside BIMM University are prominent industry names such as Yamaha, Music Pool Berlin, Cassiopeia, Meder, 343 Labs and the Triangle Agency.

Thanks to the combined efforts of BIMM, RAW-Gelände, and noisy Rooms, our campus now sits in an area surrounded by creativity and expression.

2024 – Our expansion into film with MetFilm School

On 1 February 2024, BIMM University set its sights on the screen industries with the acquisition of MetFilm School. The move brought a new creative community to the university, alongside a wealth of experienced film and acting staff and Molecule Studios, the Berlin home of MetFilm School Berlin.

The students at MetFilm School quickly became an integral part of our wider student body, opening up new opportunities for collaboration between filmmakers, composers, musicians, editors, actors, and creatives across more disciplines than ever before. Over the past two years, we have also seen the facilities at Molecule Studios grow and evolve.

“The future of our film faculty in Berlin is interdisciplinary. As our Acting provision grows alongside Filmmaking and the development of Creative Technology, we have a unique opportunity to create an environment where performers, filmmakers and creative technologists learn from one another and make work together. The boundaries between film, performance and technology are becoming increasingly fluid, and we want our students not simply to respond to that change, but to help shape what comes next.”

Prof. Robert Lehniger
Head of School, MetFilm School Berlin

To meet growing demand for the popular acting programmes at MetFilm School Berlin, we have recently secured agreements with Theatre Pool Berlin and Papillon Studios, allowing us to use their studios and facilities to support us throughout the upcoming 2026/27 academic year.

Our partnership with noisy Rooms

Crucial to the success of our Berlin campus is the symbiotic relationship we have been fortunate to foster with noisy Rooms, who have been operating in Berlin since 2001.
As we have grown together our partnership has blossomed, with our students able to rent equipment and rehearsal rooms at a discounted rate. It’s also not uncommon for our students to find part-time work at noisy Rooms when they aren’t studying hard.

What’s next for BIMM Berlin?

With our graduates taking over the Spotify charts, festival slots, and our TV screens, it’s hard not to feel proud. Their success is our success, and we are always proud to watch them become an inspiration for our entry-level creatives.
But we’re just getting started. As we speak, we’re adapting and expanding our facilities and premises across Berlin to keep up with student demands. Our courses are evolving too, ensuring that students in the coming semesters will receive relevant, up-to-date education.

As Europe’s creative industries evolve at an incredible pace, we’re excited to spread our wings and see what new opportunities will come our way.

But for now, the new academic year is quickly approaching, and those timetables won’t organise themselves.
Vielen Dank, und auf Wiedersehen