Female empowerment – this buzzword corresponds to the current zeitgeist, but means nothing less than what has been the focus of the gender debate for decades. Do women really have equal rights, are the same doors open to them and can they develop without prejudice and without restrictions – professionally and privately? Opinions on this still differ widely today. ROLLING STONE asked a woman who has made a name for herself in a predominantly male-dominated industry: festival director Fruzsina Szép. She also tells us what guests can expect at her new, innovative project, the 360-degree festival Superbloom in Munich.
ROLLING STONE: You entered the business at the age of 18. What experiences did you gather back then and how did they shape your future work?
Fruzsina Szep: My career began when I applied for a job at a concert location on Lake Balaton at the age of 18. So I slipped into the music industry by accident. I’ve done almost everything over the years: at the beginning of my career I worked as a tour manager, booker, stage manager and in the area of artist liaison. All of these positions were very important to me and all of the stations in my professional career have had a huge impact on me. I have learned from all experiences, I think I know the industry in all its facets and was able to incorporate all the knowledge gained into the next positions.
When the Hungarian Cultural Institute was founded in Brussels in 2004, I was the institute’s director and thus the youngest cultural attaché among the diplomats from Hungary who were represented in Brussels. This was followed by the founding of the Hungarian Music Export Office, which I managed for three years. From 2008 I was allowed to work in leading positions for the larger festivals: I was the program director and artistic director at the Sziget Festival, Hungary, for seven years, and from 2015 – 2020 festival director at the Lollapalooza in Berlin. I have also been on the board of since 2014 “Yourope – The European Festival Association”.
With the Sziget and the Lollapalooza you have already set up successful festivals for several years. What learnings help you in your work today?
To be honest: everyone! The more experiences you gain in your life, the better, because that’s the only way you can grow and develop personally. I’m a person who loves to learn new things and always wants to stay curious. I always want to approach my tasks with respect, down-to-earthness and humility. The bigger a festival, the bigger the challenges you face, but I’m open to criticism and grow from it. This is the only way I can do things better in the future.
For example, the biggest challenge at Lollapalooza Berlin was that we had to change locations four years in a row. That was almost impossible for me and presented the team and me with incredible tasks. Thanks to this experience, I am now more or less fearless and am prepared for all upcoming hurdles. With SUPERBLOOM we face a different challenge: It’s about establishing a new concept, a new brand on the market. And although there is almost an oversupply of great festivals in Germany. But the opportunity to do SUPERBLOOM means great luck for me and I am very grateful for this new task – you don’t get the chance to set up a completely new festival very often.
What makes a good festival for you?
It’s the many little things that make a good festival for me. It is important to me that the visitors immerse themselves in a charming world and experience many moments of happiness that they will be reminded of in their everyday life for many months to come. The guests should leave the premises with the feeling that they would have liked to have continued dancing for hours. Internally, I love the moment when the team leaves the site relieved, overjoyed and full of pride. With our artists, I’m always very careful that they have had a special backstage and on-stage experience that makes them want to come back.
Organizing a festival is a real mammoth task – as a festival director, you also have a lot of responsibility when it comes to costs. How do you go about planning so that you don’t lose track of things?
I have a very professional team behind me that supports me 100 percent in all tasks and challenges. Of course I have a lot of responsibility as festival director, but a festival is not a one-man show and none of this would be possible without my great team.
In terms of planning, however, the pandemic has presented the entire industry with major challenges. What used to be plannable and manageable in terms of content, production technology and finances is presenting us with many hurdles this year. There are many ad hoc challenges that were never expected before Corona. You have to think in a completely new way and plan even better – the time aspect plays a major role here.
In 2022, festivals were again criticized for booking too few female acts. The explanation was then often: We can’t change the male-dominated music industry, but we’re doing our best. What do you think is really missing – female talent or the courage to change?
To host a festival you have to be brave. Every festival has a vision. I don’t want to speak for other festivals – but our vision is to book a diverse and inclusive line-up for SUPERBLOOM. Of course, we always hope that our festival dates (Munich location as well as the concept and orientation) will be positively considered by artists in the schedules and tour dates.
You are currently the only female festival director in Germany. This inevitably raises the question: do women find it more difficult to assert themselves in the industry?
It depends on the point of view. In general, as a woman, you have a double burden if you want children and a family in addition to your career. That certainly doesn’t make things any easier! Especially in an industry like ours, where you travel a lot. I’m a big fan of supporting and nurturing women leaders. For me, gender balance doesn’t just mean having a diverse line-up on stage, but also having it in the teams internally. Tomorrow’s female managers are often already today’s employees – so it always makes sense for me to check internally first when it comes to filling higher positions. I also wish that I wouldn’t have to be asked this question again in the next five years, because so much has changed in the industry by then.
What are your personal experiences?
In general, I have to say that I have hardly had any negative experiences in my career. I have always been treated with respect, collegiality and appreciation and I am very grateful for that! Working in the industry has met my best friends and the most important people in my life – even my husband, who is a festival organizer himself.
You are also involved in promoting talent and are committed to more equality with the “Take A Stand” initiative. Can you tell us more about what drives you?
I am a board member of Yourope, the European Festival Association, and the idea came about in 2016 when I sat down with two wonderful colleagues from Yourope while at a conference organized by the EU. We spoke about the recent troubling times and horrible, inhumane situations with terrorist attacks at music venues killing and injuring many people.
Music should be a language of freedom, peace and togetherness, and that was how Take A Stand was born.
Take A Stand is for everyone who stands up for the European ideal and its values, for everyone who believes in peace, inclusion and dialogue as opposed to fear and exclusion. It is therefore essential for me to bring these hopes and the belief in them to the SUPERBLOOM.
What is your advice for people who want to achieve what you have already achieved?
In the beginning you have to approach the job with open eyes and an open heart. You have to treat others with respect, be stress-resistant and have stamina. Everyone will make mistakes, but you have to take the pressure off yourself. In addition, you have to learn from the mistakes you have made and draw your strength and lessons from them. It’s ok to have setbacks because nothing has to be perfect from the start.
In addition, creativity and self-reflection are important in order to remain down-to-earth and to keep one’s inner self in balance. You have to hold a mirror up to yourself again and again and as long as you recognize yourself in it, you are on the right track. You often have to tear down your own barriers and fences, because no idea and no creative thought is impossible. Believing in yourself, in your desires and goals is super important in order not to lose yourself along the way, because, as I said, it’s not a “red carpet”. However, one of the most important words for me when working in a team and with partners is the word “thank you”. For many, this is of great importance and is a special appreciation – personally I like to use it very often.
With the Superbloom Festival you are now returning after a tough pandemic period – and this despite the fact that Covid-19 is still an issue. How do you deal with this extraordinary situation during planning?
The last two years have been very tough, especially mentally for me and for the whole team because we have had to start from scratch every year – always on the premise that we don’t know when the pandemic will be over. But we never lost sight and belief in our goal of finally making SUPERBLOOM a reality. We are constantly monitoring the current situation and are very sensitive to any changes. We are prepared for everything and prepared for all possible scenarios. The last few years have changed everything completely, our daily business is no longer like 2019. We are responsible for the physical and mental health of our team, the service providers, the visitors and of course ourselves. But we got through The massive changes in the industry now also offer the opportunity to improve old mistakes of the past and to expand well-established systems even better. Especially in our industry, in which people have always been the focus, a good network, trust and reliability are essential and I have the feeling that this is currently becoming even stronger and everyone is realizing how much they depend on each other.
With its various experience areas, the Superbloom seems to offer a whole new festival experience for the audience. What was the inspiration for this?
my whole life It has always been my dream to design a 360-degree experience festival and try out a wide variety of approaches. My wish is to offer such an extensive program that visitors lack nothing. A particular example of this is the “SuperBrain” experience area, which deals with science, medicine and new technologies – something that has never been seen before at a classic festival. I’m very excited to see how this goes down with the visitors. In any case, it was a lot of fun designing the festival, because SUPERBLOOM’s motto is: No idea is too big or impossible to implement. With a lot of content we have great partners and creative people, especially from Munich and Bavaria, who have inspired me and who share the same vision. The festival concept also offers a lot of room for new things and an expansion of ideas for the coming years. I still have a lot of written sheets in my notebook that I want to bring to life.
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