Shows
Creators in SessionBuilding Resilience with The Tempest TwoThis week we’re bringing you a very special masterclass from a recent live edition of the podcast that we held right here at our very own Easol House in Hackney, London.
In 2016, adventurers James Whittle and Tom Caulfield, known as the Tempest Two, decided to row across the Atlantic—a 3,000-mile journey with no support crew, no prior rowing experience, and no real understanding of what they were getting themselves into.
It took them 54 days and saw them face challenges that ranged from circling sharks to a Category 2 Hurricane. One life-changing adventure is probably enoug...2025-02-0638 min
Creators in SessionAdd Everything: Unlocking new revenue streams with Rise, FRAME Artists and Luna Entertainment GroupThis week we took the show live, with a special edition of Creators in Session held for you, our community at our very own Easol House in Hackney, London.
Captured during the evening, this tactics session - Add Everything - reveals how to unlock new revenue streams for your experience business.
Hosted by Easol Co-Founder and CEO Ben Simpson, we invited three Experience Creators from the worlds of festivals, music and location-based entertainment, to break down how you can deepen customer loyalty and grow your business by expanding your offering.
We’re joined for t...2024-12-1935 min
Creators in SessionTSHA: Building your world as an artistWe believe the best brand builders are world builders - from Tyler the Creator to Lady Gaga and Fred Again - more and more artists today are finding ways to express creativity and drive revenue beyond their music.
The latest Creators In Session, which comes from a live event we hosted during Amsterdam Dance Event, sees us connecting with community-mind artist TSHA. She recently released her second album, Sad Girl, on London label Ninja Tune, and is finding new ways to connect with her fanbase in her new home of Ibiza.
In conversation with guest h...2024-12-0522 min
Creators in SessionMilkshake and Maricas: Curating Queer SpacesThe latest Creators in Session, comes from a live event we hosted during Amsterdam Dance Event, which took place at the home of friends, cycling brand Rapha. The day featured masterclasses for the electronic music community - from the likes of TSHA and Defected, through to this particular session, Curating Queer Spaces.
Guest hosted by the lovely NIKS, DJ and founder of the platform Black Artist Database, it saw us connect with Experience Creators Marieke Samallo of Amsterdam Milkshake Festival and Eloisa Blitzer of Barcelona's Maricas to discuss their commitment to protecting and empowering their communities.
...2024-11-2128 min
Creators in SessionThe Dots: Pip Jamieson on growing & nurturing vibrant communitiesIn this episode of Creators In Session, we sit down with Pip Jamieson, the dynamic Founder and CEO of The Dots, for an inspiring masterclass on growing and nurturing vibrant communities.
We first discovered The Dots as a hub for creative talent and were immediately drawn to its open, friendly and curated community—a refreshing alternative to traditional jobs platforms. Today, The Dots has evolved into a thriving network of the world’s most talented creatives, and under Pip’s leadership, it continues to drive change in the creative industry.
In this insightful session, Pip shares h...2024-10-2439 min
Creators in SessionFriends With Benefits: Greg Bresnitz on festivals in the web3 eraHow do you translate the philosophy of an experimental online community into consistently awesome experiences all around the world?
Online collective Friends With Benefits has been redefining what community means in the Web3 era since its inception in 2020.
While their base is online, they’ve made their mark on the in-person experience space, hosting more than 225 events around the world ranging from intimate parties to three successful editions of FWB Fest in California. FWB describes that flagship event as “part festival, part conference, 100% secret third thing”.
Part of that success involves developing their govern...2024-10-1036 min
Creators in SessionSuperfly: Lauren Guss on leading experiential for the world's biggest brandsThe first port of call for the world’s biggest brands, Superfly has been pushing boundaries forward in the worlds of immersive and experiential since the early 2000s, originally creating the iconic Bonnaroo Festival and recently delivering landmark events for Netflix, Lizzo and The New York Times.
We sit down with Executive Vice President Lauren Guss, to explore where experiential is headed next, the secret to building great partnerships, and how she conducts countless stakeholders and demands at once to orchestrate truly extraordinary experiences.
2024-09-2633 min
Creators in SessionDisguise: The future of live visualsCreators In Session returns for Season 2, and we're diving into the future of live visuals with Peter Kirkup, Solutions and Innovations Director at Disguise.
For over two decades, Disguise's software has led the way in powering unforgettable live experiences for artists like Adele, Massive Attack, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran, and events like Glastonbury and Coachella.
In this episode, Peter shares insights on creating those “spine-tingling moments” —and how they can drive your business's success.
Included in this episode:
How Disguise’s technology integrates real-world environments with cutting-edge visuals
Key insights for experience creators...2024-09-1027 min
True AF PodcastSeason 11 Episode 10 - EasolEasol has recently partnered with several prominent US creators, including Splash House & Goldenvoice Present Desert Air, which returns this November. They plan to open an office in LA in 2025. “The Easol platform offers us greater flexibility for selling our experience, and with more control over our fees, customer journey and data we now have new opportunities to grow our revenue. I’m excited to be partnering with the team at Easol to make this a great return of our Desert Air festival.”2024-09-0935 minTrue AF PodcastSeason 11 Episode 10 - EasolEasol has recently partnered with several prominent US creators, including Splash House & Goldenvoice Present Desert Air, which returns this November. They plan to open an office in LA in 2025. “The Easol platform offers us greater flexibility for selling our experience, and with more control over our fees, customer journey and data we now have new opportunities to grow our revenue. I’m excited to be partnering with the team at Easol to make this a great return of our Desert Air festival.”2024-09-0935 min
Creators in SessionAfro Nation, Wanderlust, Disco Donnie & Envision: 10 killer insights from the world’s best experience creatorsThis week on Creators In Session, we’re reflecting on the highlights from the series so far. We just released our tenth masterclass, and we thought now would be the perfect time to reflect on some of the amazing insights we’ve learnt from our guests. We set out to build a series of masterclasses for you, our global community of experience creators, to deliver inspiration, actionable insights to help tackle the challenges we face every day.
So far we’ve connected with experience creators and experts from around the world. Our journey has taken us from LA to L...2024-05-0922 min
The European VCFirm of The Year Finalist: Stephen Chandler on Building Notion & Raising an oversubscribed Fund VCelebrating one of the finalists in the Firm of The Year-category at this year’s European VC Awards, this episodes dives deep with Stephen Chandler, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Notion Capital. With 1.1 bn€ under management and 5 flagship funds under their belt, Notion is one of Europe’s absolute top firms and in this episode, Stephen dives into a level of detail rarely seen discussing everything from the guiding principles building Notion to the process and learnings from raising their latest fund. I highly encourage you to read Stephen’s notes below and tune in for this epi...2024-05-071h 23
EUVCE307 | EUVC Awards | Stephen Chandler on Building Notion & Raising an oversubscribed Fund VCelebrating one of the finalists in the Firm of The Year-category at this year’s European VC Awards, this episodes dives deep with Stephen Chandler, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Notion Capital. With 1.1 bn€ under management and 5 flagship funds under their belt, Notion is one of Europe’s absolute top firms and in this episode, Stephen dives into a level of detail rarely seen discussing everything from the guiding principles building Notion to the process and learnings from raising their latest fund. I highly encourage you to read Stephen’s notes below and tune in for this episode. I truly think this is...2024-05-071h 23
Creators in SessionNike, Adidas, Versace: Trippin and All Corners’ Sam Blenkinsopp and Natalia Cristina on building authentic brand partnershipsIn 2024, brand partnerships are everywhere - you’ll see them in your favourite films, on your social media feeds and of course at our experiences.
In a constantly changing economic environment, brand partnership revenue has even now become the primary source of income for some experience creators. This support however, doesn’t come easily - and what brands request in return, can often in fact leave experience creators feeling shortchanged.
Today’s guests, Sam Blenkinsopp and Natalia Christina - Co-Founder of Trippin and Managing Director of their creative agency All Corners, break out their playbook for build...2024-04-2552 min
Jamie Cooper - Trance, Progressive & Techno MixesRong Open Air Festival, Malta (Promo Mix)Promo mix ahead of my up-coming gig for Rong Events in Malta!
Ticket link: easol.link/0lch
Tracklist:
01 Namatjira - Breaking Ice
02 Breeder - Tyrantanic (Freedo Mosho & Maze 28 Remix)
03 Fuenka, Das Pharaoh - Theed (Kostya Outta Remix)
04 Whoriskey - Torn
05 Jerome Isma-Ae & Alastor - String Of Lights
06 Enamour, Paraleven - Rune
07 Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston - Crazy Love (ANUQRAM Remix)
08 Jody Barr - Eleanor
09 Duderstadt - Muhanjala (Dylhen Remix)
10 My Friend - Moonbeam
11 Oceanlab - Sirens Of The Sea (Marsh Remix)
12 Lange feat. Skye - Drifting Away (Marsh Remix)
13 Dan Stone - With You
14 Chicane feat. Moya Brennan - S...2024-04-241h 09
Creators in SessionTactics: Dulcie Horn on storytelling for growthThis tactics session focuses on unlocking the power of storytelling in your content strategy. A follow up from our episode with Rise Festival on marketing your experience 365 days a year, here we go deeper on how you can use social-first storytelling as a tool to nurture your community, build trust around your brand and grow your business.
Our guest, Dulcie Horn has spent the last 10 plus years mastering this skill and is now working to super-charge the content strategies for world-leading experiences such as Glastonbury, Boomtown and Southport Weekender with her own content agency Chuffed Digital. As D...2024-04-1143 min
Creators in SessionPrimavera, Untitled Group, AVA Festival, Nyege Nyege, Colour Factory: The art of event curation [ LIVE Episode ]This masterclass, recorded live earlier this year at The British Library as part of the AVA London conference, is all about the art of event curation.
Experience creators have an almost endless range of choices they can make to influence these reactions, whether that be through the talent they book or the way they design the stage, how they cultivate and protect their community, down to how security is trained and briefed to manage the crowd. With ‘exceptional’ experiences these choices are meticulously curated and intentional.
Easol’s Co-Founder Lisa Simpson hosted a group of five l...2024-03-2845 min
Creators in SessionDisco Donnie: 30 years in EDM - Fireside StoriesIn 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 cle...2024-03-1547 min
Creators in SessionWanderlust, Netflix, Bonnaroo: Heather Story on executing world-class experiencesIn 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 philos...2024-02-2346 min
Creators in SessionTactics: Rise on marketing your festival 365 days a yearOur 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 sh...2024-02-0843 min
Creators in SessionEnvision: Josh Wendel on how to build a truly sustainable festivalIn 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.
2024-01-2530 min
Creators in SessionRapper, 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...2023-12-0733 min
Creators in SessionHospitality: 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 wron...2023-11-1626 min
Creators in SessionAfro 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.
2023-09-1831 min
About AbroadTrading NYC for coastal France w/ Charles
Charles Kergaravat traded his thriving financial career in Manhattan for a more balanced life abroad in a region of France often not visited by the masses, but lacking little in terms of natural beauty, culture, and lifestyle. Today he joins About Abroad to share his perspective on making that leap, the pros/cons of life in the US vs France, and fully immersing in a foreign country. We also chat about Brittany, an incredible coastal area in northwest France that has become his home away from home, and how the local language and celtic influences have become a core...2023-08-011h 10
Experience This! Travel Industry Insights and OpinionsShow #24 - The Experience EconomyThere are very few investors who focus exclusively on the Experience Economy.Michael Zeisser, Principal, FMZ Ventures, is one of the most prolific and he joined us for a fascinating conversation on his perspective.Michael's background includes the McKinsey ecommerce practice, working as a senior executive at Liberty Media, at the time the controlling shareholders of IAC including Expedia and TripAdvisor, then went to work at for Jack Ma at Alibaba where he lead international investments.He now runs a solo venture fund and is an investor and/or board member at companies including...2023-07-2842 minAbout AbroadGlobal Citizenship + traveling in N. Korea & Afghanistan + the new Canadian Digital VisaDan Brotman obtained four citizenships by the age of 36, but that’s far from the most interesting aspect of his journey. Dan’s travels have taken him through countries such as North Korea and Afghanistan, allowed him to vote in foreign countries ranging from South Africa to the US, serve in a foreign military, and later fly helicopters with his previous sworn enemy. A fascinating discussion that takes us around the globe and eventually lands in Canada, where we chat about the new Canadian digital nomad visa and the launch of Rootless Mobility.
Follow Dan's work at Root...2023-07-251h 14About AbroadAbout Abroad live Q&A w/ ChaseYou asked for it, we delivered! Today we’re launching our very first live Q&A-only episode, in which we’ll answer real questions from real listeners, relating to the topics we love to chat about on About Abroad. Questions cover topics such as global mobility, expat life, remote work, digital nomadism, current events, van life, and some of our highs and lows from Chase’s personal experiences abroad.
Tune in to let us know what you think about this new format, and feel free to send your questions for the next Q&A episode to chase@aboutab...2023-07-1854 minAbout AbroadWorld travels with the Founder & CEO of The Nomad EscapeMichelle Maree is the Founder & CEO of The Nomad Escape, specializing in bringing online professionals together offline, in incredible locations around the world. Originally from the Netherlands, Michelle currently lives abroad in Madeira, and has made other long term stops in South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia, amongst other places. Today she shares her personal story with us, which includes an incredibly inspirational rags to riches component, and fills us in on some exciting opportunities they’re curating for remote workers to connect, learn, and grow together, in some awesome international destinations.
Follow Michelle's work at www.th...2023-06-201h 18About AbroadRemote Workers Worldwide and Tiny Living Abroad, with Mandy FranszMandy Fransz is the founder of Remote Workers Worldwide, the world’s largest online community of remote workers connecting nearly 100,000 people who are passionate about making remote work, work. She’s also an expat living and traveling abroad, and currently planning a move to Portugal where she plans to set up a (tiny) homebase and a tiny house village for remote workers. Today we dive into her personal journey and touch on a variety of topics ranging from European van life to the future of work and her favorite spots in Portugal, amongst many others.
Follow Mandy's work...2023-06-131h 13
Tourism Entrepreneur PodcastExperience Creators and the Rise of Ex-commerce with Lisa Simpson of EasolTopics: Easol, ex-commerce, experience economy, Shopify for experiences, Travel, tourism entrepreneurship, Tour operators
Welcome to the tourism entrepreneur podcast, I am your host Vanessa Mbenoun and today we are going to take a closer look at tours and experiences and talk about the rise of “ex-commerce”. Today we welcome the co-founder of EASOL, the first e-commerce platform dedicated to travel and experience businesses. Lisa Simpson is our guest so please stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and visit tourismentrepreneur.com
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
[1:00] Lisa’s intro and background
[9...2021-06-2932 min
Tourism Entrepreneur PodcastTourism Talks: Sustainability and the Future of Tourism in Africa with Judy Kepher-Gona of STTA KenyaTopics: Sustainability, Responsible travel, Fair Trade in Tourism, Community conservation, Travel, tourism entrepreneurship, future of African travel
Welcome to the tourism entrepreneur podcast. I am your host, Vanessa Mbenoun and today we will conclude our series on sustainability. People, brands, destinations… It seems like everybody talks about it but what is it really about? To make sure we get the right answers this morning, we welcome one of the leading figures of sustainable tourism in Africa . She has over 20 years’ experience working with the tourism sector with a focus on community based tourism and community conservation. she was...2021-06-241h 12
The Travel Growth PodcastBen Simpson - Branding, Owning Mistakes and the YCombinator ExperienceBen Simpson is the co-founder of Easol, an e-commerce platform specially designed for selling experiences and made specifically for experience creators. Before this he grew and sold an events business, worked at an ad agency and ran adventure travel experiences before founding Easol, successfully taking it through the YCombinator accelerator programme in Silicon Valley and attracting $4.5 million investment to help the business grow.Ben shares the kind of golden nuggets in this conversation that you would expect when you understand his back story. Firstly, he helped grow Rough Hill, the UK’s largest mill...2021-05-191h 37