An Interview with Laurelene Chambovet

We talk to Laurelene Chambovet, or Lolo, currently the Philanthropic Manager at The Hospital Club, about how she is bridging the gap between business organisations operating behind big brands and the creative workforces that help keep them running, as well as her current and upcoming projects.

1)    Could you tell us a bit about your current incarnations? 

I am sitting between two worlds and I'm trying to help build the bridge between them. I understand the business imperatives of brands and organizations and I also understand creative language and expression.I try to be a mediator for projects; sometimes to amplify an idea and sometimes as a sort of filter.

I aim to support businesses to develop interesting platforms for creativity to flourish. I am setting the bar quite high but I am moving step by step, project by project.

 2)    Your roles are spread across creative development, event organization and relationship management - how did you start building skills in all these areas?

 Slowly. It has not always been easy. Some of the first projects that I worked on would sometimes turn into disasters, but the key is to keep the vision intact and to always believe that everything will end up as it is meant to be.

We learn from every experience and sometimes it can seem like you have done the worst mistake in the world but you actually did well to someone else and you don't even know it.

I've learned and developed skills from being in the action. I've always been working on at least two or three projects at the same time, always trying things out. One of the most important lessons that I've learned is that if you want things to happen you have to create the space for them to happen. It might sound very obvious but sometimes we forget that we are at the heart of our dreams and that if we are not working hard for them to develop no one will do it for us.

3)    For many creatives the idea of working with a brand is divisive one. Some view this as the 'holy-grail' others as the 'route to hell'. What is your take?

I think that the creatives' needs and the execution is changing and both the brands and the creatives have to collaborate on a more intimate level in order to create not only good work but culturally relevant initiatives.

Young creatives are constantly challenging existing conventions and are proving to be a catalyst for change. Brands understand their need to capitalise on creative energy as the creatives get savvier and savvier.

There is no doubt that these relationships can be difficult but I do also believe that when they are formed in the right way, amazing things can happen. I am currently exploring a few ideas around bringing a brand and a group of creatives to work together in a quite experimental way. Fingers crossed.

 4)    Can you give some examples of artist/brand relationships you view as particularly successful?

It is hard to say because I would need to talk to the artists and the people working for the brands too. There are a few projects that I think worked well:

Diesel U Music Radio (they chose to work with the Fuse radio girls and develop the project with them, very good choice and the content was amazing)

NYC MINI ROOF TOP (very good spot, great edgy music programme, nice people and very tasty cocktails)

HP Gallery (I thought it was great to be able to use those massive printers)

Becks Futures (which has been copied a few times since then)

Redbull Music Academy (for young musicians it is a great opportunity to learn, use equipment and collaborate)

And more recently the "Christian Dior and Chinese Artists" exhibition, as well as a lot of project where brands act only as patrons

 5)    Does the approach need to come from the 'business' to have a chance of success or are there 'brokers' who couple new talent and brands?

Some businesses have their 'cultural expert', this means a business person that totally gets it and can develop great projects with outside creatives/ artists. If the business doesn't have someone like that then yeah totally, they can look into developing a relationship with a 'broker. Curators, magazine editors, event organizers, etc.

 6)    In your experience can an emerging creative ever reconcile personal practice and profit without compromise?

Definitely, it can be an extended body of work and sometimes even push and challenge the artist practice. The company can commission the artists and leave him total freedom; in that case they are not compromising anything. If it is not the case but the project is conceptualized on a true 'heart to heart' exchange and everyone keeps up to their promises then it could actually give the artist the opportunity to work on really big and challenging fantastic projects.

7)    Other than cold, hard cash what can a successful brand relationship bring to the creative?

Access to big scales projects, events and exposure.

8)    What about those working alongside emerging talent - how can they help creatives to protect the balance between their art and commercial applications?

Once the creative has defined himself, knowing their personal sound, colour, style, and feel it is then it is a question of choosing the projects that are going towards that vision and always continuing to develop their own practices, as well as working on commercial projects

9)    Your work with Cultgeist demonstrates the desire to work with the arts is still constrained by short-term commercial goals in certain quarters. Is there any agency or organization you feel has severed this link and is now building truly collaborative relationships?

I am now the Philanthropic Manager at The Hospital Club, I run a programme called Creative in Residence. We are offering guidance and access to facilities to our Residents across the creative industries, helping them to develop new work and giving them advice on how to navigate the industry and help turn their ideas into sustainable businesses. We are building the programme together, based on the creatives' needs and what the Hospital Club can offer. The Hospital Club is investing in a long term project and vision building the Club's brand while collaborating with some of the best up and coming talent in the UK.

 10)  Finally, can you give us your pick of 5 top resources the commercially savvy creative needs?

Go and look for them yourselves, explore!