At 5to9 Management (a management agency for comedy and music) I learned how a manager can work for the artists and their career instead of the other way around. I gained experience in production, communication, bookings, dvd recordings, press, and authors' rights. In short, I got to know the cultural sector thoroughly from the perspective of artist management, with an eye for the artists.
After that, I started at Flanders Arts Institute, the support center for the arts in Flanders and Brussels, where I was responsible for jazz, folk and world music, and international relations. There I learned to walk the tightrope of fairly supporting all the different stakeholders in the sector. I also put a spotlight on our music scene at fairs and showcasefestivals.
For jazz I helped organise the Belgian Jazz Meeting in 2015, 2017 and 2019 (and later also in 2021, plus the organisation of the European Jazz Conference 2024 in Ghent, both at my next job). Other tasks that were part of the job were, for instance, research into fair practice, and gathering insights from the sector for the policy makers. In this post, my knowledge of the sector, along with my networking skills, truly soared.
As a next step, I became responsible for production and international projects at JazzLab, a concert organiser of jazz tours throughout Flanders and Brussels. That is where my love for international collaborations really took off: next to the production for national and international tours (in close collaboration with our partner venues), I passionately leapt upon Stepping Stone, the talent development project that JazzLab set up. This project was especially eye-opening when it came to the importance of artist support tailored to the individual artists. Stepping Stone supported 2 musicians during 2 years in their individual needs and ambitions and helped them (further) develop their own network as a means towards building a sustainable career. (The attentive reader will notice that the seed for NEST was planted here already.)
When Stepping Stone became part of an international collaboration called Constellations - an umbrella for several talent development programmes throughout Europe - it became crystal-clear to me that talent development was where my passion lay. Even after I left JazzLab, I continued my involvement in the project as a voluntary project manager.
Finally, I also got to know the side of the promoters a little better, first at arts center nona (Mechelen) and then at community center De Kluize. Putting together a cultural programme, room rental, and ticketing all became part of the package. All these jobs taken together have provided me with a well-rounded knowledge of the sector, with an open mind and a lot of understanding for the different players in the field, and a desire to keep on learning.
At the moment I am focusing on talent development, both for musicians and young professionals. Primarily with NEST of course, but I am also still involved in the international talent development project Constellations. Moreover, I am teaching a course on Music Management at the Artevelde College in Ghent (3rd Bachelor).
Finally, I am available to be hired as a freelance production or project coördinator and similar commissions. Music Center De Bijloke is employing my services for specific productions, KAAP also gave me some freelance work, and my hope is soon more venues and cultural organisations will find their way to me. All these cultural activities are clustered under my business venture SALT (because in Dutch we have the saying that "culture is the salt on your potatoes."
A Board of Directors I am still a part of, is vi.be, the Flemish support center for music. This role provides me with useful insights into the contemporary music scene and the needs of its different stakeholders. I enjoy following the development of the groundbreaking new projects that vi.be introduces.
Until recently I was also a board member of the Europe Jazz Network (EJN), the largest formal music network in Europe. This network is a hothouse for inspiring collaborations and dedicates itself to tackling bigger social issues through music. Constellations, the umbrella talent development project that is very dear to me, sprouted from this network. I learned a great deal from its magnificent staff and the other board members of EJN.
In a long lost past I also held a seat on the Board of Directors at't Smiske, an art center in Asse (my home town), which explains my early ties with folk music. My appreciation for how musical collaborations can empower and inspire people took seed here.
There are almost too many activities to sum up, but I'll attempt to provide a glimps of the different roles music has played and still plays in my free time. After having played music myself in a few bands (funk and post-rock, if anyone wants to know), I realised I am better at organising music than playing it. One of my first steps towards the cultural sector was with my hobby management agency Bis Bookings, with which I took a few bands of friendly musicians under my wings. This lead to me suddenly becoming part of the jazz scene and gathering a heap of contacts in a very short space of time. Via a couple of communication jobs at Democrazy and Ha Concerts I ended up being a volunteer at Boomtown and Glimps Festival, under the experienced eye of Els Van Mieghem, who became my partner in crime. Not long after that we were organising small concerts together in Ghent as catch#. Names such as Mauro, Hypochristmutreefuzz, Whispering Sons, SCHNTZL and High Hi found a spot on our stage. After that I also became part of the artistic team of Copacobana festival, Trefpunt Festival (Ghent Festival) and Café Afsnis.
Most of these activities started before I even started my first actual job in the cultural sector, in 2015. Even after that, I continued volunteering at several organisations and helping musicians as a hobby. The sounding board that I want to be with Aviation 2.0 is something I have been doing for years, as a favour to friends. Questions about cd-releases or crowdfunding projects, help with grant applications, everyone was welcome, also - and mostly even - after my actual working hours. The most recent applications I have helped out with are those ofLara Rosseel, Natashia Kelly, Mattias De Craene, Peenoise (in collaboration with Ha Concerts and Kopergietery), Willem Heylen, Pool of Sound (commissioned by KAAP), Sander De Keere, but there were many before them.
Despite the big focus on music in both my free time and work time, I actually studied something completely different: I am a linguist, specialising in Germanic languages. In 2005 I received my master's diploma and in 2009 my PhD, but after ten years of working at university, I decided to say farewell to academia.
What I took from my linguistic career is my language instinct, my talent for writing, and especially also my near nativeness in English. These all come in handy when writing application texts or bios, especially in international contexts.
