Hannes M. Schalle arrived in Salzburg in 1986 with a bicycle and his grandfather's old leather suitcase.
After studying in Graz and Boston, he came to Salzburg for further studies in communications. His early professional work placed him inside the world of classical music and television, including work with Herbert von Karajan and the Salzburg Festival.
The experience showed him how cultural heritage could be reinterpreted through contemporary media and carried to audiences far beyond its original setting.
In 1989, he founded his first production company in Salzburg.
He later founded and led Aikon Media & Technology, in which he remains a shareholder, and established Moonlake Entertainment in 2006.
From 1998 to 2002, Hannes served as Managing Director of Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and was part of the institution's development team. He helped create two academic programmes connecting creativity, media technology, entrepreneurship and professional production.
His work has since moved across scripted and nonfiction storytelling, music, biography, motorsport, cultural history and technological change.
Selected projects include Lauda: The Untold Story, The Green Hell, Karajan: The Maestro and His Festival, Silent Night: A Song for the World, and Beethoven X – The AI Project.
The genres differ.
The underlying interest remains the same: the person behind the public image, the less familiar story behind an established subject, and the emotional idea capable of travelling internationally.
Today, Hannes develops new properties from the first concept through writing, creative development, financing, production, ownership and international exploitation.
The previous work proves what he can build.
The current projects reveal where he is going.