Holger E. Metzger

Holger E. Metzger founded TMRC Impact, a marketing research & brand communications agency, in Shanghai in 1998. Native fluent in Chinese, he was the first non-Chinese qualitative moderator to conduct FGDs and deep psychological interviews across China. Today he is probably the most accomplished insights and brand communication specialist in one of the world's most challenging markets. His agency became a preferred China insights partner for dozens of leading global companies operating in China, from Coca-Cola to Unilever, and eventually coverage expanded to India, Indonesia, Thailand, the US and European markets.

 

Consumer & Brand Communication Psychology

An early specialization in cutting-edge psychological insights and brand communication techniques led to professional working relationships with Harvard Business School and Chinese university marketing & psychology researchers. TMRC Impact / Narrative Acuity became a pioneer in the use of Narrative and Perception Psychology in consumer insights and branding. Holger's "Brand & Consumer Psychology Masterclass" is available on leading e-learning platforms.

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Creative Film Work

Holger also earned an MFA in Film & TV from AAU, San Francisco, where he learned from Hollywood greats such as Bob Engels (Twin Peaks) and James Dallessandro. Driven by his passion for storytelling and film-making, Holger created the Creative Chromatics Division in his firm in Shanghai in 2014.

 

In the same year he conceived, wrote and directed the Chinese-language web-series ‘Men, Impossible’ with a female rights angle on the social issue of so-called 'left-over women' in China. It gained 10+ million views within a couple of days on the Chinese streaming platform iqiyi.com before being removed by 'Ministry of Thought' censors who considered the series "socially disruptive": the ending did not conform to stereotypical patriarchal views of a woman's role in society at the time...the series clearly left an impact. Further short films also dissected individual experiences in times of transformation, such as 'Brain Science', an entertainingly cynical view on what the much-touted idea of 'Win-Win' really means in China, 'Buzzcut', an animated short on how justice is sometimes handled.
 

His 2023 documentary on Dirk Bürklin, a traditional glass artist in the German Black Forest, "The Useless Glassblower", won several international film festival awards. In 2024 his music video "My Red Bicycle" was awarded Best Music Video at the Mannheim Arts & Film Festival, and his "Man by the Window" music video won bronze at the highly influential Global Music Awards (USA), and Best Music Video at the London Multi Dimension Film Festival.

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Holger continues his creative work as a producer, director and DP, as well as a professionally trained and certified editor & colorist who frequently works with commercial and art-house film productions all over the world, to help fellow filmmakers realize their visions.

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