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NEWSMAKERS
WE HAD TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO STAY ALIVE
Interview with Boris Kovaček, Co-founder and Co-owner of Pepermint and Executive director of Weekend Media Festival JASMINA JERANT //
WEEKEND MEDIA FESTIVAL
Boris Kovaček is a co-founder and co-owner of Croatian event agency Pepermint. He is also the executive director and co-owner of the Weekend Media Festival as well as Project Manager at the World Handball Championship, the European Water Polo Championship, Terraneo Music Festival, Asian Beach Games 2010. Before Pepermint, he built his career at EPH, DA! and as DJ in Zagreb clubs. His last major project was launch of the first amusement park in this part of Europe. Fun Park Biograd was opened in 2017.
"The crisis hit us. Event business was hit hard, we lost 75% of our budgets."
Q: You have started in the event industry as a light technician in a disco club, if I am not mistaken. How has your path then developed to the place in which you are now? As any other young man, I had many part time jobs during my student days. Waiter, furniture delivery, help in the kitchen etc. But the first job that I really liked, was being the light technician in a club. It might sound stupid, but it really is a creative job where you get an insight into the club’s organisation and business models. Light equipment was really primitive and analogue at the time. During that period, I met Tomo Ricov who is now my partner in Pepermint. Actually, I met him on my first working day, or should I say ‘first working night’ and then I was promoting his club nights. After a few years, he offered me to use his music for DJ-ing. I was a part of Zagreb’s clubbing scene for ten years and I worked in famous clubs like Kulušić, GjuroII and Hard Rock Cafe Zagreb. I was cofounder of Subculture, the first magazine for clubbing culture and music in region. Fun times... My first ‘real’ job was in Europapress Holding (EPH), the most important publishing house at the time. My first job was Auto klub and Playboy promotion coordinator; probably a dream job for any 20-something-yearold. But most important role I had, was being a deputy of promotion director for Jutarnji list. I was involved in all big events as Jutarnji was the media partner for all of them: Motovun Film Festival, Ulysses Theatre,
