Creators in Session

Disco Donnie: 30 years in EDM - Fireside Stories

In this masterclass, our Co-Founder Lisa Simpson spoke with a legend of the EDM scene , James Estopinal, better known as Disco Donnie. His events company of the same name is an EDM institution worldwide, responsible for selling millions of tickets across tens of thousands of experiences, including major festivals like Ubbi Dubbi and Texas Eclipse. Donnie has played a pivotal role in the spread of electronic music culture in North America, taking it from its rough and ready rave era of the 90’s to the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. 
There have been ups and some clear downs along the way, but throughout his incredible career Donnie has always kept his passion and empathy at the forefront of everything he does. A natural storyteller, this session was a blast to record.  
Included in this masterclass: 
Early days promoting raves in New Orleans 
Scaling Electric Daisy Carnival into a global EDM phenomenon
Regaining his independence as a promoter and buying his business back
Building out distinct brands for his many different festivals and club shows
⁠⁠Easol⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠⁠
Follow Disco Donnie on Instagram

Wanderlust, Netflix, Bonnaroo: Heather Story on executing world-class experiences

In this masterclass, we spoke with experience creator’, Heather Story. From her early career days managing amphitheatres through to key roles behind the scenes at iconic American festival Bonnaroo and wellness pioneers Wanderlust, Heather is an expert in the careful balance of art and science that is event production.
Now managing the high-tech operation behind Netflix’s live Squid Game experience in Los Angeles, Heather’s career is a lesson in what it means to consistently pursue excellence. A leader and inspiration to her friends and peers, it was a pleasure to hear her philosophy and playbook for creating and executing world-class experiences.
Included in this masterclass: 
The key considerations behind producing a high-quality experiences and events   
How to build and manage a killer production team 
What you can do to find hidden revenue streams in your experience
The importance of play in high-stress situations
⁠⁠Easol⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.
⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠⁠

Tactics: Rise on marketing your festival 365 days a year

Our first ever ‘Tactics’ episode comes courtesy of Jamie Thomson and Lizzi Pepper, Festival Director and Head Of Operations at Rise Festival. The music and snowsports festival started in 2014 by Easol’s Co-Founders Ben and Lisa Simpson with their partner Will Habergham, attracts thousands to the French resort of Les Deux Alpes every December. 
Marketing the event comes laden with challenges, from the time of year it takes place through to the hurdle of convincing many first time-skiers to book a ski holiday, but the resourceful team at Rise have converted these difficulties into an asset. Here they share their tactics for bucking seasonality, and marketing your festival 365 days a year.  
Included in this masterclass:
How Rise Festival hacked their sales cycle
How you can plan to capture killer content at your event 
Why using marketing personas isn’t always the best strategy 
How you can turn your fans into your biggest asset
⁠⁠Easol⁠⁠⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.
⁠⁠⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠⁠
⁠Follow Rise on Instagram

Envision: Josh Wendel on how to build a truly sustainable festival

In this masterclass, recorded during Amsterdam Dance Event, our Co-Founder Lisa Simpson spoke with Envision Co-Founder and CEO Josh Wendel. Envision, which takes place “where the jungle meets the sea” in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica, is a 7 day immersive-experience that thrives on the cutting-edge of festival production, curation, design and at the heart of it all - sustainability.
For Creators In Session he spoke on the unique challenges his festival faces, what he hopes his attendees take away from their experience at Envision, and why there is truly no competition for creating sustainable solutions.
Included in this masterclass: 
Josh’s amazing journey to starting Envision
The challenges of putting on an event in the Costa Rican jungle 
How Envision go above and beyond to achieve its sustainability goals
What all festivals can do to integrate sustainability into their events
Who are Easol?
⁠⁠⁠Easol⁠⁠⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.
⁠⁠⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠
Follow Envision on Instagram

Rapper, Author, Creative Director: Wretch 32 on unlocking your creativity [ LIVE Video ]

In this masterclass, our Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Lisa Simpson sat down with Wretch 32 - the Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Author and Creative Director of 0207 Def Jam Records.
Starting out as part of group The Movement alongside Grime royalty like Ghetts and Scorcher, Wretch’s unique lyrical ability and dedication to his craft has helped him achieve legendary status among rap fans all over the world. For Creators In Session he spoke on the balancing act between creativity and commercial success that many festival organisers need to navigate. 
Included in this masterclass: 
How to overcome creative blocks 
Tips for communicating your ideas and vision
Marketing to different audience segments 
How to respond to seasonality and shifts in demand

Hospitality: Josh Robinson on how to scale a global events business [LIVE episode]

In this masterclass, recorded live at Amsterdam Dance Event, we spoke with Josh Robinson - Co-Owner of Hospitality, an iconic drum and bass institution now with shows around the world across four continents.
Included in this masterclass: 
Hospitality’s journey from a record label to now producing over 75 shows a year globally
The key factors to consider when working with partners for your events
How to build a brand concept that can be scaled with ease across multiple countries 
What to do when events go really wrong - funny stories on the ground!
Who are Easol?
⁠⁠Easol⁠⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.
⁠⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠
Follow Hospitality on Instagram

Afro Nation: Obi Asika on how to stand out in a crowded festival market [LIVE episode]

Welcome to the first episode of Creators in Session: a masterclass series by Easol. The festival industry is growing and changing at a rapid rate. In this episode Easol Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Lisa Simpson, interviews Obi Asika, Artist Agent to artists like Chase and Status, Marshmello and Wiz Kid and Co Founder of the world’s largest Afrobeats festival, ⁠Afro Nation⁠. The series kicks off with lessons in how to stand out from the crowd in a busy festival market, as Obi shares his story on building one of the world's fastest growing festival brands.
Included in this masterclass:
Obi’s journey from Drum and Bass Promoter and Artist Agent to Afrobeats festival founder
From idea to reality: the origin story of Afro Nation through to experiencing hyper-growth today 
The driving factors behind the brand’s success and popularity
The importance of representing and celebrating your brand’s community
Who are Easol?
⁠Easol⁠ is the first of its kind all-in-one ‘experience commerce’ platform built to support experience businesses globally, across all sectors including festivals, wellness retreats, food and drink, sports and adventure trips. With Easol, experience businesses have complete control to drive more direct sales, retain more revenue, own their data and run your  business on your terms.
⁠Follow Easol on Instagram⁠
⁠Follow Afro Nation on Instagram