Rebel Times / Business Unusual / No. 02

REBEL TIMES BUSINESS UNUSUAL NO

CREATIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS & INSIGHTS

THE ONE AND ONLY

MOONSPOON SALOON /1/

0

REBELTIMES BUSINESS UNUSUAL

NO

/2/

2

CREATIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS & INSIGHTS

/3/

EDITOR IN CHIEF C C H arla

ammilla

jort

EDITOR

Madeleine Dore

ART DIRECTION Emil Holm

EDITORS AT LARGE

Cecilia Studer & Scott Cooper

COPY EDITORS

Cecilia Studer & Scott Cooper

ADVERTISMENT & FINANCE Rikke Krogh Mogensen

ASSISTANT EDITOR Emilie Guldbrandsen

FOLLOW US

FIND US ONLINE

SAY HELLO

vimeo.com/artrebels vimeo.com/rebelacademy facebook.com/artrebels pinterest.com/artrebels

Artrebels.com Rebelacademy.org Rebelagency.dk Trailerparkfestival.com /4/

Norre Voldgade 18 DK- 1358 Copenhagen K info@artrebels.com +45 81 61 81 00

DI TOR IAL Dear Reader We are proud to present the second issue of Rebel Times – Business Unusual. It’s been 8 very intense weeks getting this magazine together while trying to juggle a multitude of other projects at the same time. It might look easy but if you saw the team struggle to reach deadline in the last 24 hours, you would understand.

With this issue we hope to continue to shine a spotlight on the entrepreneurs and self-made talents who inspire us, they deserve all the buzz and appreciation they can get. Finding your inner passion is one achievement, but managing to transform your passion into a successful business is something truly special.

It takes tenacity, guts, and the ability to recognize your talent.

Reaching a point of personal fulfillment is a journey that everyone needs to take, but for entrepreneurs it seems to be the driving force right from the get go. Once you realize you have the potential to create your own reality, something quite magical can and will happen. This magazine is dedicated to sharing the stories of some of these great daring souls who have been bold and taken the risk of making it on their own terms. Powerful women like Tine Thygesen (Everplaces), Sharin Foo (The Ravonettes) and dynamic duo Sara Sachs and Evren Tekinoktay (Moonspoon Saloon) share their experiences and insights, their ups and downs, while artists and photographers like Anika Lori, HuskMitNavn and Gregers Heering remind us of the unique power images have to tell inspiring stories of their own. We want this issue to not only inspire you to follow your dreams and take on the world, but also to provide you with some tricks of the trade to help improve your business and entrepreneurial skills.

I personally would like to thank all the amazing and talented people who volunteered to make this magazine a reality – you rock my socks!

And finally to all of you who reads this: Remember to rebel – only you have the golden key to realize your dreams.

Carla C. Hjort

The best way to predict the future is to create it

REBEL TIMES

CONTRIBUTORS

Writers

Graphic design

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Scott Cooper Carla Cammilla Hjort Sophia Skinbjerg Madelaine Dore Cecilia Studer Simon Caspersen Jacob Langvad Nilsson David Cope Trine Nielsen Chris Bailey Stine Spandet Haurum Emil Schott Sauerberg

Emil Holm Henrik Kruse

Rosendahls - print design - media

Photographers Jacob Langvad Nilsson Gregers Heering Abdellah Ihadian Samy khabthani Bobby Anwar Helena Lundquist

ARTists Josephine Kyne Hedof David Biskup Mattia Lullini Billy & Alex waaitt Iben Soffy Nadav Wiesman Anika Lori Jens Paldam kristian touborg

/6/

R/

CONTENT female entrepreneurs

where entrepreneurs...

the essentials

10 - 19

70 - 73

101

burlesque hypnotigue

my own boss

the art of film making

20 - 23

74 - 75

102 - 109

tool box

gregers heering

onlne legal advice

26 - 27

76 - 81

110 - 111

moonspoon saloon

hash tag

born global

30 - 39

82 - 83

112 - 113

Art selections

the jugglers

confessions of a good...

40 - 49

86 - 89

114 - 115

artrebels gallery

emerging markets...

a year of productivity

50 - 51

90 - 95

118

husk mit navn

horsens street art

a healthy way of life

52 - 57

96 - 99

119

anika lori

inspirational web

60 - 63

100

startup stars 64 - 69 /7/

REBEL AGENCY TIMELINE 2013 ARTREBELS MOVES TO NEW HQ

NEW VISUAL IDENTITY FOR HUSETS TEATER

ARTREBELS GETS NEW INVESTOR

STREET ART COMPETETION ØRESTADEN

COVER DESIGN SOUND OF COPENHAGEN

TRAILERPARK PRE PARTY

GLOBAL NOMADS VISIT DENMARK

SOCIAL DET OBELSKE

2013

REBEL TIMES BUSINESS UNUSUAL NO 01

IKEA LIMITED EDITION FURNITURE DESIGN

COMPANY ORIGINALS EVENT

RT RELEASE PARTY

/8/

STREET ART FESTIVAL HORSENS

HYORO EXHIBITION

SENSA FOOTBALL

CIAL CAMP BELSKE FAMILIE FOND

IKEA DIY PROJECT

TRAILERPARK PHOTOBOOK RELEASE

NEW ARTREBELS.COM WEB DESIGN

JUST PLANTS EXHIBITION

REBEL POP-UP SHOP

REBEL TALKS #3

2014

TRAILERPARK FESTIVAL 2013

SATIONAL BALL DESIGN

REBEL KIDS CHARLOTTENBORG

CPH DOWNTOWN HOSTEL VISUAL IDENTITY, WEB & VIDEO

POSTER DESIGN REFSHALEØEN

STICKS ‘N’ SUSHI X-MAS CAMPAIGN

/9/

REBEL TIMES NO 02

/ 10 / kristian touborg

/ 11 /

/ 12 /

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

/ 13 /

SHARIN FOO Interview by Carla C. Hjort

PHOTO BY james kelly

/ 14 /

Name: Sharin Foo Age: 39 years old Born: Grenaa in Jutland, Denmark Profession: Singer and entrepreneur Passions: Playing music, enjoying the arts and striking up conversations around the globe

Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of music duo The Raveonettes could easily be considered the pinnacle of lead singer Sharin Foo’s career. Signed

by Columbia Records in 2002, such a stunning career trajectory is what many aspiring musicians dream of – but for the Danish rock-star, the dream doesn’t end there.

Sharin Foo grew up in a home full of music with a musician-turned-commercial-pilot father. Teaching herself how to play bass, music was always a natural part of her life. It was discovering jazz that initially inspired her to study at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, which eventually lead to music becoming her profession.

While commerical success would be enough for some, for Sharin Foo it’s only one slice of a much bigger pie, filled with a plentiful array of life accomplishments. She has spent six months sailing a two-masted wooden schooner; studied classical Indian music in India; and is the mother of a beautiful baby girl, Molly.

Now residing in Los Angeles with her family, it’s time for this self-proclaimed wine aficionado to explore another one of her passions with the launch of an online art and design shop, HURRA! co-founded with Danish graphic designer Camilla Hjerl. We found out how she manages to keep it all afloat with style and flare to boot!

Your new venture HURRA! is an online shop that sells a handpicked selection of Danish art and design objects.

What inspired you to move in this new direction?

When I moved to Los Angeles seven years ago, I met fellow Dane Camilla Hjerl and we became good friends. Camilla is an architect and a graphic designer by trade, and we share a lot of common interests in art, design, culture, fashion, food – the list goes on! We both longed for a physical space to share with other creative people and dreamed of going to a workplace where we could be part of a creative community – be inspired and inspire. That was the beginning and is still the dream for HURRA! We launched the online store in December last year, and it is now materializing as a specialty store filled with everything – and everyone – Danish that we love.

I’m curious – do you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

Well, it doesn’t say entrepreneur on my LinkedIn, but I just looked up the definition, and I can safely say I am one: I organize, operate, and assume the risk of a business venture.

You've been a professional musician since you and Sune Wagner formed The Ravonettes in 1999. What inspired you to get involved in other ventures such as TV shows, and now your own Danish art and design business, HURRA!?

It's been a natural progression really. I wanted to pursue different paths other than music and I've always thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and potential collaborators. The truth is, I find inspiration in each of the projects that then relates to another… in this way they feed off each other, if that makes sense? For me, it's all about creating synergy.

It’s a relatively new business in that case. What has been the most difficult aspect in terms of starting out? It’s all the little things we never wanted to deal with or have no clue about. Basically we have had to learn a lot of things from scratch… Learning by doing and trial and error. Lately it’s been all the administration involved with shipping, customs and airfreights that was driving us nuts and keeping me awake at night.

Is it difficult to manage several projects at once?

It can be. There are only so many hours in a day… and night! Sometimes everything can fall within the same time period and in that situation I usually have to compromise something. But for the most part, I think it works out.

/ 15 /

Why did you choose to live in L.A. instead of Copenhagen?

Life with Raveonettes has led me to live in London as well as New York City, and in 2005 I met my now husband and moved to L.A. for him.

Home is where the heart is.

Where does your talent for business come from?

I think the business-savvy DNA comes from my mother who works in administration and accounting at a folk high school. Perhaps it also comes from my Chinese grandfather – he opened the very first Chinese restaurant in Denmark.

Soon after I graduated I was working in music distribution and my boss suffered from a herniated disc and I basically had to run the place for a few months. I suppose that’s when I realized I had a talent for the business side of things.

Do you think L.A. differs from Copenhagen when it comes to being a creative entrepreneur? Hmm… I moved away from Copenhagen before I had any entrepreneurial tendencies, so I have little understanding of Copenhagen in that sense. HURRA! has been a great way to connect in L.A. and become part of the city and the creative community.

What’s the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur?

Mostly I am my own biggest challenge. There are days when I wake up and everything seems overwhelming. Sometimes I just want to pull the plug on this busy lifestyle and do nothing but be a Mom and cook family dinners.

Can you tell me about a typical day for you? Since my daughter Molly started kindergarten, life has become extremely structured.

I get up at seven and take her to school – I usually walk as she hurries along on the scooter. Then I work, work, work, mostly on the computer answering emails or in Skype conferences. There is a lot of driving in L.A. traffic and other Raveonettes and HURRA! work until I pick Molly up at around 4 pm. Then we do homework. Play. Have dinner. Bath.

Bedtime. Then I have my glass of red wine and work some more. Life is busy these days!

What do you think your strongest assets are?

I tend to have a good understanding of the bigger picture as well as strong intuition and good social skills. And I can work hard! … And your weakest? I am easily distracted and have terrible time management skills. Oh – and a tendency to procrastinate.

Any advice for young creative entrepreneurs?

Love what you do.

How do you manage to be a Mom, a wife, a friend, a rock star and an entrepreneur, all at the same time?

There are days when I feel guilty about neglecting one for the other, and feel part of my life may be falling short. But I constantly remind myself of the priorities in life. I am definitely too busy, and the next couple of months are going to be crazy with our HURRA! pop-up shop event in Venice. It will be a huge challenge, so there is no doubt that my family-life will be suffering a little over Christmas. This makes me anxious, but I also feel it's important to show your kids that you love what you do. That being said, there has been plenty of funny situations that have come out of combining the mom and rock star roles. It’s been interesting – to say the least – especially in the breastfeeding days when we were touring. I probably don't have to elaborate too much on that.

What’s your favorite company? ArtRebels! I love the company because it's a community that facilitates culture, art and creativity with a fresh perspective, positivity and a sense of celebration. Respect.

Last words? … I need sleep!

Follow The Raveonettes on Instagram or Facebook and visit the online shop HURRA! at www.hurra-hurra.com

“There are days when I feel guilty about neglecting one for the other, and feel part of my life may be falling short. But I constantly remind myself of the priorities in life”

/ 16 /

HURRA HURRA / 17 /

TINE THYGESEN Interview by Carla C. Hjort

PHOTOS BY samy khabthani

/ 18 /

Name: Tine Thygesen Age: 33 Born: Aalborg, Denmark Profession: CEO of Everplaces, Entrepreneur Passions: Champagne, Books & Maps

Tine Thygesen is the Founder and CEO of popular travel, food, and design mobile app Everplaces. She grew up in a pretty normal middle class family and it was only later in life that she realized there was something a little different about her upbringing: the dinner conversations. Her parents, who worked in the same organization, passionately and relentlessly discussed the ins and outs of business during their evening meals.

Throughout childhood, event-stylist-turned-entrepreneur Tine Thygsen became very familiar with the challenges of business. As she casually explains, statistically, the largest common denominator that gives women the courage to become entrepreneurs is coming from a home where it's normal to talk about business.

And Tine couldn’t be more grateful for her parents' business chatter. She tells us that from an early age, she grew up with a belief that things can be changed, rules can be challenged and situations can be improved. At school she was involved in politics and on the social event committee where she learned that work doesn’t have to feel like work. An adventurer by heart, fourteen days after graduating from high school, the budding entrepreneur took the train south to work in Italy and it would be another nine years before she returned to Denmark. She has lived in a ski resort in Switzerland, worked as an investment banker in London, bought her first house in New Zealand and started her first company in Australia – all in less than a decade.

You don’t have an educational background in the tech field, how did you manage to become one of Denmark’s first successful female tech entrepreneurs? I think now more than ever, people can choose the industry they want to be in. For me, it started about five years ago when I realized that the big startup opportunities were in technology, so I decided to start working in that industry. My first gig in technology was as the CEO for a video site company. After that I wanted to switch to the mobile space. So three years ago I started Everplaces, because I knew that the best way to become an expert in anything is to work with it everyday.

How did you get the idea for your first start up?

I probably had over a hundred ideas before I actually started my first company. I had been working in event styling which is a big industry in Australia where I was living at the time, and I was ready to take the jump and start my own business. My first thought was to start an event management company. I quickly realized that idea was hard to scale and since it was a hobby for many people, it was hard to charge enough to make a good business out of it. However, I saw a gap in the market and decided to become a supplier to the industry. So I made an e-commerce business creating the first connection between big importers of decor and professional decorators. We were the first company to do this and quickly established a strong awareness for the brand. It was sold a year later to one of our suppliers and I got my first taste of the real potential of my professional future.

We love the motto behind Everplaces, “Because it’s not a lonely planet”. Where did the idea for the mobile app come from? Living in Copenhagen, I kept seeing great restaurants I wanted to try out but couldn’t find a good system to share and remember them – you can always collect business cards, or notes on scraps of paper, but it all seems a little haphazard. So in 2011 I decided to build Everplaces with co-founders Angelica Vargas and Christoffer Kaalund to make it easier to quickly note down places, restaurants, cafes, galleries and cool hangouts in a personal, visually appealing way to help trigger the memory in the future.

So, what did you learn from your first venture?

I had no idea what I was doing when I started, so I was amazed how much you can make happen from just sheer tenacity and trying different things. I actually designed the website myself... in Excel! I became totally hooked on being an entrepreneur and found that working for myself is my kind of life.

/ 19 /

than me and try to learn from them what I can. I've never wanted to limit myself by solely finding other female entrepreneurs as role models, but I was impressed by Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In... She is an inspiration to me.

You managed to get investors on board for Everplaces, how did that happen? That's a long process. It all started with having a focus on creating the right and necessary network of potential investors. Next, it’s important to be able to present traction early on and have a team with an impressive track record. Our investors have all previously been entrepreneurs, so they totally get what we do and are generally awesome.

Can you tell us how you manage to balance a very busy work life with a healthy and happy personal life?

If you work with something you love, it often doesn't feel like work, so that helps. My boyfriend is also an entrepreneur so we live a very flexible life and we understand and support each other. I think that is extremely important for entrepreneurs. If you want to be successful in what you do, you need a partner who supports that mission. Also, I spend as much time as possible recharging with a book, in silence or drinking wine with good people.

What advice would you give to hopeful entrepreneurs when it comes to getting funding for their projects or ideas?

Make contacts early – long before you even expect anyone to invest.

That way you build personal rapport and have a chance to set small goals and show you can reach them. And expect to drink a lot of coffee before it finally happens.

Besides being the Founder and CEO of Everplaces, you’ve also started the tech hub, Founders House. Can you explain what Founders House is and why you wanted to create such a community? I had just started Everplaces and I wanted to create an office space of talented and energetic people who could learn from one another. At the time, I couldn't find anything that matched my ideal, so I started Founders House together with four other entrepreneurs. The goal was to bring together ambitions and talented people working in web and mobile. Today, I believe it's the best place to start a tech company in Scandinavia.

If you could fulfill one dream right now, what would it be?

I'd like to go to Myanmar before it becomes too touristy. And I'd like to learn Kung Fu. Ok, that’s two!

Enlighten us – are you working in technology because you want to make a positive difference in the world, or are you solely on the look out for great business opportunities?

Ultimately I am not that motivated by money, but rather by the freedom and the chance to make a difference to people’s lives. But in my career I've learned that it's just as hard creating a mediocre venture as a successful one, so I'd never get into anything that doesn’t have the potential to become a huge business opportunity.

Any last pieces of advice or food for thought you would like to share? I'll end with a quote from Henry Ford, "Whether you think you can, or you can't - you're right." In other words, if you believe in yourself and try new things, then ultimately you will improve, be more fulfilled and some of your ideas are bound to work out.

What legacy would you like to leave to the world?

It would be great if I could be part of shaping a world where people are nice to each other and the rainforest hasn't been completely depleted.

But given that they are big tasks, I'll settle for trying to make a difference to the lives of all the people who work with me, and enable them to live a quality life where they feel valued and free.

Follow Tina on Twitter @tahitahi or visit www.everplaces.com and daredo.tumblr.com

Who inspires you the most? I am so lucky to be surrounded by inspirational entrepreneurs everyday at Founders House, as well as other people in the rest of the startup and business community in Denmark.

I always look to people who are doing something different or better

"Whether you think you can, or you can't you're right."

Henry Ford

/ 20 /

/ 21 /

/ 22 /

burl hypno esque tique A DIFFERENT KIND OF PARTY.

by Madeleine Dore

Rita Christina Biza is a kind of entrepreneurial octopus. A strong sense of curiosity and drive has led her to host workshops for refugees in the Middle East, DJ around the globe in duo Ladybox, open a bar with friends, create a regular flea market in the heart of Copenhagen, co-create a DJ hire company and become a board member for TEDxCopenhagen. And then along came burlesque.

Her inextinguishable wanderlust has taken her around the world picking up inspiration and fuelling her creativity. But it was travelling to San Francisco that she fell completely in love with the risqué performance art and wanted to establish the scene in Copenhagen. Burlesque Hypnotique was born.

Now, the regular sold-out shows leave audiences mystified and delighted as they watch hula-hoops alight with fire spin and spin, listen to spoken word, witness a classic striptease, watch a humorous, slapstick boxing match – just to name a few.

Rita knows how to educate an audience and is bringing the best of burlesque to Copenhagen. Burlesque Hypnotique is bold, breathtaking, seductive and stimulating – and we can’t wait to see more.

/ 23 / PHOTOS BY ABDELLAH IHADIAN

/ 24 /

Rita Christina Biza’s advice to upcoming entrepreneurs: “Some say that if you are ambitious you should start big, don’t be afraid to fail, just do it. This is great – but I’ve seen people try to create something that is promoted extensively and promises a lot, but they don’t have the experience or network to deliver… which then leads to a lot of disappointment. Start small and build it from there. Make sure to build the quality, crowd, and team first and then you can scale a little bit at a time. It’s about being humble in what you do and delivering what you promise people.”

Find Burlesque Hypnotique on Facebook. / 25 /

If you’re not making mistakes then you’ not making / 26 /

not mistakes ’re making

THE TOOL BOX Quick picks for inspiration, learning and productivity

COMMUNITIES AND PLATFORMS

WEBSITES

IDEAS BY YOU / (IDEASBYYOU.COM)

FASTCOMPANY / (FASTCOMPANY.COM)

CREATUR / (CREATUR.DK)

99U: INSIGHTS ON MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN / (99U.COM)

A platform for connecting, networking and sharing ideas, IdeasByYou hosts regular events featuring interviews with thought leaders alongside various startups that pitch their ideas to the crowd. IdeasByYou broadcasts the ideas from the event to their global ambassador network and publish the idea for crowdfunding.

The award-winning business magazine’s website is an online sanctuary for any entrepreneur and is filled with thousands of motivating articles, how-to’s and profiles covering areas of design, innovation, business, productivity, sustainability and much, much more.

Creatur provides business tools including a blog with practical tips curated by a ‘Creative Panel’ of 12 passionate business people and a multitude of online courses relevant to creative businesses.

99u wants to change the mentality of the creative world through articles, videos and workbooks featuring daily insights on creativity and productivity. Recognizing that great ideas come to life through experiments, failing and leaning, 99u wants to inspire us to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

REBEL ACADEMY / (REBELACADEMY.ORG)

TRENDHUNTER / (TRENDHUNTER.COM)

A community for creative and cultural entrepreneurs, Rebel Academy’s online platform offers informational and inspirational blog posts and video testimonials by creative profiles. It also arranges talks and panel debates, primarily around the Copenhagen area.

Trendhunter deciphers the latest trend reports in fashion, technology, design, advertising, business and lifestyle so you know what’s hot before it’s even considered hip.

CROWD SOURCING AND FUNDING

CREATIVEMORNINGS / (CREATIVEMORNINGS.COM)

Founded in New York by SwissMiss, CreativeMornings has spread to over fifty cities around the globe allowing thousands to enjoy a monthly event consisting of breakfast and an inspirational talk. In Denmark you can attend CreativeMornings in Aarhus and you can stream talks from all over the world via their website.

BOOOMERANG / (BOOOMERANG.DK)

Denmark’s own crowdfunding platform where entrepreneurs, artists, organizations and other creatives can raise money to realize good ideas and projects.

ARTLAB & WORKLAB / (ARTLAB.DK)

FUNDED BY ME / (FUNDEDBYME.COM)

ArtLab helps you develop your platform, network, career and even your creative side through various courses, training programs and coaching. Creative folks can also rent out office space via the WorkLab project.

One of the first crowdfunding platforms to offer both reward-based and equity crowdfunding.

THUNDERCLAP / (THUNDERCLAP.IT)

The first crowdspeaking platform that helps people and their message be heard by creating a wave of attention on social media if the campaign is successful.

/ 28 /

BOOKS THE START UP OF YOU / REID HOFFMAN & BEN CASNOCHA

ENTREPRENEUR / (ENTREPRENEUR.COM)

Author Ben Casnocha and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffmann explain how to accelerate your career in a world more competitive than ever and provide tools, insights, and strategies used by successful entrepreneurs.

A business magazine directed at entrepreneurs and people working with small business management.

AARHUS AFFAIRS / (AARHUSAFFAIRS.DK)

An Aarhus based magazine with the mission to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in the fields of culture, education and business. With an appealing layout and mind-opening content, Aarhus Affairs is definitely worth keeping an eye our for.

SELF PROMOTION FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON / LEE SILBER

Self-promotion is crucial to stand out from the crowd and communicate your talent to the world. It is also one of the most difficult things to do. This book provides ideas and guidelines for the creative to master the art of self-promotion.

BITCHSLAP / (BITCHSLAPMAG.COM)

The contemporary culture and lifestyle magazine is known for its humorous approach to art, fashion, music, film and the skate and snowboarding scene.

ADAPT: WHY SUCCESS ALWAYS STARTS WITH FAILURE / TIM HARFORD

APPLICATIONS

Harford explores the crucial ability to adapt to the different challenges and everchanging surroundings we face in order to turn failure into success.

BUFFER / (BUFFERAPP.COM)

Buffer will automatically post content for you on various platforms throughout the day. The perfect tool if you are working with a lot of different social media.

THE ELEMENT: HOW FINDING YOUR PASSION CHANGES EVERYTHING / KEN ROBINSON

Natural talent, passion, and achievement all fuse together to form ‘the element’ and Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find our own.

BOOMERANG FOR GMAIL / (BOOMERANGGMAIL.COM)

Sometimes you may only get around to replying to emails late at night, but often it’s not an ideal time for the receiver. With this application you can schedule your emails so they are sent out the perfect time.

LEAN IN: WOMEN, WORK AND THE WILL TO LEAD / SHERYL SANDBERG

The chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles is stunted and offers solutions on how to change this. She provides practical advise on how to combine professional achievements with personal fulfillment.

INTRO / (GETINTRO.NET)

INTRO uses LinkedIn and Facebook connections to find new people who share the same interests as you, but who aren’t already in your network. A simply idea that proves strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet!

MAGAZINES FORBES / (FORBES.COM)

SLEEP CYCLE / (SLEEPCYCLE.COM)

Renowned for its extensive lists and rankings, Forbes is an American business magazine featuring articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics.

There is nothing worse than being startled by your alarm clock first thing in the morning. Sleep cycle analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you in your lightest sleep phase, ensuring a pleasant start to your day.

/ 29 /

TRAILER FESTIVAL 31 JULI / 30 /

RPARK L2014 -2 SUPPORTED BY

/ 31 /

THE ONE AND ONLY MOONSPOON SALOON Interview by Carla C. Hjort

If you are a fashion devotee you most likely already know the amazing and in every way rebellious brand Moonspoon Saloon. If not, this is one company that you are sure to add to your inspiration list! Moonspoon Saloon sets itself apart from other brands and takes fashion to an entirely new level by turning clothing into walking art pieces. This is a truly unique brand and so are the two women behind it.

Despite busy schedules and studios spread across continents, I managed to meet up with co-founder and designer Sara Sachs and her new partner in crime Evren Tekinoktay. It’s a rainy October morning in Copenhagen, but both women arrive in vibrant outfits that transform the term fashionista into a kaleidoscopic dream and I can’t help but feel extremely underdressed. It’s obvious that these women are playing by their own rules and I’m intrigued. We order our coffees and get right to it – no time to waste.

The situation is a little bit odd as I’ve known Sara for many years and Evren is also no stranger to me. As friends we are used to lighthearted conversation but suddenly we find ourselves switching to a more serious, down-tobusiness tone. I get the feeling they have something on their minds. It turns out they had some reservation about doing an interview about how to run a business, “We are just not sure if we can claim that Moonspoon has a sound business model – I mean, we deliver fur for the summer and shorts for the winter” says Sara with a little laugh. Evren seems to agree and adds, “We are right in the middle of creating a new strategy, so nothing is set in stone at the moment.” I quickly assure them that despite understanding their hesitation, I also know that such an unusual story like theirs is sure to inspire – it’s not a typical run-of-the-mill success story about a company with a clear strategy, pipeline forecasts and production plans laid out for the next five years. Moonspoon Saloon is anything but ordinary and its international success is one indication of their extraordinary business sensibilties. I eventually convince them they are the right fit and to carry-on with the interview.

The beginning Moonspoon Saloon came to life in 2008, just when the global financial crisis hit the fan and more or less overnight turned the world economy upside down. As a result many luxury brands were left devastated and anxious to see if they could survive in these new and hard times. “The timing probably couldn’t have been worse, I mean, we wanted to create a brand based on selling clothes as art pieces and that meant high-end clients willing to spend a lot of money.” Again, Sara lets out her little soft laugh as if she finds life’s challenges amusing rather than scary and unsettling.

/ 32 /

PHOTO BY Henrik B端low / COllection: Disco Oriental

/ 33 /

PHOTO BY Asger Aaskov Mortensen / COllection: Disco Oriental

Moonspoon Saloon was initially created by Sara Sachs (designer and concept developer), Tal R (artist and business-brain) and Noam Griegst (fashion photographer). Evren is a fairly new addition to the Moonspoon dream-team but has already done two collections together with Sara and a third is in the making as we speak.

Sara had a dream of creating a different kind of fashion brand. “I grew up in a very wealthy family but my parents decided to go the bohemian way and we lived in a big collective full of secondhand-clothing adorned hippies. I clearly remember sitting in my oversized tee on Christmas Eve, admiring all my well-dressed aunts and cousins with their huge diamond rings and silk scarves. When I became a designer I knew I wanted to bring poverty to the rich in an artistic way.”

Sara lived out her dream, starting out by combining the two most prominent areas of her design background – denim and costumes. “After I finished my degree at Central Saint Martins, I worked for the Italian brand Ruby Jeans. When I wasn’t in Italy designing jeans I would live out my fantasies by designing costumes for theater.” It was on the set of Last Dance To Mars, where Sara was designing costumes, that she met set designer and artist Tal R. It quickly became clear that the two of them had a lot in common and by combining their individual skills they could create something extraordinary. It only took a phone call and a cup of green tea for the concept of Moonspoon Saloon and the 99/99 idea (making 99 designs 99 times) to come to life.

“We wanted to control the ending of Moonspoon (as opposed to the industry determining it for us) and we thought 99 was a dramatic and beautiful number. I loved the idea of having a defined ending from the beginning – after 10,000 styles the Moonspoon label would finish.” Sara admits that the idea of creating limited editions of their designs was inspired by many of the practices unique to the art world, “The idea is to create limited editions of clothing that you may wish to collect, linger with, and enjoy the same way you do with art. Moonspoon is never about seasons, but all about stories. We call it slow fashion.”

With such creativity and unabashed determination, it’s no wonder Moonspoon created something buzz-worthy right from the beginning. The combination of great design, innovation and a knack for storytelling had the fashion world in a spin. Their first show, Le Royal, took place at the Danish Royal Ballet. Models were exchanged for ballet dancers and they were instructed to interpret the clothes on stage. The result was a spectacular and truly original display that catapulted Moonspoon Saloon into the international fashion arena. Since Le Royal, collections like Sons & Daughters, California, The Siamese, The Purple Collection and most recently Disco Oriental, have further cemented Moonspoon’s place in the fashion world and brought a much needed fearless and rebellious spirit to the fashion scene.

/ 35 /

/ 36 /

PHOTO BY Frederik Jacobi / COllection: Take Me To Your Leader

/ 37 /

PHOTO BY Frederik Jacobi / COllection: Take Me To Your Leader

TAKING OVER LOS ANGELES Shortly after launching in Denmark, Sara was introduced to the L.A. based performance group We Are The World who present an unusual manifestation of creativity combined with intricate dance moves and political costumes.

“I saw them perform in London and was blown away. We were introduced and became really good friends and I decided to go and visit them in L.A. I have always been fascinated by L.A - it’s like the end of civilization somehow.

It’s a city purely built on dreams and fantasies and I wanted to explore the possibilities of moving there.”

The road from initial idea to actual realization never seems to be very long for Sara and in 2010 Moonspoon literally invaded L.A on rollerskates. “I dressed up 30 rollergirls & boys in twisted pastel outfits and invaded downtown L.A.” The collection was called California and captivated the L.A audience, “A week after the rollerskate invasion I received phone calls from the managers of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, who both wanted to perform in Moonspoon creations,” Sara says in the most modest manner. She seems to be only slightly amused, rather than overly-excited as most upcoming designers would be if they struck such luck. This laid back reaction only confirms one of her many admirable personality traits; Sara is unpretentiously present in the moment. So much so that it almost appears as if she is living on a different planet sometimes - a planet inexhaustible of Californian rollergirls, lost aliens, and soldiers from long forgotten armies.

THE PURPLE CONNECTION Speaking of living on different planets, I turn my attention to Evren Tekinoktay. Evren is a visual artist with her own dreamlike universe and her work has been shown at renowned galleries. She graduated from the Rietveld and Jan van Eyck Academy in The netherlands in 1999. In 2003 she created and opened Tekinoktay finest lingerie boutique, often described as the most complete store concept in Copenhagen. The shop displayed a perfect mix of high-end lingerie and her exquisite taste in visuals. Like Sara, she is multitalented with tenacity that could exhaust even the most driven entrepreneurs. Her ability to focus is as sharp as a tack. I want to know how she became part of the Moonspoon collective. “I’ve known Sara since she started Moonspoon with my husband Tal R, but it wasn’t until 2011 that we really connected. I had asked Sara to join me at a Prince concert and we literally sealed our partnership that night. High on a marvelous concert, Sara asked me to collaborate on a collection dedicated to Prince. I’m a life long lover of Prince so the idea was nothing but thrilling to me and I had an instant vision of how to dress Prince” The collection was named The Purple Collection and came out in 2012. Evren and Sara managed to combine their creative forces and nail a bold new look that included full body suits with amazing prints and beautiful silhouettes.

The result was presented with as much flare as the other Moonspoon collections and took place at the uber-cool, high-end Ace Hotel in New York. “We got invited to host a party during the Armory Art Fair and it turned out to be a really fancy affair, cramped with people excited to see the new Moonspoon Collection.” Evryn says.

After the New York event both women went their separate ways and The Purple Collection was placed in the fashion archive. But later that year an almost surreal chain of events happens. Evren celebrated her birthday in a legendary stripclub in Copenhagen and decided to book the resident dj of Prince, DJ Rashida to play at her party. On that night, Rashida fell in love with a suit from The Purple Collection worn by one of Evrens friends. The next day Rashida wore it for a photo shoot, unaware the suit was part of the Prince inspired collection. Rashida decides to post herself on Instagram wearing it and as with a touch from the powerful Gods of Instagram, a mail from Prince arrives. He wants the suit! Rashida mails Evren the news. “Receiving that mail blew me away but seeing Prince wear the suit took the prize. It was truly a dream come true!”

The potential of the two women’s creative force pointed towards the future and soon Sara and Evren were back together designing a full collection together. As Sara puts it, “we are a perfect match.”

/ 38 /

PHOTO BY Henrik B端low / COllection: Disco Oriental

/ 39 /

THE WISH LIST We fast forward to 2013. During the interview Sara mentions something about a wish list. I immediately want to know more about it. “The wish list is kind of my way of creating a business plan. I believe that by manifesting your wishes on paper they have a much better chance of becoming reality.” I ask her what’s on the list at the moment?

“This morning I received a mail from Dolce & Gabbana asking if we would be interested in designing a line of sun glasses – stuff like that gets on my wish list,” Sara replies. Then Evren and Sara begin to debate the idea of designing sunglasses for D&G and I just sit back and enjoy listening in. I begin to understand the dynamic between these two powerful women and I also see how they manage to create such outrageous designs that still appeal to international mainstream brands like D&G, Lacoste Buffalo and Top Shop. “Buffalo has been a great colab since the Take Me To Your Leader collection in 2011. Last year we expanded that into a Top Shop collaboration. We are still designing custom shoes for Buffalo and they have become a top seller.” When Sara first approached Buffalo with a wish to revive the 90’s big hitter - the platform sneaker - they almost begged her not to! However, Saras persistence paid off, “I just knew that it was time to revive that old darling and I love the fact that men are now beginning to walk around in high ‘heels’.”

I thoroughly enjoy seeing how Moonspoon succeed in leveraging their unique business model. They use their collections backed up by amazing shows, video productions and performances, to brand themselves, while their collaborations with bigger brands help scale the business. I ask them if they could imagine themselves being acquired by a big cooperation one day, to my surprise the answer is yes, “If Moonspoon should ever really scale on an international level we would have to get big investors on board.” And who would be a right fit I ask, having a hard time imagining who would understand Moonspoon enough to both understand the value of the brand yet not destroy it? Sara seems to have the answer ready right away and clearly has been thinking about it, “Alessandro Bogliolo from Diesel is perhaps the best match if we talk international scaling of Moonspoon. He also has a background in jewelry from Bulgari, and Evren and I just committed ourselves to designing a line of Moonspoon jewelry, called Bijoux.”

Evren then adds, “Since Sara is moving back to L.A. we thought it would be smart to scale down the amount of our items. So now we are making a bijoux line that will stretch into capes and skirts. This is the great thing about Moonspoon Saloon - it can take any disguise and we adapt easily.”

I’ll have to agree, a company who in some enchanting way receives one million DKK from a passion investor and manages to survive in the luxury segment designing limited-edition-slow-fashion-on-acid clothing during a global financial crisis is something that speaks for itself.

Prepare yourself to get lucky!

It has been a fashion fairytale and a ride of indescribable luck for Moonspoon Saloon. But I still had one question does it actually make you rich and famous to dress Prince? “It’s never been about the money or the fame, but about living by the three virtues: passion, integrity and clarity. If you manage to let these virtues lead you in life, the money and more importantly, happiness will follow!” Sara shares this insight with great conviction, and it’s hard to find fault with her reasoning. Her lust for life combined with an innate entrepreneurial personality has certainly been a catalyst for the success of Moonspoon. It’s amazing where a strong belief in yourself and passion can take you.

There is no doubt in my mind that whatever these two talented designers and artists decides to do in the future, they will continue to inspire and challenge the rules of business and the conventions of industries as we know them.

Moonspoon Saloon clearly proves that being true to your initial idea and courageous enough to do things your own way, is a great recipe for success.

As we take our last sip of coffee, Sara kindly offers one last pearl of wisdom, “You have to prepare yourself to get lucky – if you combine your talent and know-how with taking risks, you will eventually perfect your business and leave room for luck too.” I can't help but linger for a moment on her words. These two women make success seem so effortless. But then again, why should following the beat of your own drum be something we label as difficult?

We kiss and hug goodbye before getting back to our ‘business unusual’ - all the more inspired to do it our own way.

/ 40 /

PHOTO BY Noam Griegst / COllection: Purple Collection

/ 41 /

josephine kyne

As ArtRebels.com continues to grow, we are privileged to have access to new art all the time. We love sharing the art from this unique online community of artists with everyone and supporting them through our network of art lovers. In the following pages we are delighted to share with you new work from some of our awesome ArtRebels shop owners. Make sure to check out their shops on ArtRebels.com to see more from each artist.

ARTWORKs

/ 43 /

nadav wiesman

mattia lullini

/ 45 /

iben soffy

waaitt

hedof

david biskup

billy & alex

jens paldam

ARTREBELS GALLERY Words by Scott Cooper

ArtRebels.com is a Copenhagen-based online webshop community for new and established talents from around the world. These handpicked artists and designers create their own webshop and the ArtRebels team help to facilitate and promote them via our blog, social media initiatives, and local and international networks.

Established in 2007, ArtRebels.com now has almost 200 stores and a strong following of art enthusiasts. We believe that viewing images online is only part of the experience, and art in its natural habitat – the gallery – is something we want to support and be involved in too. As such, it’s now time to expand in new directions with the addition of a brick-and-mortar exhibition space, the ArtRebels Gallery. Located in central Copenhagen, the gallery will focus on exciting talents from within our network and beyond.

It all began this summer, when the ArtRebels office was transformed into a gallery space to host an exhibition with renowned Argentinean street artist Hyuro. ArtRebels in association with the municipality cooperated in a campaign to create the longest street art mural in the world. With the publicity this mural received, ArtRebels decided it would be a cool idea to also show her smaller watercolor work in our gallery space. This show laid the groundwork for what became the foundation for the ArtRebels Gallery.

For the second exhibition, JUST PLANTS, we teamed up with friend, entrepreneur and art curator Jeroen Smeets of YOUR:OWN agency who had long had the idea to make a show about the simple and quirky potted plant. He contacted a dozen artists to create works based on this theme with the intention of exhibiting them in our space. After only a month, we had enough work to fill the room with a diverse interpretation of the plant theme. We transformed the space with various plant varieties, and on opening night alone, ArtRebels Gallery sold nine of the fourteen works and had an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests. Generating excitement around the artists and our gallery, this show has proved to us that we are on to something with this gallery – stay tuned for how this space is transformed next.

For more info about upcoming shows join our newsletter at www.artrebels.com

/ 52 /

PHOTOS BY Samy khabthani / ALEX kostrow / henrik haven

/ 53 /

HUSK MIT NAVN / 54 /

STUDIO VISIT Words by Scott Cooper

The Danish artist HuskMitNavn is more prominent in Denmark than many of the public figures here. That may seem like an exaggeration, but after moving to Copenhagen from San Francisco, I’ve encountered his work seemingly everywhere I turn. It adorns the walls of buildings, galleries, museums, and many of the homes of my friends here. His work is bold and graphic using characters reminiscent of old Tintin cartoons crossed with the stylings of Keith Haring.

The name HuskMitNavn translates to Remember My Name, and I did. He doesn’t reveal his identity and so I imagined him as a mysterious art superhero on a mission to glorify humorous scenes from everyday life. But when walking into his modest single room studio, it was immediately apparent that he is a humble and ordinary dude. He offered me some orange juice and we chatted for hours discussing several of his trade secrets as well as his development as an artist among peers like Banksy, Shepard Fairy, and Barry McGee. He has garnered a ton of respect from graffiti artists, illustrators, and fine artists alike, and yet he doesn't identify with any of these titles alone.

He has mastered the ability to maintain a low profile while producing an incredibly prolific body of work.

PHOTOS scott cooper

/ 55 /

/ 56 /

I wanted to ask you about your name, HuskMitNavn. I like the message, where did it come from? In 2001 I had been painting graffiti for many years and some of my friends started to experiment with street art. I was attracted to the art form because you could make up your own rules so I started some poster campaigns. I needed a title that was different from a typical graffiti name that is always like “Zip Zap” or “Kapow” – I wanted something with a message in it.

There seems to be a theme in your work to mimic ‘silly’ real life situations, like your painting depicting a fat child eating candy whilst being pushed in his stroller by his sporty spandex-laden mother. Where do you find inspiration? I try to find situations that other people can relate to. Right before you came into the studio I was doing a sketch for a mural at a high school that will be about a teen-specific situation, and there is a lot of imagery to draw from there. That’s how I get my ideas – I look at what I’m going to paint and see if it already contains a picture.

When people started tearing some of my posters down, I became a little bitter and started writing, “gone tomorrow, remember my name.”

I looked at it one day and thought it was a good name and so I kept it.

When I started working abroad, people would ask me if I wanted to translate the name, but I chose not to because that way they have to learn some Danish. In German ‘mit’ means ‘together with’ so when I did shows in Berlin people would ask me if I was Husk or Navn, because they thought it was two people.

What is the process of painting the mural? Do you have any people helping you? No, not really. I have only had assistants for two or three projects.

But some of your murals are huge…

They are huge, but they are completed fairly quickly.

Whenever you have an assistant they typically help fill in the colors, and that’s the easy part. It’s the outline and the finer details that can take a long time.

Do you do a lot of shows in Berlin? In the beginning there were a few big street art shows in Berlin with people like Banksy and Shepard Fairy who later became superstars. Everyone went there, got arrested in the evening, and no one got paid.

You have made a very successful career for yourself in Denmark. I was wondering if you have same promotional secret or does the art just speak for itself? I wouldn’t really call them secrets, but there are three things that help me. First is to be organized, especially when it comes to your email because that is how you secure jobs and make yourself easy to work with. Second is to make your work visible. Never produce something and put it away in a drawer. I always try to put my work on the street or on the internet to make it possible for people to stumble across – and it actually works! Last but not least is to engage in as many different types of projects as possible. I have done all sorts of things – from exhibitions and murals to cartoons for a Danish newspaper for over a decade. When the financial crisis came in 2008 there were a lot of artists making good money from for example self-portraits, but they had only been doing the one thing and overnight the market was gone. But I had a few projects here and there, so I survived.

So you didn't have permission to do these street art shows?

For a few years there was an old hospital owned by the city where they hosted exhibitions and had permission to paint on the walls. Many upcoming artists created a lot of work they weren’t asked to do, and it’s surreal what came out of it. I’m still in contact with some of the people involved and when we look back we think, “What the fuck happened there?”

What is your attitude towards doing corporate work as an artist? Do you intentionally avoid it? I have done some, but it’s much more fun when you don't have a client that decides what you can and cannot do. I’ve never really been driven by money, so I only do projects where I have total creative freedom.

Denmark is such a small country and I want to be doing what I’m doing for the next 20 years or more, so I have to be careful in terms of what I attach my name to.

A graffiti name is always like "Zip Zap" or "Kapow" I wanted something with a message in it.

/ 57 /

Even though your work is highly visible, you don’t reveal your identity. Has being anonymous led to any weird situations? I actually met this guy at a party who was pretending to be me. I was talking to a girl and I told her about my work. She looked at me with a puzzled expression and said that there was a guy at the bar saying that he was me. I spoke with him and told him it was pretty strange what he was doing, but it was okay – He could have my identity, because then I could just relax.

So, do you find it hard to keep your identity a secret?

It is actually pretty easy. The key is to just be relaxed about it. If I were to be sitting here with a paper bag over my head and speaking with a weird, distorted voice, that would only create unnecessary hype. I only have two rules: No photos and I don’t use my real name when people write about my work. Copenhagen is such a small city so I guess there might be around 10,000 people who know who I am, so it’s kind of like a public secret. My neighbor doesn’t know and that is the most important thing. As a visual artist you can just choose not to use your face and it can have this positive side effect of creating some curiosity.

I’m just an ordinary guy, but all of a sudden it becomes really exciting because my identity is partially a mystery. That said, if people look at my art they can see I lead an ordinary life… It’s not about living on Mars or having three wives or anything!

I read somewhere that you have been most influenced by Walt Disney? Yeah it was probably me who said that! [Laughs] When I went from doing graffiti to paintings I tried to keep the graffiti-cartoon element out as I felt I had to paint ‘real art’ that looked like it could be Picasso. But after a few years of that I suddenly realized that in my downtime I would just be drawing comics. For me, it was a lot more fun, so I thought I should do that instead.

So originally you were trying to paint like Picasso?

Well, when you do your first 10-15 paintings you don’t necessarily know where you’re headed. And you ask yourself, ‘what is real art?’

You might begin to think real art is landscapes, or whatever, and so you start by doing that. But all of a sudden I realized I should do what felt natural. In the beginning I was quite inspired by American artist Keith Haring and he once said, “No one starts being a genius, you always pick up where somebody else left off.” Haring was already dead so I was like, “I’ll pick up where he left off because he said it was alright.” So that was my beginning. It wasn’t about copying his body of work, but rather being inspired. Like when I started making posters I looked at his work and saw the thick black outlines and I began to incorporate that idea.

If you can only pick up where someone left off, is it possible for anyone to claim to be original? The only original thing you do is how you take inspiration from different places and put it together.

It was really important that I was able to be inspired by other works and use some elements of Haring’s style to create my own. In this way drawing is like cooking – you have certain ingredients, let’s say a potato and a carrot and maybe even a recipe. You might not have invented the potato and carrot, but you can invent new ways to slice and dice them to create your own dish.

“he could have my identity because then I could just relax.”

/ 58 /

/ 59 /

a head of fears has no

full fears place

the artist anika lori Words by Cecilia Studer


Anika Lori is a woman of many talents and she is among one of the most versatile and experimenting artists on the present art scene in Copenhagen. She works with almost any material you can think of and has created everything from murals in Iceland to album covers, music videos, interior decoration and poster design. As an artist she is represented by Denmarks number one contemporary art gallery, GalleryV1 .

Anika Lori is a truly multi-talented creative and passionate artist (and teacher) who manages to find the perfect balance between fine art exhibitions and cool commercial projects. We admire her for her willingness to break down prejudices about what an artist can and can’t do.

We highly recommend you to dig deeper into the world of Miss Lori and you have plenty of choices. She runs a popular blog for the danish fashion magazine Cover, called Semi-Femi and she is also features all her art on her personal blog. http://semi-femi.cover.dk/ http://cargocollective.com/anikalori http://www.v1gallery.com) Instagram: @Halfitalo

/ 62 /

/ 63 /

/ 64 /

ANIKA LORI ANIKA LORI

/ 65 /

STARTUP STARS

R /a

S / S / INTRO Rebel Academy wants to make the way to success easier for creative and cultural entrepreneurs. We are building a strong community and exercising a practice that relies on mutual inspiration, mentorships, and collaborations.

Through Rebel Times, regular talks, workshops, networking activities and our online presence – Rebel Academy hopes to celebrate those who made it and inspire those who still dream of making it.

At Rebel Academy, it has been a rewarding journey so far. We have met many new faces along the way with big dreams and exciting ideas. We couldn’t help but share the remarkable stories and spirits of the individuals behind these startups – people who aren’t afraid to do things differently and pave their own road to success. The regular feature Startup Star at rebelacademy.org profiles budding entrepreneurs from around the globe with the hope to spark inspiration within us all. For this issue of Rebel Times, we chose two great Start Up Stars who both found their passion within the food (grains) industry. Lars Andersen is the founder of GRØD, a Danish porridge business changing the way we think about porridge and Norwegian entrepreneur Adrian Prang Larsen, who crowdsourced a natural health food company called Näring.

/ 67 /

startup star Words by Cecilia Studer

LASSE ANDERSEN FOUNDER OF GRØD

What inspires you? My passion for porridge is the basis for everything. I realized how many parallels there are between being a musician, doing graffiti, and being a cook and an entrepreneur. They're all mediums to share your thoughts on what you feel passionate about and they are about being connected to the people around you. You take something you know, like a jazz bass line or a recipe. Then you interpret it, perform it, share it, and hope people will like it as much as you.

Meet Lasse Andersen, owner and founder of the wonderful, one-of-a-kind restaurant GRØD, dedicated entirely to porridge. Lasse is on a mission to give this modest food its well deserved time in the spotlight, and he's well on his way.

They just opened their second restaurant in two years and have big plans for the future. We met Lasse on his birthday at the second GRØD location inside Torvehallarna in Nørreport.

What's the best piece of advice you have ever received?

I think the best advice, even though it sounds like a bit of a cliché, is to follow your heart. If you do that you'll be willing to work a lot more and a lot harder but it won't feel like work because you love it. It's about using energy where it's used best and that's really important. There are so many conventions about careers and about what to do for a living, and there's a pressure to educate yourself to do what your parents or society are expecting of you. But that system is wasting energy for all of mankind. To maximize our own potential and use our energy more wisely we should focus on doing what we love. Especially here in Denmark where we have all the opportunities set up for us. We have free education and a welfare system to back us up if we fail. We should really dare to try more.

Who are you? I'm Lasse Andersen and I'm 24 years old, today actually! I'm a normal Danish guy with a passion for food and for sharing the things I love with others. Before GRØD I studied music, played bass, and was aiming for a career in the music industry. But I have always loved cooking and experimenting with recipes. Trying new things is a big part of my nature and I have a creative and artistic approach to everything I do. The best feeling for me is when you feel so passionate about something that you just want to share it.

Tell us about GRØD? I went to London to get a bachelors in music and that's where the inspiration to start GRØD came from. I noticed how you could buy porridge on every corner over there. I thought about how strange it was that in Denmark, with such a big tradition of eating porridge, you couldn't find one cafe or restaurant serving it. At this time I was making lots of porridge for myself, experimenting with different ingredients and trying new things. Slowly I had built up quite an arsenal of great recipes. So I started doing some googling on porridge and my understanding of the word really expanded. It's a global phenomenon and there are so many variations of it besides eating oats.

It made me redefine the concept.

What are your plans for the future? In the near future we're launching a collaboration with 7/11; instant porridge - just add hot water. We are very excited about that. Long term I would really love there to be a GRØD in every big city in the world in ten years. But more importantly, I want to change the mentality of how people think about porridge. Right now it's commonly associated with a food you eat when you're poor or sick but it's so much more than that. It's a broad concept, eaten all over the world in endless variations. I want to hear conversations like: “What should we have for dinner?” “Oh, how about a 4 grain porridge with peas, asparagus, and aged cheese?”

Porridge just means cooking some grains together to make a creamy texture. Once you add ingredients you love, you can actually eat porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I left London after just one year to come to Copenhagen and start GRØD.

Any last advice? My main focus isn't getting rich or working all the time. I've realized how important it is to focus on having a good time every day and enjoying every monday, every tuesday, every day. This has been my focus for the last six months. It can be a little bit of a trap, always looking into the future and always wanting more. Of course that can be good too but it has to be active decisions. Every day life is the most important thing we have.

Can you remember your first entrepreneurial moment?

I think this is it. I was a pretty rowdy kid growing up; not focused on school and busy with graffiti and drinking. Until one day when I got caught. That made me rethink how I lived my life, got me focused and disciplined. I'm not really a sales person and that isn't my strength.

The beginning of GRØD was very chaotic. I had to learn how to cook porridge for twenty people at the same time as trying to figure out the business requirements that come with having a company.

/ 68 /

G

R

Ø

D

GRØD Recipe

Toppings:

Barley, Spelt & Emmer Porridge with fresh banana, roasted walnuts and liquorice sugar

1 fresh banana 1/4 tsp freeze-dried licorice powder 2 tbsp cane sugar 2 tbsp roasted walnuts 1 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries

For 2 people Porridge: 2.5 dl Barley, Spelt & Emmer* Porridge from GRØD. 2 dl water 2 dl milk (Or soy milk or water for the lactose intolerant) 1/4 tsp salt

Mix licorice powder and sugar in a small bowl and chop the banana into chunks. Top the porridge with the pieces of fresh banana, roasted walnuts.

Sprinkle with the licorice sugar and the raspberries.

Enjoy! *A great aromatic porridge with dried dates giving it a natural sweetness. Emmer is an ancient grain, related to wheat and spelt.

Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil on medium heat. Let simmer until the porridge has reached the consistency you want. Salt to taste.

If the porridge is too thick in consistency you can stir in some boiling water.

/ 69 /

PHOTO BY CHRIS TONNESEN

startup star Words by Madeleine Dore

ADRIAN PANG LARSEN FOUNDER OF NÄRING

Is it expensive to develop and prototype a physical product and does it take a long time to get your investment back?

Making a physical product as opposed to a software product, particularly food products, can require a greater initial outlay of cash to establish a facility and have it audited and approved. However, like with any idea you are able to start small and can get away with a few months salary to begin with. There are many ways to sell your products; online, through retail, wholesale, distributors or private labels. In our first year we attempted them all and found that we need to stay true to our customers and remain in direct contact with them and therefore our key focus will be online next year.

Adrian Pang Larsen is the owner and founder of Näring - a company dedicated to producing clean, convenient and nutritiously rich food products. Adrian is dedicated to making life easier for people with food intolerances and those who simply want to live a healthy life. This entrepreneur has a genuine interest in helping others, thus Näring quickly turned into a movement of people who share the same wish and together they ideate and experiment with ways to make natural living the most accessible way of life.

Adrian, tell us who you are? I am the Norwegian founder of a Swedish company that frequently visits Denmark. After many years of working with large businesses, doing freelance gigs and being involved with start-ups in both Australia, Europe and the US, I decided to start a clean food company in 2012 called Näring. We make clean food products and supplements based on nuts and seeds.

The biggest challenges arise when you run out of time and money to continue your experiment, or, that your experiment is so successful that you need more machinery, space, and staff. Make sure to continuously measure your experiments and their progress to avoid any unpleasant surprises. We surely learned that this past year.

Tell us about how you went from working in the corporate world to creating your own startup? I’ve always considered myself to be entrepreneurial; I was constantly experimenting with different schemes from a very young age. I chose to go down the university path and gain some professional experience. But, after a while I didn’t feel quite as inspired and as passionate as I wanted to and I started seeking different opportunities. I was in Brisbane when a devastating natural disaster produced the worst floods in over one hundred years.

We crowdsourced a social exchange called Flood-Aid where people were able to offer help or request help and we delivered over 3,000 transactions of help in a matter of days. From this experience I realized there was so much more I could do than sit behind a desk. So I quit my job and started pursuing other social ventures.

What do you think is most needed in the entrepreneurial community right now? I generally think that we need to move away from the idea of overnight success. Build stuff you need and love, and opportunities will follow - that’s my belief and my experience.

What’s the greatest advice you ever received? Early in 2013 a friend, an experienced entrepreneur, challenged me to face my deepest fear. The challenge was designed to identify the “what if ” moments you face in a startup environment and then make them appear trivial – because you’ve already done the thing you are most afraid of.

I am terrified of both heights and confined spaces. In response to this challenge I decided to scale a mountain. The challenge involved climbing several hundred meters up a cliff face and at one point hanging over 300 meters above the ground at just the mercy of my fingertips.

Long story short, the experience really changed my life and has given me two new rules I follow when making startup decisions: One, never look back – regretting a decision made or a path taken won’t help you identify what lies ahead. Two, focus on one pitch at a time – the true challenge is finding your best foothold and pushing ahead.

You use crowdsourcing as a key strategy in product development - could you tell us more about this strategy?

Given the nature and the premise of our product it was important to me that people could voice their opinion about the work that we were doing. I never expected us to have the perfect solution from the beginning and treated our products as collaborative experiments where the audience played a key role. Not surprisingly, people rose to the challenge and I am proud to say that the products we make today are completely different from the ones we first launched last year.

To check out more, go to: www.naturalnaring.com

This year has been a steep learning curve and we are revamping our approach for next year, but we already have a roadmap with lots of good ideas from our customers.

/ 70 /

N

/ 71 /

photo by adrian pang larsen

REalize YOUR DREAMS

copenhagen

WHERe ENTREPRENEURS ARE BORN Words by Madeleine Dore and Emil Schott Sauerberg

If you have a burning desire to start a new business, pursue a new project or even just have a great idea tinkering away in the back of your mind, it can be hard to know where to turn for practical support and guidance. The City of Copenhagen (Culture & Leisure) has recognized the importance of fostering creativity, innovation and confidence in our future leaders. They are steadfastly establishing a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure young people get the support they need.

In the following pages we have gathered together the various centers, educational programs, funds, workshops and projects spaces in Copenhagen that are supported by The Culture and Leisure Administration. We hope this helps you build a strong network, find support and inspiration and unleash your entrepreneurial potential.

GET SUPPORT TO REALIZE YOUR DREAMS

FAST MONEY FOR CREATIVES

KRAFTWERKET & KW3 KraftWerket and KW3 are project workshops for people aged between 15-30 years designed to create dialogue between the city council and young people. KraftWerket offers a wide range of facilities to assist young people and host meetings every second tuesday where participants can present their projects, meet eachother and engage in active discussions and feedback sessions. The staff at Kraftwerket are the driving force behind the second youth culture center, KW3. The center offers free tools and host events in order to enable aspiring project managers and cultural entrepreneurs to flourish.

SNABSLANTEN - THE FASTEST MONEY IN TOWN A fund that makes it possible for young cultural entrepreneurs and creatives to develop and execute projects in Copenhagen with a strong focus on alternative culture, multidisciplinary and innovative projects. To apply you must be a resident of Copehangen aged between 13-30 years with a budget below DKK30,000. The entire application process is surprisingly fast.

Why: Snabslanten enables young people to fulfill their aspirations and implement projects in Copenhagen with a strong focus on supporting amateur projects with small budgets.

Where: http://www.snabslanten.dk/

Why: Today’s youth culture can create a bright future and both centers are designed to encourage young people to start projects, set up events and incite political change with a strong focus on culture, urbanism, environment and entrepreneurship When: Workspace is available all day, everyday with various events throughout the month Where: KraftWerket, Valgårdsvej 2, Valby. KW3 Krausesvej 3, Copenhagen Ø Web: Find KraftWerket on Facebook or www.kulturogfritid.kk.dk/kraftwerket Find KW3 at www.facebook.com/krausesvej3

SHOW CASE YOUR TALENT TO THE PUBLIC ‘DEMOTEKET’ Established in 2010, Demoteket is a ‘library within a library’ designed as a permanent space for Copenhagen’s underground creatives. Housed in various libraries across Copenhagen, Demoteket is open for all to display their very own creations including music, film, novels poetry, art, zines, demoes and more.

FREE CONSULTING

Why: Demoteket is designed to give young creative people a space to share their work and allow the general public to discover up-and-coming artists, writers and designers.

When: download the application from demoteket.dk and show up with the objects you wish to exhibit.

Where: Demoteket underground libraries can be found in Vesterbro, Nørrebro, Blågården and Rentemestervej libraries.

Web: Find Demoteket on Facebook or visit www.demoteket.dk/

PROJECT CONSULTATION “Projektrådgivningen” is a free consultation service for young entrepreneurs and creatives in Copenhagen aged between 15-30 years. For over ten years, “Projektrådgivningen” has advised young project managers, artists and performers to develop ideas and realize their potential by providing guidance about every component of working with projects from concept developing and fundraising, to organizing, planning and marketing.

Why: Projektrådgivningen recognizes the value in mentorship and the difference proper guidance and expertise can make when an individual has an idea or project they wish to pursue.

When: If you are interested in booking an appointment at Projektrådgivningen email projekt@kraftwerket.dk Where: Services are provided at both KW3 and KraftWerket Web: http://kulturogfritid.kk.dk/kraftwerket/projektrådgivningen

/ 73 /

BECOME A LOCAL PIONEER

CREATE AND PRODUCE

‘PROJEKTPIONERERNE’ A visionary one-year education program for young cultural entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 25 years. The goal is to equip young people with the skills to develop and manage cultural projects that create local and social value. To apply, simply write an application telling a little about yourself, why you want to be part of the program and what you expect to get out of it. If you get admitted the program is for free. Deadlines can be found on their website.

COPENHAGEN FABLAB Copenhagen FabLab is part of a global digital fabrication network spread across 40 countries.

The workshop provide facilities and modern equipment including 3D printing with plastic thread, 3D micro milling machine and scanner, foil cutter, laser cutting, embroidery machine and more. There is free access to the facilities with the only cost being for materials. There is the expectation that you have the skills to use the facilities in both a professional and safe manner.

Why? Projektpionererne aims to make it easier for young people with a business or project idea to gain counseling, financial support and a rounded education to help them to realize their dream.

When? There is an education day each month and the students work on their individual projects and participate in workshops throughout the year Where? Over 11 municipalities host the program including Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Greve, Gentofte, Rudersdal, Herlev, Ballerup, Hørsholm, Halsnæs, Roskilde and Lyngby.

Web: Find Projektpionererne on Facebook or visit kulturmetropol.dk/side/projektpionererne

Why: The aim of the Copenhagen FabLab is to provide facilities where people can develop, test and share ideas in a supportive environment. The global network enables sharing of all FabLab products in order to enhance innovation on a global scale.

When: Opening hours are Monday-Friday 09.00-20.00 and Saturday-Sunday 09.00-18.00 Where: Valby Kulturhus, Valgårdsvej 4-8 Valby Web: Find out more about Copenhagen Fablab at kulturogfritid.kk.dk/kultur-valby/copenhagen-fablab

BECOME A CULTURAL ENTREPRENEUR

MOVE AND GET MOVED

PROJEKTAKADEMIET Projektakademiet is a free program that encourages youth that may not fit into the formal education system to harness their creative energy through collaboration. The program helps to transform theoretical knowledge into real projects by offering a unique combination of quality project management training and personal guidance. Participants must be between 17-30 and have to desire to make a difference in their community.

STREETMEKKA Until recently, Danish street culture had to rely on good weather, which can be a little hit and miss in these Scandinavian lands. StreetMekka was created to provide a gathering point for young people to come together in a social and creative environment – both indoors and outdoors. StreetMekka regularly hosts workshops for DJs, summer camps, tournaments and other social activities.

Why: The purpose of the project academy is to provide young people with entrepreneurial and project tools to develop and execute their own ideas, with a focus on improving the city’s cultural and social life.

When: A part-time education whereby participants must dedicate 10 hours weekly to work on their individual projects.

Where: Ragnhildgade 1, Copenhagen K Web: You can follow Projektakademiet on Facebook and Instagram, Vimeo or visit projektakademiet.dk/

Why: StreetMekka was created to make street culture more accessible for the city’s youth. It strives to create a dynamic space for street dancers, break dancers, DJs and other street sport and culture enthusiasts to develop their skills and most importantly, feel connected to the community.

When: Open all day, every day for members. A sign up fee costs 20kr with a range of membership options.

Where: You can find them at Enghavevej 82D in Vesterbro Web: Find StreetMekka on Facebook or visit streetmekka.dk/

CULTURAL WORKSHOPS

GET INSPIRED

KULTURSKABERNE “Kulturskaberne” is a free cultural workshop where you have the opportunity to receive guidance and support for concept development, planning and execution of your own cultural events.

Each event will receive help from a supervisor along with guided meetings. The projects can be stand-alone events such as a concert, an art or photography exhibition, a celebration, a dance event, a sporting event or a political debate event – or even a recurring event – the limit is your own imagination.

NIKOLAJ KUNSTHAL - COPENHAGEN CONTEMPOARY ART CENTRE A local and international contemporary art gallery located in the heart of Copenhagen in a unique historical church, Nikolaj Kunsthal focuses on art that reflects and addresses current political, social and cultural issues.

Why: Kulturskaberne wish to inspire people to create for themselves what they think may be missing in their local community and engage people in their own projects.

When: To find out when projects are started you can go to the event calendar or contact your local culture advisor via their webpage http://kulturskaberne.dk/ Where: Various locations around Nørrebro Web: Find Kulturskaberne on Facebook or http://kulturskaberne.dk/

Why: Displaying over six exhibitions annually, the gallery aims to make contemporary art relevant and accessible through its unique exhibition program and event calendar. Often displaying experimental and innovative art never before seen in Denmark, the gallery hopes to inspire and influence societal debate and create an ongoing exchange between creative industries and people When: Open daily from 12-17 and 12-21 on Thursdays. Wednesday is free.

Where: Nikolaj Plads 10, Copenhagen K Web: You can follow Nikolaj Kunsthal on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, Foursquare and Pinterest or visit nikolajkunsthal.dk

if you can't find a way create

In teams of three, the students take turns blogging about each class.

They choose to be either the photographer, the journalist, or the person designing the blog post and together they report from the class they have just had. This gives them experience not only in collaborating and planning their work, but also teaches them PR as a practical skill.

I'M MY OWN BOSS Inspiring creative students to think like entrepreneurs.

Today, I’ll get the experience of attending “I’m my own boss." We are going to meet Simon Holk Witzansky, an artist/DJ turned scenographer and entrepreneurial creative.

Words by Cecilia Studer

Simon greets all of us in his beautiful penthouse apartment and we sit down in a cozy room occupied by a large couch and a grand piano.

Simon begins telling us his story; how he was sure his path was to become an artist and how he directed all his energy towards achieving this goal. As many other creatives Simon had to bartend for money on the side. However, in his case the bartending turned out to lead to an unexpected opportunity when he was asked to decorate a room for the club he was working at. He agreed to do the job and in the process realized that what he was doing was a profession called scenography.

He was hooked.

“Take your career seriously and don't be afraid to get rejected.” This is the important message Anika Lori wants to pass on to the creative students at Borups Højskole - the importance of learning entrepreneurial skills alongside your art. Rebel Times were invited to come along as 11 anticipating students gather for one of their favorite classes of the week - “I'm My Own Boss."

Borups Højskole is a unique school in Copenhagen. The only one of its kind in the city, the school is home to 18-24 year olds interested in pursuing careers in art, architecture, music, design, drama or film.

But the thing that makes Borups unique is their focus on giving their students practical knowledge of what it takes to make it as a creative professional and what tools they need to turn their passions into their careers. The concept is successful, and last year they broke their own record in number of applications.

After a few more years in school he was led down the road that he is on today, working mostly as a scenographer but not being restricted by only one title. Simon tells the group that he takes any job that sounds interesting to him and how he creates his own jobs by doing projects and parties around Copenhagen. He has realized the importance of keeping an open mind and seeing unexpected opportunities. He explains to the students that they should always stay open to life’s unexpected blessings.

I met up with Anika Lori, a working artist and the creator of “I'm My Own Boss." Anika smiles a lot, talks fast and vividly, and is clearly passionate about being a part of the school, “Borups Højskole has a playful approach to teaching with no way of feeling restricted," she explains. "It engages enthusiastic lecturers and gives the students the hands-on skills needed to become the creators of their own futures.”

Backed up by a slide show of pictures and a friendly back-and-forth with Anika, Simon has the room's close attention for two hours. The students are encouraged to ask questions and Simon jumps deeper into subjects to answer them. Watching this interaction between them makes it easy to understand why this is not only a popular class but also a very important one for young people who are trying to follow their passions.

The class was created last spring when the principal of Borups Højskole asked Anika if she could come up with a new kind of class for Thursday mornings. She had already taught a creative workshop at the school but this time her directions were different; they had enough creative classes and needed something more practical. Anika came up with “I’m my own boss” and it was an immediate success.

The talk ends and I get the feeling no one really wants to leave. It has been an inspiration to observe the students getting a taste of their future reality. Coming up with new ways of being your own boss and seeing practical examples of people who are able to live off of doing what they love, gives the students confidence for when they enter the real world. I have realized this class offers knowledge and insights that shouldn't be for art students alone - these hands-on experiences of creating career opportunities would be beneficial to students in all fields.

When asked what Anika wants the students to remember from her lessons she says, “I want my students to understand the importance of always doing your best and do it with the right intentions. See the possibilities in working together with others and learning from them, also the ones that are not in the exact same field as you. Your success will be closely related to your drive and your ability to cooperate. There are many paths to succeeding as a creative person and getting to do what you love for a living." She further explains that she is inspired by a John Lennon quote that she uses to guide her in her teachings and in life, “Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.”

“What specific knowledge do I want to share? What can I offer these students and what do they need?” Anika asked herself.

“I wanted to take the kids out of school and into the real world, both literally and figuratively speaking,” she says. “At their young age most of them haven't spent much time actually working yet and many of them aren't sure of exactly what they want.” Anika's idea is rooted in the desire to help the students understand what it takes to turn a creative talent into a self-sustainable business idea. “I wanted them to meet different and inspiring people and have them hear all the great stories of how these self-made professionals turned their creative talent into a career. I also wanted to scare them a little bit - being your own boss takes a lot of really hard work. It can often be an uncertain and fragile existence where you never know which months you'll get paid. But if you're sure this is what you want, you will do what it takes to make it.”

/ 76 /

BO SS / 77 /

PHOTO BY BOBBY ANWAR

PHOTOGRAPHER GREGERS HEeRING Interview by Carla C. Hjort

Name: Gregers Heering Age: 38 Profession: Filmmaker and photographer Born: Copenhagen, Denmark Passions: People, food, music, film, love, FUN, my family, friends and drinking margaritas with my wife.

You started out working in the film industry, how did you end up as a photographer? I don't consider myself as having just one title – each thing feeds into the other and they NEED one another.

As long as you stay focused on finishing projects, you can do whatever the fuck you want.

For film director and screenwriter Gregers Heering, photography is just part of the dreaming process – a dreaming process that happens to see his work exhibited in galleries around the world. Currently residing in Los Angeles with his lovely wife, this fine art photographer manages his own freelancing company StudioWawWaw, all the while pursuing each and every thing that makes him feel alive. Gregers Heering has been generous enough to share with us some of his beautiful photographies, as well as his humble musings and dreams for the future.

Is there a main focus when you work with photography? Not to sound tacky, but it's all about the collision of raw energy. Yes, there's preparation involved, but it's really during the shoot and diving further into the images afterwards that fuses it all together and makes it come alive. As long as people can connect with the energy, that’s all I really care about.

/ 78 /

the night locked away in our gritty hotel room. It was kind of romantic – as if we were the last two people left on a lonely planet where daylight ceased to exist. There was a balcony facing the bridge outside. That's when I started shooting.

So far, what has been the biggest highlight of your photography career? Speaking of energy… Traveling to Greenland with my sister and shooting a series up there was truly magical. Words cannot describe that place and the wonderful people who live there - it has to be experienced.

What is your dream for the future?

If I only knew… Hopefully love and good health.

Can you tell us about the motivation behind the New York series? My wife and I were staying in this gangster-like hotel in Long Island City for one night. There was a packed nightclub right above our room, so we had some drinks, but it wasn't really our crowd – or rather, we weren't theirs – so we spent the rest of

What is your favorite saying and why?

It takes two to tango. Because it just does.

www.gregersheering.com / 79 /

/ 80 /

/ 81 /

/ 82 /

Gregers' new series, GRAVITY, inspired by The Royal Danish Ballet, opens on January 27, 2014. It will be exhibited at the historic Hotel d'Angleterre in the heart of Copenhagen. The show is Gregers' first solo exhibition in his native Denmark. For more information, go to: www.gregersheering.com / 83 /

UONCE UPON A HASH TAG...

3.

Instagram is constantly expanding in new directions. For models, it’s the new CV. For brands, it’s a way to boost their latest campaign. For artists, it’s the perfect portfolio. Even some of our feline friends have an account dedicated to their daily endevours. Now it’s time for Copenhagen Municipality to have their fun with the social platform.

Have you ever experienced the eerie phenomenon of looking at your watch at that perfect moment when the same old time displays? Or learning a new word only to see it appear in every magazine or newspaper you stumble across? When the Copenhagen Municipality began a humble experiment that asked the public to document their findings of their logo, suddenly the iconic three towers were popping up here, there and everywhere. The project sent Instagram into a frenzy as users uploaded various representations of the three towers logo that adorns the city’s kindergartens, nurseries, schools, libraries, and public swimming pools.The following pages are filled with the creative locations the logo can be found – including a man’s bicep!

As the theory goes, there’s no doubt you will now be spotting the three towers everywhere you turn. Feel free to share your findings on Instagram with #detretårne

/ 84 /

1.

4.

2.

11.

3

5.

8.

6.

9.

@ thegirllikesrainbows 1. @ begejstring 2. @ københavnskommune 3. @ artrebels 4. @ mettehmunch 5. @ mettehmunch 6. @ rabarberkage 7. @ tennawp 8. @ sTIVNESEN 9. @ susglerup 10. @ cmidjord 11.

7.

10.

/ 85 /

/ 86 /

ever dreamt about starting a festival? ever wanted to make an urban garden project? ever tried to start a business but needed the last bit of courage? we are here to help you!

copenhagen business service offers: free workshops, individual consulting, easy tools, permits and lincences. whether you are starting up or already running a business we will offer you free support all the way...

contact us here: web - mail www.kk.dk/business erhverv@kk.dk

/ 87 /

CAPE TOWN ENTRE PRE PHOTOS BY Andrew brauteseth

THE JUGGLERS Words by David Cope

I can count on my fingers the number of my friends who work for other companies; most choose the increasingly accessible path to pursue their own ventures. It's become a way of life for many: find something you believe in and make it happen.

On the brink of 20 years of democracy, South Africa is a living, breathing example of positive change. Yes, we still face many serious problems; dire levels of unemployment, high crime rates, and a huge gap in the standard of living between the rich and the poor, but the country has also embraced a commitment to resolve these issues.

Since opportunistic entrepreneurs generally have many interests, they frequently juggle two or three ventures and businesses that often feed off each other. This 'juggling' of work gives entrepreneurs opportunity for business success while taking advantage of life in one of the world's most beautiful cities. A meeting here, coffee there and maybe a midday surf in between. After all, what's the point of living here if you're in an office all day every day?

With a growing 'middle class' and a booming tourism sector, the country is the largest economy and most appealing destination for foreign investment in Africa. The major cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban have their own character and growing population of creative residents, eager to express their unique point of view to the world.

Being an entrepreneur is nothing unusual in South Africa. While the income divide is ever present, the creative mindset is something that transcends it. Emerging entrepreneurs come from diverse backgrounds. For them, the world is as small as an iPad, trends are global and the concept of Africa being a 'dark continent' is laughable.

For me this means running a company that produces interactive video content (www.aug.st), while simultaneously marketing a growing wine brand (www.alphabetical.co.za). They're separate companies in two unrelated industries and I have separate business partners, but there's plenty of crossover in a city as small and interconnected as Cape Town.

Living and working as a professional in Cape Town, one quickly realizes there is a culture here that sets it apart from any other city in South Africa. Spawned by an international rather than African mind set and a lifestyle that encourages a balance between work and leisure, the city has developed a strong base of entrepreneurs in design and communications. With its easy going way of life, it has positioned itself as not just a great holiday destination but a creative hub at the foot of the continent.

The ability to 'switch hats' and focus on one for a while, then the other, keeps the energy up and brings fresh appeal to each. But don't take my word for it: here are some entrepreneurs who exemplify this. People who are constantly busy with not just something interesting, but juggling many interesting projects simultaneously. All the while living the dream under the beautiful Table Mountain in Cape Town.

"IT'S BECOME A WAY OF LIFE FOR MANYFIND SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IN AND MAKE IT HAPPEN". / 89 /

/ 90 /

4.Justin Rhodes & Cameron Munro The two partners had an enormous role in turning Woodstock from industrial slum to a creative centre through their Neighbourgoods Market – Cape Town's first weekly design and produce market held in a refurbished factory. It's hard to imagine the market didn't always exist, and together with their Superette eatery and WhatIfTheWorld contemporary art gallery down the road, they seem to create iconic ventures one after the other with ease.

1.Brad Armitage Beer merchant and brand consultant, Brad can be seen buzzing around town on his restored vintage Lambretta scooter or showing off some crazy outfit only he can pull off. A serial entrepreneur, he's a founding partner of popular Brewers & Union craft beer range and has recently been busy helping The House of Machines coffee, food and liquor bar establish its presence in the city. www.andunion.com www.thehouseofmachines.com

www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za www.whatiftheworld.com www.superette.co.za

2.Marco Simal An industrial and graphic designer by studies, Marco has put his creative talent to use designing interiors for some of Cape Town's mostloved establishments (& Union, Superette) as well as packaging for several successful brands. He also imports a brand of volcanic orange juice from Sicily that he collaborated with the farm to create and is busy with an instant smoothie project that's very secretive, so I can't tell you more. Sorry.

5.Francois Botha A technology entrepreneur who started his first business straight out of high school. When he's not juggling work with his digital marketing agency or online villa rental company, Francois merges software with video production at August, an interactive video agency he's recently opened a Copenhagen office for. www.quickonline.co.za www.aug.st www.iconvillas.travel

www.marcosimal.tumblr.com 3.Jeanne Loubser Ceramicist, creative entrepreneur & business consultant, Jeanne juggles more projects in a year than most people will in their lifetime.

She puts her MBA from Cornell University in the US to good use as a strategy partner for startups, with current projects as diverse as old fashioned candy and neuroscience-based business performance. Juggling this with font design and popular ceramic tableware line, The Detailsmith, known for its quirky one-liner scribblings, ensures her creative edge stays sharp. www.africandy.com/designers/the-detailsmith.html www.lebonbon.co.za

/ 91 /

PHOTOS BY jacob langvad nilsson

MAKE EMERGING MARKETS YOUR PRIMARY MARKET Words by Jacob Langvad Nilsson, JLCO Group

Entrepreneurs, get out of your comfort zone.

Forget about your local market and delve deep into a dynamic, uncharted and rapidly growing emerging market to win big.

With an economic shift from the developed world to the developing world, you may have already heard about the promising opportunities in emerging markets. Whether you’re a multinational corporation with fast-moving consumer products, or a single entrepreneur with a startup idea – or something in between the two – emerging markets is where you will find future growth opportunities.

In recent times, there has been a lot of talk about the ‘BRIC’ economies. BRIC is an acronym of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, coined by then Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in a 2001 paper titled “Building Better Global Economic BRICs”. The term has since become a symbol of the shift in global economic power from the developed economies, towards the developing world.

The mainstream adaptation of the BRIC economies terminology resulted in huge success for Goldman Sachs with O’Neill being promoted to chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and retiring comfortably at the age of fifty-six.

Since then, a multitude of other acronyms have surfaced. It started as BRICS when South Africa joined, acting as an entry point to the continent; Next 11 (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, and Vietnam) and another fancy acronym, CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa) was another economist’s branding of a handful of favored emerging markets.

THE BRICS ARE DEAD, LONG LIVE EMERGING MARKETS If you are an entrepreneur or small business-owner with emerging market aspirations, you should forget about the BRIC terminology

/ 93 /

and all its variations. BRIC is for investors, not entrepreneurs. As an investor it makes sense to look at emerging markets from a broader perspective, and there are several exchange-traded funds ETFs tailored for emerging markets such as Euro Government 3-5 year, Euro Inflation Linked, or MSCI World. But in my experience neither multinational corporations nor small entrepreneurs are looking at BRIC economies as a collective target for their business. They look at continents at best, but increasingly at markets within markets. To succeed in an emerging market, an entrepreneur needs to build products that are relevant to the consumer. To do so, the approach needs to be at ground level in order to understand the opportunities and potential in a niche market.

The leading practice in building market intelligence is conducting qualitative research. I’ve been doing business ethnography in emerging markets on behalf of multinational brands for almost a decade. This has proven to be a market differentiator for corporations who want to target the specific needs of various segments of their customer-base.

More importantly, it helps the companies tap into potential new markets by understanding the underlying motivations of their customers.

Whether your company is looking to expand into emerging markets or find a niche in a crowded one, ground-level field research helps your designers, engineers and R&D team connect to real consumers.

This makes the difference between designing a good product and a great one.

HOW TO PICK A TARGET MARKET China is a huge and diverse country with many sub-markets. It is important to refrain from holding up unrealistic objectives. For example, that your five-year plan is to become the market leader in China within your niche. You need to be targeted in your approach to market penetration and align your objectives with the realities on the ground. In doing so, even if you slightly dominate a specific market in a specific province in China, that’s already a big accomplishment and makes it easier for you to tap into other market opportunities.

Traditionally, a Western firm’s China-strategy would be to establish an office in the capital city and spread out from there with a one sizefits-all approach to the entire country. Increasingly today, you need to target individual provinces or regions with a custom strategy for each.

For instance, you may need to change communication slightly for each province or make changes in a pattern, stitch, color, or flavor.

When ethnographic research is taken into a business context, it can be used to gain insights into patterns of behavior that help businesses thrive. Unlike a traditional market researcher, who asks specific, highly practical questions, anthropological researchers visit consumers in their own environments to observe and listen, and interview in a non-scripted way.

Similarly, you can no longer take an existing product designed for a Western market and produce a scaled down version for an emerging market. Instead, you need to design a completely new product from the bottom up for your emerging market consumer. If your product is good enough, it may subsequently spread to the rest of the world but initially, knowing your targeted consumer is crucial.

Qualitative methods, including focus groups and open-ended survey questionnaires, have proven to be valuable strategies to delve deeper into the relationship between the brand and those who buy or use their products. Listening, observing, and interpreting helps to delve even deeper and uncovers many meaningful layers that help clients better understand the true aspirations of their customers.

While mainstream investors continue to talk about the opportunities in Brazil, India and China, there’s a whole range of other emerging markets ripe with growth opportunities. Each market has its share of obstacles and challenges. Africa for example has been noted as the last untapped market for consumer growth. The African middle-class is booming and ready to spend their discretionary income on quality products. However, because many small and mid-sized Western companies today still employ the traditional approaches to market entry (and from the comfort of their home market), building a successful strategy for the African market remains a great challenge.

In the end, the goal of getting closer to the consumers is to better understand their cultures and behaviors, and in the process develop aspiring and meaningful products and services relevant to their lives.

Business ethnography can help business do just that.

TRY HARDER, GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE To successfully take advantage of market opportunities, you need management-level officers to have boots on the ground. In a recent report, “Playing to Win in Emerging Markets”, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) surveyed over 150 executives from the world’s biggest multinational companies. The report found that on average, these companies were earning 28% of their revenues in emerging markets.

USE BUSINESS ETHNOGRAPHY TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONSUMER Business ethnography can be used as a key strategy when an international brand expands into a new market. Ethnography is a social science discipline with roots in anthropology. Literally, ethnography is the study of mankind. Also known as participant-observation, ethnographic methods include entering the subject’s own environment. In the modern world, this includes their living room, school, the supermarket, the beauty parlor, or the streets – settings of their daily lives.

Surprisingly though, most multinationals tend to keep their entire senior management team in their home office, which is largely in the developed countries. The unfortunate consequence is that management is too far removed to tackle the challenges involved in ensuring a competitive market presence and adapting to the rapidly changing needs of its consumers. But for those firms that have moved at least a couple of their top executives to the new front line, the report highlights that the firms outperformed their rivals.

Ethnographers observe what people actually do and examine their actions and choices. By documenting actual behavior, this research approach offers valuable insight into the meaning people attach to each action and activity. After a period of fieldwork and data-collection, findings are interpreted and analyzed in the context of people’s actual lives – including relations to family, community, local subculture, and the larger society.

You don’t have to be a Forbes 500 company to win big in an emerging market. Obviously, capital and a strong idea are necessary ingredients for success. But if you are ready to immerse yourself into an emerging market – meaning literally moving there – you’ll be better positioned to understand the aspirations and culture of your consumer. Needless to say, you’ll have a huge advantage compared to your average, Western competitor who won’t have the same access to first-hand knowledge on the ground.

Jacob Langvad Nilsson is an emerging market consumer consultant, visual ethnographer, and serial entrepreneur. Based is New York City, he travels extensively to emerging markets to push the boundaries of human-centered design research and tell stories about globalization, cultural shifts,and the aspirations and desires of people living in a changing world.

/ 96 /

REBEL AGENCY CASE: HORSENS STREET ART Words by Scott Cooper

How does one go about bringing a small Danish city to life and keep young creative talent from moving away? This was the case brought to Rebel Agency by Horsens Kommune (municipality), a city troubled by its past reputation but that now aims to become a new cultural center for their blossoming music and art scene. By bringing some of the worlds best street artists to this small sea-side town, ArtRebels managed to create a new buzz around the city and attract worldwide attention.

We have had the pleasure of working with Horsens Kommune (municipality) before. Like past projects, the focus is on lifting the cultural scene of the city. While many small towns struggle to keep their local talents, Horsens Kommune is trying a new strategy to ensure a brighter future for the city's creative and cultural entrepreneurs. By encouraging street art the city is creating an exciting place for its citizens and attracting tourists from all over the world.

Rebel Agency's own Simon Caspersen headed up this project. He curated and managed a list of highly reputable artists from around the world to come fill the city with intriguing and thought-provoking artwork. We had the pleasure of inviting street-art specialist and photographer Henrik Haven to document and cover the event. The photography became an essential aspect of the performance based pieces especially, as this kind of art isn't permanent in its nature.

PUBLIC ART HORSENS – Escif (Spain), Sam3 (Spain), Pøbel (Norway), Brad Downey (USA), Thomas Dambo (Denmark), and the Danish/Icelandic duo Örnduvald.

'How to survive Horsens' depicts ways to protect yourself against attackers in a city known for violence. In the 80's and 90's people linked Horsens to social problems, violent people, and crime. It didn't really help Horsens' image that the prison housed some of the worst criminals since 1853 and they had a tendency to stay in city when they got out jail.

/ 98 /

photos by HENRIK HAVEN

/ 99 /

photos by HENRIK HAVEN

INSPIRATIONAL WEBSITES Originally hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Scott Cooper is the online manager of ArtRebels.com and is steadfastly working on becoming a ‘real’ Dane. Scott has painted his way through the strange lands of Denmark to establish himself as an artist. His diet consists only of rugbrød and frikadeller, of which he claims inspires most of his work. We jumped at the chance to take a peep inside his hyperactive mind as he willingly shares with us his favorite websites for finding inspiration, scouting new artists and let’s face it, an afternoon chuckle.

scottjcooper.com 01.

FFFFOUND! // ffffound.com The go-to place for daily illustration and design inspiration

02.

BOOOOOOOM // booooooom.com Art, photography, film, music and design blog with a self-proclaimed soft spot for hand-made work by anonymous artists

03.

BEAUTIFUL DECAY // beautifuldecay.com A creative sanctuary rich in conceptual art and collaborations that highlights the beauty in the decay

04.

FUCK YOU VERY MUCH // fuckyouverymuch.dk A visual diary of two Danish friends who share their thoughts on all things aesthetically pleasing

05.

YIMMY'S YAYO// blog.yimmyayo.com Sexy, black and white, 90’s retro tumblr blog with the motto “visual crack for the ocular fiend”

06.

BITCHSLAP // bitchslapmag.com Copenhagen-based Nick Bridge, aka Dick, was kind enough to take on Scott as a blogger for this super funny lifestyle mag about skateboard culture, design, art, fashion and more

07.

THE WORLD’S BEST EVER // theworldsbestever.com With weekly articles like Kate Moss Thursdays and Artist Eats, this site offers the latest in too-cool-for-school-culture

08.

BOING BOING // boingboing.net Bring out your geeky side with curated picks in video, podcasts, forum conversations, and the latest in DIY culture

09.

FECAL FACE // fecalface.com/sf San Francisco based art blog with a really cool gallery space in the Mission District. John Trippe has his own unique brand of art curation and has been running this site for over 10 years

10.

Thrasher Magazine // thrashermagazine.com For the skaters among us, this is the magazine that defines raw skateboarding.

Scott was lucky enough to meet photographer Joe Brook and edited all his Fat Back videos for the magazine’s website

/ 102 /

THE ESSENTIALS that will make you go boom

- and your business too!

03 02

05

04

01

07 06 08

09

10

11

12

13

15 16 14

17

01 · OFFICECHAIR - Stratum // 02 · USB STICK - CB2 // 03 · NOTEBOOK - Moleskine // 04 · PENCILS - Moleskine // 05 · MARKERS - Posca // 06 · CALENDAR - Hay 07 · RULER - Hay // 08 · PAPERTREY - CB2 // 09 · BOOKKEEPER - Züny // 10 · SUNGLASSES - Dries Van Noten // 11 · BACKPACK - Hugo Boss // 12 · IPAD SLEEVE - Mulberry 13 · DESK - Hay // 14 · SNEAKERS - Nike Air Jordan 3 Retro // 15 · WEEKENDBAG - Designers Remix // 16 · COFFEEMACHINE - Nespresso Citiz // 17 · HEADPHONES - AiAiAi

MAKING MOVES AS A MOVIE MAKER / 104 /

THE ART OF FILM MAKING Words by Simon Caspersen

The world of film is notoriously hard to break into and making it in the cutthroat industry is not only difficult, it is an art form in itself. To make it in the movie business, talent and a creative mind is not enough – an entrepreneurial mind is key.

There are absolutely no guarantees, no clear checklist or definitive model to achieve success – you need persistence, business skills and drive to realize your dream.

Making a movie is an entrepreneurial venture in itself; everything starts with someone with a strong vision who is ready to make a leap of faith to bring that idea to life. Film production is expensive, so next you need to convince investors to get involved and finance your vision so you can pay for the independent contractors that can bring your film to life with you.

Because it’s so expensive to make a movie it’s really hard for aspiring filmmakers to get a foot in and convince investors to invest in you. That means aspiring filmmakers are often left to their own devices, and as no two career-paths are alike, finding a road to success can be a daunting task. We have interviewed three unique film directors to find out about how they carved their way into the industry to make a business from their talent.

We spoke with documentary filmmaker PHIE AMBO who chose to run a big risk and create her own production company so she could bring her visions to life without any compromises. Director FENAR AHMAD, a rising star in the Danish film industry, tells us about his nine-year struggle to make his first feature film. And finally we meet SIMON WEYHE who single handedly turned his passion for filming skateboarding into a successful one man film company.

“I pretty much took on any assignment that came my way and suddenly I had too many projects to sustain my part time job in the skate park. I quit and started my own company” quote Simon Weyhe

/ 105 /

PHIE AMBO: THE DREAMER

Documentary filmmaker Phie Ambo is one of the leading Danish film directors of her generation. She is famous for her poetic, personal and intimate films that have won numerous awards and gained recognition all over the world. Her first film introduced a new cinematic language that kick-started a golden era for Danish documentaries, placing them amongst the best in the world for over a decade. Phie Ambo made a decision to become a business owner and start a production company in order to direct films without compromise.

THE BEGINNING It all started with just finding something to film that I thought was fun.

I bought a High-8 camera and had no idea how to use it so I just started from scratch. I recorded a documentary film for a year about two teenage boys and their everyday lives. It got financed, but by the time I was ready to start the editing they both dropped out of the film and the whole thing fell on the floor! This was a valuable lesson for me – it taught me to be humble and never take for granted that the participants want the same as you do. A year later I was accepted into The National Film School of Denmark without having made a single film.

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS I made my first film, Family, while I was studying. To be honest, I really had no idea what you could and couldn’t do in a documentary film. I think that was good for the film but difficult for the critics. I directed the film with Sami Saif, but I shot the whole thing myself and I decided to do it in cinemascope, which is traditionally used for wide-screen movies. I can see now that it was quite an unusual choice for a film shot in video diary-style. I remember we received an incredibly bad review in Politiken (one of Denmark’s biggest newspapers) and almost nobody went to see the film. At that time, the critics were not used to viewing documentaries in a cinema and they really had no idea what was going on.

We had no success in Denmark, until we won at IDFA, which is the largest documentary film festival in the world. The critics’ attitude towards the film changed completely over night. As it was my first film, I had never even started to dream about winning awards and flying around the world to visit various film festivals – it all just happened right away.

GIVING UP ON THE DREAM Despite having won some prestigious awards, I couldn’t finance my next film “Gambler” about Nicolas Winding Refn, who at that time had made successful films like Pusher and Bleeder but was close to personal bankruptcy after his latest movie failed selling tickets. I was also broke and those years were really rough on me.

I received three rejections from The Danish Film Institute and nobody wanted to touch the film. I was close to giving up and thought about quitting as a film director. I even started pitching radio montages to the national Danish radio channel, P1. One day I heard that a guy called Michael Haslund was hired as a film consultant at The Danish Film Institute and I called him up on his vacation before he even started the

job and pitched the film. He gave me some money to finish it and we had a company invest in the editing, but it was still a really close call – I had absolutely no money at the time and I was very close to finding another career path.

Looking back at it now, it’s kind of funny because part of the reason I couldn’t finance the film was because several potential investors questioned whether Nicolas Winding Refn was such a great director. He went on to direct Drive and Only God Forgives and is now considered one of Denmark’s best directors. But that’s the industry.

FROM FILM DIRECTOR TO ENTREPRENEUR In 2007 I founded my own distribution company called Danish Documentary together with two other documentary directors, Pernille Rose Grønkjær and Eva Mulvad. We didn’t care about the money – given there is practically no money in this business anyway – but we did care about our titles. So we started to make our films on DVD and sell them from our webpage and in stores. For three years we were doing all the distribution – which basically involved us trekking down to the post office all the time. Later, we had a bigger set up so we didn’t have to send out our films ourselves anymore.

In 2009 director Mikala Krogh and producer Sigrid Dyekjær joined us because we wanted to create our own production company as well.

Everybody in the film industry told us it was a really bad idea and that it would be very difficult to finance our films. We believed in ourselves and created the company despite all the warnings. Funnily enough it wasn’t any harder than financing our films when we worked for the “established” companies.

IN CHARGE Today, I am still a co-owner of the company, which allows us to have full control over finances. We suddenly have the freedom to decide exactly how to use the money, and it can now go towards the big screen, rather than financing big receptions and paying peoples lunches like in the beginning, which is so rewarding. Starting the company has given me so much more creative freedom as a film director.

I believe most directors are ready to risk it all each time they make a film, but I am so lucky to work with a producer - Sigrid - who has a similar spirit. She never tries to make a film idea more ‘easy’ or ‘practical,’ which is hard to find in a producer. Owning the business ourselves makes us much more willing to take risks that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to if we were working for someone else.

The film business can be hard when it comes to financial and emotional stability, but I keep making documentaries because I have so many questions in life and the camera lens helps me to better understand them. It helps me to place myself in this world – I can zoom in on finer details, and zoom out to get the greater perspective. The camera is my key to open up doors that I wouldn’t usually be able to enter. Making documentaries has become my compass in life and that is why I can’t stop doing it.

/ 106 /

PHOTO BY MAGGIE OLKUSKA

PHIE AMBO / ADVICE:

From a business point of view, my best advice to aspiring documentary filmmakers is to do something else – become an editor or sound designer. You should stay away from producing or directing if you can do other things. You will be the worst paid on the whole production and it has the highest economical and emotional risk. If you are not good at other things in life, then just go for it and try to be as uncompromising as possible when it comes to your ideas.

/ 107 /

FENAR AHMAD: THE FIGHTER

Fenar Ahmad entered the scene in 2006 with his first documentary film Nice To Meet You. In the following years he made several short films, music videos and documentaries and now he is finishing his first fulllength feature film. Fenar Ahmad is a rising star in the industry but it has been a long, hard struggle to get to where he is today.

CHASING A DREAM I always thought that becoming a film director was close to impossible.

In 2006 I applied to the Film Workshop (Filmværkstedet) for subsidies to make a documentary film about Iraqi refugees in Denmark. They gave me a grant and I was suddenly directing my first small budget film. I was 25 when I finished the film and the biggest Danish broadcasting company, DR, heard about the film by chance and picked it up. That was the first time I was paid for something that I loved doing, and I knew that I had to keep pursuing the dream of becoming a film director.

I applied for The National Film School of Denmark in the documentary department. The National Film School of Denmark is one of the only elitist schools in Denmark with limited acceptance and tough entry requirements. It’s a great education, but also gives you access to a strong network of the talented people, which is the best stepping stone you can get to make it in the industry. But they didn’t accept me!

So I used my first film, Nice To Meet You, to apply to the independent film school Super16 run by an association of young filmmakers. Super16 don’t receive any public funding, so there isn’t any administration or teachers, the students run the school themselves. Membership is for 3 years and they pair a director, a producer and a screenwriter together to create a total of six films per year. They accepted me, but I knew that this didn’t mean I had made it… Super16 were perceived as a second rank film school in the industry at that time.

THE UNDERDOG BITES BACK At Super16 I met some amazing talents and it was a very inspiring time for me. I was part of a crew of people that I enjoyed working with and still use on my projects to this day. It allowed me to experiment with any genre of film, which meant I not only worked on documentaries but also started making short films.

I didn’t earn any money directing films, so I’ve had many side jobs over the years including watching over kids in respirators during the night.

When they slept I would write my short films and it paid enough for me to only work two shifts a week, which meant I had time to make films.

During those years I felt like an underdog with everything to prove which motivated me a lot.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH “FISSEHUL” The idea for my first feature film was inspired by a Danish grime rap music video that I found on Youtube. I heard this blue-eyed, Caucasian Danish guy called GILLI using Arabic words in a song called Fissehul.

Instantly I had this feeling that it could be interesting to tell a story about a boy like that – trapped between two worlds, the Arab and the Danish. I wrote a short pitch for the movie and took it to a producer at Beofilm that really liked the idea and wanted to produce it. The next step was to write a script. We applied to the Danish Film Institute for some funding so a scriptwriter and I could dedicate some time to write.

The Danish Film Institute decided to grant us some money – it wasn’t a lot – but it was enough to start the process of making my first feature film.

The scriptwriter and I started writing the film about a young Danish guy who had grown up in an immigrant neighborhood and wanted to make it as rapper. In the writing process I wanted to get closer to the hiphop environment I was portraying, so I started making music videos for rappers that I liked and made music videos for Cheff Records artists such as Kidd, Eloq and Sukkerlyn. The hiphop videos that I have directed over the last three years started as research for the film, but took on their own life with millions of views online.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION I spend two years sending re-writes of the script to the consultant at The Danish Film Institute, received his feedback, rewrote again and worked incredible hard still not knowing if the film would ever be a reality. It’s all in the hands of the consultants and The Danish Film Institute have some stupid rule that they only support three or four debut films every year, so with so many talented directors out there, the competition is extremely tough. It was nerve-racking.

After two years we finally received the notice from The Danish Film Institute that they had picked our film and wanted to fund it. I was so relieved. I could finally start shooting my first feature film. Right now we have finished editing, color grading and sound mixing. My first feature film is finished! Now we just need to agree on a title for the film.

The working title is D.A.U.D.A. but let’s see.

This is the only job where I constantly learn something new and that is why it’s worth all the hassle. Making films has made me an altogether better person and more mature.

It’s a dream come true. I am finally able to make a living doing what I love, but the journey has been tough.

My second short film was called Megaheavy and it made it to Berlinale and changed everything for me. I started winning awards for my work at big festivals and for the first time felt like it was a realistic goal to become a film director. I stopped thinking about being accepted by the established film industry and instead started to plan how I could get the chance to make a feature film. I was 28. I promised myself that I would make a feature film before I turned 30. That didn’t quite happen…

I was 32.

/ 108 /

FENAR AHMAD / ADVICE

My advice is to make a short film that is no longer than twenty minutes and try to get it to premiere at a film festival.

Work smarter, not harder. We live in a time with great digital cameras. Facebook and Instagram are basically free casting catalogues. With Google street view you don’t need a car to scout for locations. There are so many free platforms to publish your film‌ It has never been easier to do it on your own, so go do your thing and let the world know about it.

PHOTO BY HELENA LUNDQUIST

/ 109 /

SIMON WEYHE:

THE ONE MAN ARMY Simon Weyhe turned his passions into a successful business by creating his own production company, Goodwind Studios. Simon Weyhe works as the director, photographer, producer, editor, sound designer and color grader on most of his productions, which has made it possible to create a job he loves.

SKATEBOARDING AS A WAY INTO FILM I have been skateboarding since I was 14 and making skate videos has always been a big part of the culture. The first time I picked up a camera was as a favor for some friends of mine 17 years ago. We had built a new roof at Wonderland – the skate park at Christiania – and they thought it would be nice to do some video documentation and I said that I would do it. I didn’t know anything about filming or editing but nevertheless I borrowed a camera, watched a couple of tutorials on how to edit and some friends of mine hooked me up with a PC and I was good to go. I loved it and I was suddenly making small skate videos of my friends.

I got a job at Alis Skateboard where I worked for 7 years and during that time we built up a strong skateboarding team with riders from all over Europe and so I spend most of those years traveling around the world filming the team. I was convinced that filming skaters was my mission in life, but all of a sudden the job ended and I came close to giving up on my dream. I was considering selling all my camera gear and finding a regular job because I couldn’t imagine another company who would pay me a salary to film skateboarding.

TURNING A BAD SITUATION INTO AN OPPORTUNITY I went on a three-month surfing trip to Puerto Rico to think things over and figure out what to do in life. I guess that’s what I needed to feel inspired again. I got the idea to do a documentary film and luckily I had kept my equipment and started shooting. For the first time I was filming something that wasn’t skateboarding and I realized I was able to use the skills that I had build documenting skaters for other purposes. I found a part time job at the Copenhagen Skatepark so I had time to finish the documentary film. I invested the money I earned into the film and spent the next couple of years shooting it while working part time.

I finished the production but couldn’t get the funding to edit the material and I couldn’t afford to take enough time off to do it myself.

Meanwhile I started to receive other video assignments and it came to a point where I felt the documentary film was holding me back from doing other projects. I finally chose to shut the documentary film down which was a tough decision, but at the same time I felt it was the right thing to do for myself because I was going somewhere with what I loved doing. Maybe one day I will pick the film up again and finish it.

I pretty much took on any assignment that came my way and suddenly I had too many projects to sustain my part time job in the skate park.

I quit and started my own company. I had no idea whether I would continue to have enough clients, but it felt like the right thing to do and I haven’t looked back.

BUILDING A BUSINESS I started out doing everything from documenting events to music videos, to creating short videos for corporate companies. The money I earned I invested back into the company so I could buy more equipment. I realized that for my business to do well financially I had to do everything myself including producing, directing, filming and editing – so I constantly developed my skills in all the different areas of production. I created a one-man film crew.

I’ve never done any marketing for my company, I’ve never had a website, not even a Facebook page, and I almost never pitched to clients.

The jobs always found me and my projects have only grown in size. I feel very fortunate. I have now moved into filming live concerts and creating documentary-style short films for companies that want to show their products in real life situations.

A huge plus for me was that a lot of the big companies wanted to be associated with the skateboarding culture and lifestyle, so I was suddenly doing skate films again. My latest project was for Levi's where I made a short documentary film about a crew of German, English, American and Indian skateboarders who got together to build India’s first free public skate park. Even though it was a commercial project for Levi's, it combined everything I’m passionate about, which is why I decided to do it.

Every time I take on a project I put my all into it. I don’t view it as simply a job, but as a part of my future. If I started to count hours, a lot of my projects wouldn’t make sense financially, but because so much is passion driven, I don’t really mind because I love doing it. To be honest I haven’t made a budget for my income in the last three years, it has been pretty much non-stop from one job to the next one. There was one time I drove home from Germany after finishing a week of shooting, drove into Copenhagen at 6 am, repacked the gear and got into new car to go on another ten days of shooting in Southern Europe. A lot of times I feel lucky if I can get through the next couple of months, make the deadlines and do a good job.

WHERE DID MY SOCIAL LIFE GO? My biggest challenge has always been saying no. There are so many interesting projects that I want to do, but since I had my first son in the spring of 2012, the balance between paid work and free work has changed a lot. I really feel like I have to choose my free work, which is often what I’m most passionate about, wisely, and I find that difficulty.

I’ll try to take some time off here and there to be with my family, but it can get hectic with weekend and holiday work. When it is not too hectic I try to maintain a nine to five schedule and take off a couple of days here and there. Traveling has become harder after becoming a father, but it is how I make a living so most of the time there is no way around it.

My line of work has killed a lot of my social life, because I'm always working on something. I guess a lot of my friends have stopped calling to ask if I want to do something because in their minds I’m always occupied by work. This is definitely not something I'm proud of, but it has been the only way I could make it work.

THE FUTURE I'm curently working on two passion projects and they both mean a lot to me. Besides that I also want to focus on getting more international clients because the budgets are usually bigger, which then means more room to play. I want to keep improving myself, learn new skills, buy more equipment and next month I will get my first intern with the hope of creating more time that I can spend with my family and make sure that we have what we need to live a good life.

/ 110 /

SIMON WEYHE / ADVICE

My advice is to make a short film that is no longer than twenty minutes and try to get it to premiere at a film festival.

Work smarter, not harder. We live in a time with great digital cameras. Facebook and Instagram are basically free casting catalogues. With Google street view you don’t need a car to scout for locations. There are so many free platforms to publish your film‌ It has never been easier to do it on your own, so go do your thing and let the world know about it.

PHOTO BY SIMON WEYHE

/ 111 /

ONLINE LEGAL ADVICE - A GAME CHANGER FOR ENTREPRENEURS Comprehensible and affordable legal advice has been little but a utopian fantasy for anyone wanting to start their own business. Whether you want to know about company liabilities, hiring employees or protecting your ideas, contact with the legal industry often means extensive paperwork and huge costs.

The overall intimidation of approaching the legal industry has created a system where we reach out to lawyers only when we really need them. More often than not, this leads to companies waiting to seek legal advice until the damage is already done. This inevitably results in having to deal with even bigger bills to pay.

Luckily there is a new player in town, Nem Advokat - Denmark’s digital lawyers.

When the government in Denmark introduced their new online system (webreg), these rebellious lawyers used it to launch their digital business model. They provide an inexpensive, comprehensive and convenient online solution, with packages that fit your needs as an entrepreneur. They have free support and infographics that make it easy for you to get an overview of what you need – including many things you didn’t know you needed.

They also decided to have fixed prices per project instead of charging per hour, making the costs for small companies cheaper and much more feasible. Their mission is to take something as complicated as jurisdiction law and make it simple and digital.

Just the way we like it.

www.nemadvokat.dk

/ 112 /

BORN GLOBAL FOR TECH-STARTUPS A short “hands-on” programme set up by Væksthus Copenhagen to help tech startups effectively conquer global markets. Here are some of the challenges that you might be facing that we can help you with.

MARKET-ENTRY

PROOF OF BUSINESS

Many aspects have to be considered when starting your journey to create a global business and it can be difficult to determine how to enter the market in our fast moving global world. What is your target market and how do you reach it most efficiently? When is the best time to enter a specific market? Which marketing method is the most optimal in terms of your product and customer? Potential competitors, possible customer groups, trade barriers, languages, localized knowledge, price localization, export subsidies – the list is long regarding things to consider, and this programme helps to focus and speed up your global market entry.

First of all you need a business model that makes it visible how you actually make money. When you are able to show a potential investor your revenue streams and combine them with forecasts for the future, you are in business. Your business idea can be alternative, disruptive and radical as long as you manage to prove your business model as realistic.

LAUNCH AND GET HURT The launch and get hurt strategy might be the most efficient in starting up a new business. What better way to test the market than to let the customers try it out? This Born Global programme encourages you to think of the easiest and most cost effective way to launch your product to the market, take note of the reaction from customers or consumers, and then decide whether it’s worth pursuing. Maybe you should rethink your product and create something even better to survive in the global market?

LEAN STARTUP

HOW TO CREATE SCALABLE BUSINESS MODELS To make a business really interesting – to both you and a potential investor – the business model should be scalable. Creating growth is a common strategy in the entrepreneurial world, and for good reason.

Politicians like growth because it generates more employees and has positive macro economic effects. Banks and investors want it because it generates more profits for them. The entrepreneur is motivated by growth because it can align to a feeling of success, create greater ambitions and add to the feeling of making the world a better place. It’s a more creative process than you would think to create a scalable and global business model. It takes both hard work and several iterations before you (maybe) make it.

To hear more about the programme contact Væksthus Copenhagen. http://startvaekst.dk/vhhr.dk/born-global-vhhr

Basically it means to be focused on the needs of customers and repeatedly try to modify the product to what your customers want.

It helps you to minimize costs and reduce the risk associated with startups.

/ 114 /

/ 115 /

CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD VERTSING MAN Words by Trine Nielsen

/ 116 /

Goodvertising Agency’s founder and director Thomas Kolster is quick to admit that advertising has helped screw up the world and he is eager to undo some of the damage. Recently dubbed “Inspirational Leader” by The Huffington Post, he is proving that by making advertising better we can make the world better.

His book, Goodvertising (Thames & Hudson 2012) has sparked change within the often incredulous industry. For Kolster, advertising can ultimately do good for both people and the planet while at the same time creating great value for brands. His aim is to use communication as a strategic tool to create new and better solutions and push companies and brands in a more sustainable direction.

His journey to do good started when he was working at the UN's fifteenth climate change conference, held in 2009 in Copenhagen.

How did you come to realize that something needed to change in the advertising industry? “The tipping-point came at Cop15, when I realized that the solution wasn’t coming from our elected leaders. I felt provoked by the slowness of it all and saw the potential for brands and companies to step in and make a difference.

I have a talent for writing and I wanted to use it better than just be another creative at another agency. The book and the whole concept and movement were out there; all it needed was someone to pull it together. I like being the one that kicks the door in. I started doing a bit of research into ethical use of communication, and from there the whole thing came flooding out.

What do you think advertising can do to change the world?

“Look at how many adverts you see every day. You can’t avoid advertising, its everywhere. Our communication power is so IMMENSE, we are only cramped by our own limitations and the rules we put upon ourselves. As I see it, we need scaling-up from the social and environmental solutions that work. Imagine, if a campaign in Africa for HIV prevention really worked and saved thousands of lives, why not use that very same campaign in India?

Can you think of any roadblocks Goodvertising might face?

“The thing about not copying other people's work takes up a lot of energy – energy that could be used to create greater end results. This is also the core of my latest project called WhereGoodGrows. This is a platform not only for sharing communication and design solutions that work – but we’re taking it one step further and asking people to give away their ideas for good. We formalize this under a license we call the Right to Recycle license, which you choose to partake in to allow others to recreate your work. I hope the initiative can scale up solutions that work – and ultimately fast-track learning and innovation.”

How has this initiative been received by the industry?

“It has been largely positive, but has at the same time expressed concern that I am suggesting they give away for free what they make their living on. It’s a paradigm shift that needs to happen. At this stage it's still a matter of convincing the industry that it’s more lucrative to share, in the long run. They are watching, keenly, I feel, to see what happens next. The clients on the other hand are seeing the immediate benefit!

We’ve had a lot of interest from non-profit organizations who want to share and who want to benefit. We are talking to UN right now about how we can make this work for them.”

What drives you? “I get my ideas and creative input from being around other people, my network, meeting new people. Talking, talking, talking, sharing. I have learned to recognize my best ideas from the feeling of fear inside. If I’m not feeling any fear, the idea is probably not radical enough. Being an entrepreneur never stops. But I couldn’t do this if my ulterior motive was money. I see people that drive their business only to make money and it's often reflected in the product. I never really think about money or whether it will make me rich. “ Tell us about your mistakes? “I have failed many times and many of my ideas have been duds. But you learn along the way. My greatest business lessons have come from the things I didn’t do right. What you see now, here, are the few ideas that have worked out, out of many that I have thrown into the air. I don’t necessarily think I am the best at what I do, but I am doing it, and I will keep doing it until I feel I’m done.

What's next for you? “I'm working on my second book and I want to continue working towards sustainability. For me, this remains the most pressing issue for the world, and businesses, to focus on. I will likely continue along the same lines of what I’m doing now, trying to make the world a better place.”

“ My best ideas come from a feeling of fear – If there is no sense of fear, the idea probably isn’t radical enough. ” / 117 /

/ 118 /

/ 119 /

A

YEAR OF PRODUC TIVITY Words by Chris Bailey

The name is Bailey. Chris Bailey. Right now I live in the Great White North in the wonderful city of Ottawa, Canada. I love drinking copious amounts of green tea, thinking about space, meditating, writing, reading, becoming more productive, and Oxford Commas.

I’m completely obsessed with the part about becoming more productive, and being a bit spontaneous, I thought one day: what would it take to dedicate a year of my life to explore productivity as deeply and as thoroughly as possible? So I crunched the numbers, asked a number of people for advice, and before I knew it I was all-in. I declined two full-time job offers, planned for a few months, and on May 1st of this year (right after I graduated), I launched A Year of Productivity.

The project involves conducting weird productivity experiments on myself (like using my smartphone for only one hour a day, meditating for 35 hours in one week; and living in total reclusion for ten days), reading as many books about productivity as possible, and interviewing people who are living productively every day, all in an effort to devour everything I can about the topic and share everything I learn over at: ayearofproductivity.com Here’s just a small taste of what I write about on the site: 10 incredible and inspiring talks I discovered during my ‘70 hours of TED talks in 7 days’ experiment that are sure to make you more productive. Enjoy!

Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation (18:36) Forget money as a motivator, Dan Pink argues that the more autonomy, mastery, and purpose someone has in their job, the more motivated they become.

Russell Foster: Why do we sleep? (21:47) If you’re as fascinated by sleep as I am, you’ll love this talk. Foster is circadian neuroscientist, which basically means he studies how sleep affects the brain and impacts our lives.

Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work (12:20) An incredible talk that shows happiness inspires productivity, not the other way around.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action (18:05) Discusses how the greatest companies and innovators (he uses Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers as examples) are successful because they align their actions with a higher purpose, instead of just trying to make a quick buck.

Michael Norton: How to buy happiness (10:59) Interestingly, research has shown that money can buy happiness, but only when you spend it on other people, not yourself. Norton talks about a number of fascinating studies that have been conducted on happiness.

Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off (17:40) Sagmeister is a New York-based designer who shuts down his studio every seven years to take a year off. I’m a huge believer that taking breaks makes you more focused and productive, and Sagmeister lives that philosophy.

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend (14:29) Psychologist Kelly McGonigal talks about the fascinating research she’s conducted that says stress in itself isn’t bad for us. The only factor that affects whether stress harms us is how we view the stress.

Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great career (15:15) People make a lot of excuses to not pursue their passions, and Smith calls out every excuse in the book.

Nilofer Merchant: Got a meeting? Take a walk (3:29) The next time you have a meeting, why not get some exercise while being productive with a walking meeting?

Paolo Cardini: Forget multitasking, try monotasking (2:52) On A Year of Productivity I write about how much more productive monotasking will make you, and Cardini has gone a step further and applied the ideas behind to a few product designs.

/ 120 /

STAY

T D FI

PY, BALANCED AN HAP

A HEALTHY WAY OF LIFE USY

LL

IF E

IN

AB

AN D STRESSFU

Breathe deep watch your breathing and remember air is life.

Eat healthy greens and grains will keep you clean and fit

Work it out stay fit and move your body

Listen to music choose music to fit your mood

Observe nature watch nature and notice the peace

Write it out tell a piece of paper how you really feel

Visualize visualize what you want to happen to you

Share the love share yourself with the world

The print of this magazine was supported by

DON’T LOOK BACK YOU’RE NOT GOING THAT / 123 /

RT NO / 02

Artrebels.com Rebelacademy.org Rebelagency.dk Trailerparkfestival.com / 124 /