Few foresaw TikTok’s ability to shape the current state of the music industry like Jacob Pace.
At the helm of Flighthouse, one of the most successful media brands on TikTok, the serial entrepreneur observed early on the platform’s ability to amplify specific sounds by way of unmatched organic reach. Pace helped spur the success of numerous trends that spread like wildfire, transcending the bounds of the short-form video sharing platform and achieving mainstream attention.
However, despite repeated success, even Pace acknowledges there’s no surefire formula for concocting the next TikTok hit—only rigorous trial and error.
To that end, he’s been laser-focused on bringing critical infrastructure to fruition to support the next generation of sounds and creators—starting with phonk music artists.
Pace forged Arise Music Group alongside co-founder Damian Kotwica and recently launched the company’s phonk-focused sub-label, NOKTURNE. Inspired by a combination of 90’s hip-hop and contemporary electronic music, phonk has seen a meteoric surge on TikTok, generating 275,000 searches in the last month and year-over-year search growth of 384%, according to Glimpse.
NOKTURNE’s first two releases, “On Top” and “In Your Mind,” arrive by way of anonymous producer Killbird. Killbird’s music features phonk’s most notable characteristics, like booming low-end distortion and the stylistic “chopped and screwed” vocal patterns that have become the genre’s signature.
EDM.com caught up with Pace to discuss the demand for phonk music and the broader vision driving his latest entrepreneurial endeavors.
EDM.com: Prior to starting Flighthouse, you had experience on the label side, working at DUSTLA nearly 10 years ago. What lessons did you take from that chapter that you’re now applying to NOKTURNE?
Jacob Pace: I think one of the biggest takeaways from my experience with DUSTLA was the importance of building a brand and community through the label. While helping run DUSTLA with its founder Damian, we had a focus around making sure we cultivated a community.
Our goal with NOKTURNE is similar. We want to build a community around the music and the brand and be a place where fans can come together around a genre they love.
EDM.com: What has your personal journey been like with phonk? Walk us through your initial discovery and perceptions of it before ultimately deciding to forge the Nokturne imprint.
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Jacob Pace: I had been hearing phonk around TikTok a bunch, and to be honest, never even knew the genre had a name until one day me and Damian were catching up and he was telling me about it. He had been working on a phonk label and asked me to work with him on it, so it was good timing around when I started to discover the genre sonically.
EDM.com: You understood very early on that TikTok had the ability to amplify specific artists and sounds to meteoric heights and spark trends in the music world. Why do you think phonk music in particular has risen to such popularity and visibility on the platform?
Jacob Pace: That’s a good question. It’s hard to tell, sometimes. Oftentimes, music can be unpredictable in terms of what takes off and what doesn’t. That being said, I think the sound of phonk is new to most people, which is one factor, and I think a lot of the heavy and distorted nature of it makes it good to use in TikToks, memes and other internet videos.
EDM.com: With TikTok there’s a perception that because the content is very short form, the resulting trends are going to be meteoric, but trail off quickly as the audience is constantly in a state of gravitating towards the next trend. However, the decision to set up infrastructure in the form of a label around this particular style of music feels very intentional and forward-looking. Is there anything in particular about the phonk movement in particular that is driving you to want to plant a metaphorical stake in the ground with this venture?
Jacob Pace: The growth around the genre has been like nothing I’ve ever seen before. A lot of the music is great to work out to, great to work to and can also be heard and performed really well live. I think if the right talent enters the space, it has potential to become a new dubstep or trap, which could create a whole new wave in the EDM space.
EDM.com: There’s certainly no shortage of artists looking to land the next viral TikTok hit. Generally speaking, are there certain stylistic characteristics in your opinion that make a song more likely to resonate within the TikTok audience than others?
Jacob Pace: This is the million dollar question. It sounds generic, but anyone looking to create a TikTok hit needs to create a moment. That being said, this is far easier said than done. Sometimes trends can happen organically, other times they can take dozens of iterations before they catch fire.
Generally speaking, though, it is a good rule of thumb to just keep experimenting on the ideas you believe in. You’ll learn a ton as you just keep trying stuff out and talking to video creators on the internet. Also, if you’re working on a shoestring budget or no budget, you’ll usually always make a ton of progress by simply reaching out to video creators and forming a relationship with them.
EDM.com: Conversely, there’s also a faction of producers and musicians out there right now who feel like they shouldn’t have to give attention towards building a presence on TikTok to promote their music, because they want to exclusively focus on creating the music. How important is it for an artists’ career trajectory in your view for them to be engaged and creating content for TikTok?
Jacob Pace: I think over the past few years, TikTok has become increasingly important. It definitely feels like the main way for your music to get heard. While I think a strong presence on TikTok is important, whatever you do in your music career should always be organic.
I believe content always connects best with its audience when you can tell it’s genuine. Also, as I mentioned before, trial and error is the only way to find what works. So just produce content, and keep trying and iterating until it connects.
EDM.com: What’s next for Nokturne? Are there any other creative aspirations you have with the label you’d like to share with us?
Jacob Pace: The goal with NOKTURNE is to just keep pushing the boundaries on phonk music. Our larger goal with the parent company, Arise Music Group, is to redefine what it means to be a label by pushing the envelope on creativity and the tools that we build to empower creative minds.
If we had to decide what the soundtrack of the post-2010 Internet was, lo-fi would be the only reasonable answer.
Since the terms “lo-fi hip-hop” and “chillhop” started circulating more than a decade ago, the genre has undergone quite the metamorphosis. What was once a score for the geekiest places on the web—spread by young kids in the form of amateur mixtapes with anime-inspired art—became a mainstream sensation that even Will Smith and Disney tried to exploit at one point.
Between these two points in time, the history of lo-fi is far from linear, but it’s easy to pinpoint its protagonists. Without a shadow of a doubt, one of them is Chillhop.
For anyone remotely familiar with lo-fi music, Chillhop and its iconic Raccoon mascot are essentially synonymous with the genre itself. Despite sharing similar origins with many other networks, the Rotterdam-based company embarked on a trajectory of its own that has led to a thriving brand, which goes far beyond the infamous “lo-fi beats to study to” mixes and includes a record label, in-house studio, lifestyle brand and much more.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the launch of Chillhop’s flagship YouTube channel, we caught up with the company’s founder, Bas van Leeuwen, to discuss the link between growth and tech innovation, the origins of the project and the Raccoon’s lore.
Chillhop’s founder, Bas van Leeuwen.
Rauwkost Film
EDM.com: Let’s start from the very beginning. Chillhop is now renowned for its YouTube channel, its cozy aesthetic and compilation series, but the brand’s story began in a very different way. It all started with a blog, right?
Bas van Leeuwen: It all started in 2012 when I was living in my hometown and most of my friends had moved. There was one close friend I spent a lot of evenings with playing board games, having drinks and listening to music. We then found this type of music somehow and spent a lot of nights exploring what was out there in terms of music in this style. There were artists making this music, but there weren’t a lot of places or listener communities really centered around it that we could find at the time. It was a lot of fun just searching for great tracks on places like Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Last.fm, and sharing it with each other and listening to it together.
I was at a point where I finished my studies and didn’t really know where I wanted to go, so I figured that if I spent time helping people find this music that we really enjoyed and which we felt was under-appreciated, I could help the artists as well as learn something from the process… and that’s how it started. Just as a fun way to help artists find listeners and create something around the music. It began as a blog where I would talk to the artists about their new album or just do a little write-up of music I found and liked, but it wasn’t long until I realized I enjoyed creating videos on YouTube containing this music more than writing.
I really enjoyed pairing the music with visuals I made or found, and I figured that if people didn’t know about this music the first step is getting them to listen to it instead of reading about it.
EDM.com: How did the project evolve after that? Did the YouTube channel or the record label come first?
Bas van Leeuwen: The YouTube channel was the base of everything. I spent a couple of years simply finding music, connecting with artists and sharing that music with the small amount of listeners we had then. I also started our first mix series called the “Chillcompilation,” where I would make a monthly selection of tracks I found and shared it on platforms like Mixcloud, SoundCloud and YouTube. This was at the time a hobby I spent a lot of time on—I didn’t make money off of it nor did that even come to mind as being a possibility. I simply enjoyed finding and sharing the music as well as connecting with the artists and seeing how I could help them reach a larger audience.
Back then it was small. Spotify and streaming wasn’t really a thing so the whole idea of making money with the music didn’t really live—it was just people creating and sharing it because they liked the music. After running the YouTube channel for about three years I started the label as a way to get more involved in the process and be able to do more for the artists than solely uploading their music on our channel. Because I had built up a good relationship with a lot of artists over time and the YouTube channel was growing, pretty much every artist I spoke to was enthusiastic to be involved and have us release their music.
EDM.com: Fast-forward almost almost a decade later. What does the Chillhop brand embrace?
Bas van Leeuwen: Other than the two “faces” of the brand, namely the Chillhop YouTube channel and the Chillhop Music label, we have a publishing and sync department. We also built our own recording studio here in our office in Rotterdam and we launched the Endless Sunday lifestyle brand.
The Chillhop music studio.
Berdine de Gier
EDM.com: Let’s focus on YouTube. For legions of music listeners, you’ve been the incubator of their experience with lo-fi. When you started the channel, were there already established lo-fi curators who inspired you? How was the scene on the platform?
Bas van Leeuwen: The term “lo-fi” to describe this kind of music wasn’t at all a thing back then. That only started in 2015 or so. In 2013, when I started the channel, there were a few channels like Bob42jh, iE4tBe4tz808 and DLoaw that were inspirational to me. There were some other small curators from around the world that were important to me, but Bob42jh—who also ran record label Cult Classic Records—has been really fundamental for this type of music, even though nobody who listens to the music nowadays knows him.
There were also small labels like Dusted Wax, who hosted a simple website where you could download hundreds of beat tapes by artists, back then which were a great source of music for me. I would say the scene was really great and it was easy to connect with everyone and share the passion for the music.
EDM.com: How was Chillhop’s channel initially structured?
Bas van Leeuwen: We uploaded single tracks that we found and liked and I created mixes every once in a while, basically. That was before the label was launched. It was really quite simple and similar to a lot of YouTube curators.
If you’re talking about the label, that grew first from just me to working with a few other people like Brandon (also known as Birocratic) helping out on the music side casually, with some other friends involved casually as well. In 2017 we hired the first few people full-time to help work on the label, including Bastien to work on design and a lot of label-operational tasks, as well as Simon (also known as Philanthrope) to work on the A&R side of things. From there on out, the team grew further as the label grew, counting now 24 people, half based in the Netherlands and half international.
EDM.com: Correct me if I’m wrong, but the livestreams were an immediate success on YouTube. How much has that feature changed the game for you and the whole YouTube ecosystem?
Bas van Leeuwen: Huge. I think it’s been the single biggest factor for the growth of the music and most of the big channels in this space. We were one of the first channels on YouTube that started a 24/7 livestream in music and at the time, we had our music playing with more relaxing, real-life nature visuals in the background, aerials of islands and that kind of stuff.
It didn’t really blow up or trigger the YouTube algorithm as much. But once some other channels started livestreaming and used studio Ghibli visuals instead, it seemed to click with a lot of people, which then triggered the YouTube to recommend the stream to tons and tons of people. The popularity of those channels and the music skyrocketed quite suddenly and quickly.
EDM.com: How has the rise of Spotify and other streaming platforms changed your approach? Previously, to be a music curator, especially on YouTube, there was a practical barrier. You had to download the track, get the artist’s approval, find a fitting cover picture and finally upload everything. Spotify, for example, bypasses all this, making the curator’s job just a matter of drag and drop. Not to mention that its UX is smoother when it comes to finding and listening to music. How did you deal with all that “new” competition?
Bas van Leeuwen: It’s a hard one, honestly. I liked YouTube since you could really create something new that combines the music and visuals and have interaction with the people listening to it through the comments, et cetera. I think what’s hardest, is finding a balance between everything. Whereas 10 years ago, everything would be new and I could do whatever I want whenever I want, but we now have listeners, artists and a team to think about.
As things change quickly, you have the responsibility towards all of those people—especially the artists—to create the biggest exposure for their music. It’s sometimes hard to find the time and keep the focus on the creative side. I think the fact that there’s a lot of people or competition doing pretty much the same thing without a lot of variation makes it hard to really get inspired by something anymore. I like doing something slightly new, but never see myself as some groundbreaking innovator or something. I try to take it step by step.
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However, that feels like it has slowed down a bit because I’m just trying to keep up with everything. That’s the challenge for me personally. I still really like the music but I feel like I have to break away from it creatively somewhat to keep it interesting for myself, but also while continuing to serve the music and artists in our catalog as well as keeping our operation afloat. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I don’t necessarily see competition in itself as something that I focus on or get too riled up about. It mostly just highlights the weak points in your brand and the lack of uniqueness or ease to imitate something.
EDM.com: Let’s go back once more to the origins of Chillhop and talk about the fans’ favorite topic, which has even been the subject of video essays: the Raccoon’s lore. When does it come into play?
Bas van Leeuwen: So this is an interesting one, and depends on the lore as described in the “Chillhop universe” or the actual story. The actual story is that I was looking for a mascot that represented the style of character of Chillhop. A raccoon came to mind since it’s an animal that stems from nature but is often urbanized, so the combination between nature and city fit with my idea. Then in terms of attitude and character, it looks calm, laid-back and chill on the surface, but has a bit of an attitude and edge to it, which I really like as well.
So there was a moment when I was on a vacation-business trip in Vancouver with a colleague, and we were out in the mountains and coincidentally discussing the mascot thing. Then, when we looked out the window, we saw a raccoon standing there, just looking at us. That’s when I was like, “Yeah, let’s go for the raccoon.” And that’s how it was born!
We worked with a few different illustrators to bring it to life, both in the logo as well as the livestream. From there on out, it just evolved naturally and we are now building a bit more of a cohesive universe and storyline around the Raccoon and its “squad” as time passes, and sharing more details over time.
The real-life raccoon that inspired Chillhop’s signature mascot.
Bas van Leeuwen
EDM.com: But Chillhop’s aesthetic is not just built on the Raccoon. A key component of your identity are the artworks that accompany your uploads and releases. I noticed that the first hints of this art direction can be seen around 2018. How has it evolved and how do you manage the art direction?
Bas van Leeuwen: If you look back at the earlier videos on our channel that are still there, about seven years ago we featured visuals in a lot of different styles, from photos to illustrations to small DIY animations. It evolved from there and as time passed, we started focusing more on illustrations rather than photos. We have an internal team of people working on art direction, as well as a pool of talented illustrators and animators we work with on a frequent basis.
Although lately we try to create some consistency by working more in one specific style. I like the different interpretations of the Raccoon by different artists but it also feels good to go more in-depth with a visual artist we’ve been working with for a longer time.
EDM.com: Your community creates a lot of fan art. Have you ever turned one of those creations into an official artwork or merchandise?
Bas van Leeuwen: Our community always blows me away in terms of fan art. There are some really talented people out there and it’s always awesome to see what they come up with.
EDM.com: As a spectator, I quickly got the impression that your community is extremely dedicated and vice versa, so much so that you go to great lengths to offer them the most positive and immersive experience possible. How has this relationship evolved over time? What are the most important virtual hideaways for the Chillhop community?
Bas van Leeuwen: It’s great to have a community that cares so deeply about the brand. It’s hard to name one place that people most frequently visit, but when it comes to the interactive aspect, both our Discord server and livestream chats are the places where people hang out most often. But there’s a lot of just as awesome followers on platforms like Twitter, Reddit and Instagram.
The relationship evolved mostly for me as a person, where it’s sadly become harder over time to be as close to the community as before. I lurk on our livestream chats and Discord frequently, but one of my ambitions is to have more time to hang with the community.
EDM.com: Lo-fi became quite a mainstream trend during the pandemic years. Have you experienced the effects?
Bas van Leeuwen: Yeah, it’s a weird duality where I like the fact that the love I have for this music is shared by a lot of people. On the other hand, the fact that it became bigger also jeopardizes some of the magic that was there early on. There’s a lot of talented and passionate people in it, but also a lot of ingenuity.
On the other hand, I also don’t want to be an old grumpy gatekeeper, so honestly I’ve grown over that part and focus on people doing cool shit, which there’s a lot of. For us personally, our biggest peak was before the pandemic so I feel the growth in competition is bigger than the growth of interest in the music as a whole.
Chillhop’s raccoon mascot.
Chillhop
EDM.com: Lo-fi is a very (if not exclusively) digital genre. It’s not a scene that resolves around clubs, concerts or festivals. Despite that, it has a very strong relationship with physical formats. What is the reason for this duality?
Bas van Leeuwen: I like holding things and we like creating packages, whether that’s in the form of a video or in the form of a physical product. I think a good balance between doing things digitally and enjoying things in real life is important, so the physical product side is essential for us in that sense.
EDM.com: You’ve always been very active on this front as well. When did you start doing physical releases? Has the demand increased or decreased over the years?
Bas van Leeuwen: We started early on, in 2016. Our first release on vinyl was Deeb’s Slowmocean EP. I remember for our first few releases I did everything from curation to contracts to cover design and coordinating the vinyl production process, which we did on Qrates at the time.
I’d say the demand grew a lot after the first few years and it still does, although the insanely long production times for records makes for a big challenge on that side.
EDM.com: Continuing to talk about physical experiences, how’s the Endless Sunday bar going?
Bas van Leeuwen: We just closed our cafe. It was a hard decision to make but ultimately we took over the lease for this place just before Covid hit, and burned through our reserves too quickly to be able to build a sustainable place in an increasingly hard market.
We learned a lot from it and had great experience running events there, so all in all it was a very valuable experience and we will definitely use the experience we gained there running events to continue doing that in the future.
EDM.com: Do you have plans for the 10-year anniversary of the project next year?
Bas van Leeuwen: We have some ideas, but can’t share more there!
All aboard the world’s largest floating dance music festival, Groove Cruise.
Whet Travel’s flagship fest is set to return to the seas for its 35th sail out of Miami to a private Haitian island. It’ll kick off on January 19th on the newly renovated Celebrity Summit cruise ship before docking on the 23rd.
This once-in-a-lifetime festival experience boasts nine stages and will feature 96 hours of nonstop techno and house music from over 50 artists. Groove Cruise is also beloved for fostering an ecosystem of creative self-expression and inclusion for its guests, who will dance under the Caribbean sun to performances from Nora En Pure, Claptone, BIJOU, Giolì & Assia, Matroda, William Black.
EDM.com caught up with Groove Cruise’s founder, Jason Beukema, to chat about its unforgettable festival experience, Whet Foundation’s scheduled charitable initiatives and more. For more information and tickets, navigate here.
EDM.com: How did the Groove Cruise team decide on Labadee, Haiti as the destination? What will the port stop entail for the attendees or “captains” of the ship?
Jason Beukema: Labadee is an absolute dream destination. I’ve been on 148 cruises and to 74 countries and always find myself wanting to go back to Labadee. It is a stunning location that has everything you could ask for in a destination: pristine beaches, crystal-clear blue waters, and even forested mountains.
Amenities wise, it has the world’s longest zipline over water, an epic rollercoaster that goes down the island’s beautiful mountainside, a 300-foot water slide, private cabanas, boat and island tours, jet skis—I could go on and on! It is paradise on Earth. Add that to our amazing destination event with live performances from some of the world’s best DJs and it’s just something you have to experience yourself.
Groove Cruise group of friends partying on the ship.
Lauren Morell
EDM.com: There are several top-tier women booked for the 2023 festival, including Nora En Pure. What goes into the lineup curation for each cruise? What is your opinion on ensuring the representation of inclusive bookings, especially within the electronic music scene?
Jason Beukema: We work with a lot of different labels and brands and have a booking team who are constantly on the lookout for new and exciting talent to bring on Groove Cruise. Each lineup is like a puzzle, fitting the different sonic pieces together to create the most interesting and engaging experience possible.
Inclusive booking is so important to us. One of the main pillars of Groove Cruise is being a fun, safe and inclusive space for everyone to be themselves and that starts with the names on the lineup. Not only is it important to represent different voices and give them a platform to be heard, but it actually helps create a better musical experience for our captains as well. No one wants to listen to the same music from the same people for four or five days. We are truly proud to be an inclusive space both behind and in front of the DJ decks.
EDM.com: The Celebrity Summit underwent a $500 million renovation. What can attendees expect in terms of amenities and offerings on the ship?
Jason Beukema: Out of all the cruise ships we’ve chartered over the years, the Celebrity Summit might be my favorite. And this will be the first Groove Cruise on it since the renovations, so I’m pumped!
They overhauled the whole ship, renovating every part of it from the staterooms and suites to the restaurants and bars, casino, spa, and sundecks. The spa is totally tripped out now, it’s an amazing place to start your day and recover from the night before. And the food on the Summit is on another level from your regular cruise ship. I mean, Michelin-starred chefs put the menus together. You literally can’t beat that! I can’t wait to get the GCFam back on board to experience the revolutionized ship.
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John Summit and Dombresky performing a DJ set on Groove Cruise.
Marcus Laurore
EDM.com: Groove Cruise also provides a plethora of artist-hosted programming and activities, something a lot of large-scale events don’t do. Why did GC decide to include these?
Jason Beukema: We’re always looking for something unique to offer our captains because the goal of Groove Cruise has always been to create something truly special and out of the ordinary. The great thing about putting a festival on a cruise is that the artists are on the ship with everyone else, so as an attendee you’ll bump into them all over the place and be able to interact with them.
After a few years we realized that a lot of the artists playing Groove Cruise also really enjoyed interacting with fans as much as the fans did, making it a match made in heaven to put these artist-hosted activities together. And ever since we started doing them officially they’ve consistently been one of the favorite parts of Groove Cruise for both artists and fans.
EDM.com: The festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024. How have you seen Groove Cruise’s two decades’ worth of events expand and change over the years? Did you ever imagine it would become the world’s largest floating dance music festival? What do you hope to add and expand in the coming years?
Jason Beukema: I started Groove Cruise in 2004 with 125 friends going on a regular cruise vacation together. I drove a makeshift DJ booth and all the gear down to Miami from Michigan because I couldn’t afford to rent them. I put a business plan together to grow the event and charter my own ship in five years. Seven years later I finally did it. Fast forward to today and over 60,000 people have attended our floating events and we’ve just announced our first 4,000 person capacity sailing on one of the newest, most amenity packed ships in the world, the Norwegian Encore.
Of course, I always hoped Groove Cruise would take off like it has, but seeing it actually happen has been the most amazing experience and has kept me working hard to innovate and offer our captains the most immersive and unique musical adventures possible.
Whet Foundation making a difference in Cabo San Lucas.
Jack Harrigan
EDM.com: Groove Cruise also has been partnering with charities and the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Whet Foundation, since its inception in 2004. What are the festival’s scheduled outreach initiatives while in Haiti?
Jason Beukema: We’re teaming up with an amazing nonprofit called Second Mile Haiti for this upcoming Groove Cruise. They’ve built a live-in malnourishment recovery center and created a family planning program to reduce maternal and infant mortality.
Malnutrition affects a staggering 10% of Haitian kids. Haiti’s unemployment rate is around 80%, and 76% of its population is living on less than $2 a day, which causes families to have to give up their children in order for them to receive proper care. So we’re working with Second Mile Haiti to bring 50 kids and 10 mothers from their community to Labadee, where Groove Cruise volunteers will host activities and provide donated goods (food, school supplies, toiletries, books, toys, etc.) for the kids and mothers.
Whet Foundation is an integral part of Whet Travel and has been since I started the company. Giving back to the communities we visit is so important. Visiting a foreign destination isn’t just about seeing a new location and ticking it off your bucket list, it’s about learning from new places and expanding your understanding of the world, and you can really only do that by interacting with locals and leaving your mark through helping people in need however you can. I’m happy to say the GCFam have really taken to this side of Groove Cruise and the volunteer excursions are getting bigger and bigger on every cruise we put on because more and more people want to get involved.
Job interviews are not exactly everyone’s idea of a good time. They can bring about stress, anxiety and a bit of nerves. However, stress often comes from a sense of being unprepared. So what if you discovered that being as prepared as possible could reduce your stress on the big day?
Whether you’re a brand new job seeker or a seasoned professional, this article will walk you through the interview process, help you show potential employers why you want to work for their company and how to ace their questions every time.
One of the toughest questions you’ll get is also probably the most obvious. Why do you want this job? Why are you interested? However straightforward the question seems, it can be surprisingly challenging to come up with a good answer.
Should you focus on your career path and aspects of the company’s mission and business practices that resonate with your goals, such as eco-friendly products or community service initiatives? Or should you talk about something else entirely?
There isn’t a cookie-cutter answer here. However, we will review tips to help you navigate the murky waters of the dreaded “why do you want to work for this company?” question.
Before learning how to ace common interview questions, you should know how to apply for a job opening that is right for you.
Work-life balance has been a hot topic lately, and a big part of that has to do with actually feeling fulfilled in your job. Applying for jobs that genuinely interest you is important because it will come through in the interview, and working in a job you enjoy does wonders for your mental health.
Money is essential. However, it should not be your sole reason for applying for a job.
When you are solely driven by money, you may quickly feel unfulfilled with your work. When browsing job boards, look for jobs with a healthy balance of salary and something you genuinely find interesting.
Passion and motive go hand-in-hand. To determine whether or not you’re passionate about this potential position, ask yourself:
Will you look forward to telling your friends and family about this job?
Will you look forward to doing this job each day?
Do you care about the work you are doing?
Will the work stimulate you?
3. Work-life balance
The need for work-life balance varies from person to person. When applying for jobs, it is vital that you know yourself and what level of work-life balance you require.
Most job descriptions will tell you the required hours and whether nights, weekends or untraditional hours are required. Keep those details in mind when making your decision.
4. Work environment
The work environment is another aspect that varies from person to person. As you consider what kind of work environment you’d like to experience, ask yourself:
Do you want an in-person, hybrid or remote job?
Do you prefer solo work or collaborative work with team members?
What kind of workload are you prepared to take on?
Does company culture matter to you? If so, does this company culture match your core values?
You should answer these questions for yourself, but you can also ask more specific questions on this topic during your interview process. In addition, complete your due diligence by researching the job and company via sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, where you can find job postings, salary calculations, company reviews and other relevant information.
Whether you are applying for a job at a small or large company, if your career goals involve growing with that business, you need to make sure there are opportunities. Sometimes, this can be difficult to tell simply by the job description, so you’ll have to ask follow-up questions in your interview.
Some of the best questions to ask to find out if there are growth opportunities include the following:
What kind of mentorship opportunities, formal or informal, does the company provide?
Are there available opportunities for career development and skill development through this position?
What qualifications are required for promotion opportunities, and how can you work toward acquiring said qualifications in this position?
Could you provide an example of a senior role, its qualities and required skills?
What improvements would you like to see in your industry and at your current company?
But one easy way to tell is by the job title. For example, if you are applying for a position called “assistant manager,” there is likely a position above it called “manager.” Look for hints during the job search to clue you in on growth opportunities.
How to prepare for a job interview
Once you’ve applied to a great job and scored an interview, it’s time to prep.
Take a look at these tips and tricks to bring your A-game.
At this point, you should know the job you want. “Knowing the job” includes in-depth research about the day-to-day responsibilities of the position, the characteristics of successful employees working that role and how you align with those work habits and personality traits.
However, once you’ve secured an interview, you should take your knowledge of the job description one step further.
The job description will likely guide the hiring manager’s questions, so you should be prepared to demonstrate how you can perform the job duties or show your performance history of similar previous job functions.
Be prepared to answer situational questions about how you would react to a situation or examples of how you have handled similar scenarios.
Situational questions: Examples and sample answers
1. Describe a situation where you went above and beyond at a previous job.
Answer: My boss was on vacation, and my team got an order for 500 additional shipments of XYZ. I regrouped and helped motivate the team, and we fulfilled the order ahead of schedule. The client then signed on to purchase more XYZ in the following year.
2. Talk about a time you had to collaborate with a difficult coworker.
Answer: One of my co-editors had a very different work style from my own. She was much laxer, whereas I preferred to follow the procedures to a tee. We collaborated to develop a new editorial protocol, which allowed us to turn around 50% more articles per week.
In these questions, the best practice is to keep in mind a simple answer formula: problem, solution and benefit. If you can articulate how your work addressed the problem and the impact of your actions, you are more likely to impress interviewers.
2. Know the company
This is part of preparing for the big question. You’ll need to study and grow your knowledge of the company, including:
You should know the company’s story, background and founders.
You should understand the company’s mission statement and purpose.
You should have some general knowledge about the company, such as work examples or campaign history.
This is a considerable part of preparedness. The company will want to know that you chose them on purpose, so be ready to show them you did.
3. Know yourself
During your interview, you must show confidence in your answers (even if you’re forcing your confidence through a layer of anxiety at that moment). The following are some aspects of yourself that you should be ready to share:
The specific personality traits and attributes that distinguish you from other candidates.
Your work history, track record and any gaps in your background.
Your particular work style.
Any strengths and weaknesses relevant to the position.
Practice going over sample answers with yourself for job interview questions you might be asked.
A good practice for discussing your strengths and weaknesses is another simple formula: mention a strength/weakness, then provide a story for context.
Here are a few examples:
I’m a strong public speaker. My last position required me to give presentations at conferences such as X, Y and Z, and at each of these conferences, we closed sales contracts with multiple clients in attendance. I received multiple internal shout-outs while at my previous company and was chosen to serve as our media spokesperson for the XYZ product rollout.
One of my greatest weaknesses is that I don’t always express myself, even when I have strong feelings about a subject. However, I’ve recognized this limitation, and I’m working to grow. I’ve joined a local public speaking group to overcome my hesitancy to voice my thoughts, and I’m becoming more confident in expressing myself to others.
4. Create questions
Even though most of the interview will be about you, it’s essential to ask your interviewer about themselves and the company. You can certainly ask follow-up questions about anything you have learned during the interview, but you should also go in prepared.
Even though this won’t happen until after the interview, you should go in knowing that you’ll need to send a thank you note after. In the email, you should include the following:
Include an introduction.
Include three things you enjoyed or learned during the interview.
Include a call to action.
Include a sign-off.
The big interview question: Why do you want to work here?
You’ve snagged the job interview and prepared as much as possible, and now the time has come — interview day.
The interview will likely start with questions like:
What can you tell me about yourself?
Can you tell us about your skill set?
Why should we hire you?
Can you tell us about a time when…?
But the most critical question is one that is more about their company than you.
Why do you want to work here?
All of your preparation will pay off at this moment. Companies want to know that you have done your research by:
Look at the company’s website.
View company social media accounts.
Understand their mission and company values.
Demonstrating your knowledge of their company shows that you care and have a genuine interest in the position. To show you have done your research, you should answer the question as precisely as possible.
For example, don’t just say, “I love your company’s mission and think I’d be a great fit because I align with it.” Instead, get specific. Tell a relevant short story or give an example or give an exact answer about why their mission matters to you.
Be specific by answering with something like:
“I saw the campaign you did about X. That is something very near to my heart, and I would love to be a part of a company that values Y. I want to help continue the mission of X by Z.”
Relate their mission to your values. Show them the connection between their company and you. If you can tell a story and create a relationship, you will ace the question every time.
Bottom line? Interviews are tough. The market is full of competitive job candidates, and the process can be stressful. The best way to tackle interviews is to be as prepared as possible.
When entering into an interview process, remember:
Apply to the proper position for you.
Prepare for the interview by doing your research.
Know why that company matters to you, and show them.
Now that you’ve got the rundown, it’s time to put yourself out there and snag a job offer.
For most DJs, performing for hours on end is an exercise in durability and determination. But for Markus Schulz, it’s child’s play.
With a career spanning roughly three decades, the profile trance producer remains one of the most renowned electronic music artists in the game. And his signature open-to-close NYE sets have become his love language.
Schulz annually descends on the City of Angels to DJ at the famed Avalon Hollywood club, where he rings in the new year by performing for 12 continuous hours with nary a bathroom break. This year’s DJ set, however, has the feel of one of his biggest in recent memory.
“I took a few weeks off from touring in November to work on the next Markus Schulz artist album, which we’re aiming to release in the summer 2023,” he tells EDM.com. “Everything I have earmarked for the album hasn’t been played out anywhere yet, so the Los Angeles faithful can be assured they’ll be the very first to hear those tracks.”
We caught up with Schulz ahead of this year’s NYE set to discuss the secret sauce of his open-to-close sets.
Markus Schulz.
Coldharbour Recordings
EDM.com: This is your 9th year in a row playing New Year’s Eve “open to close” at the historic Avalon Hollywood, where you sell out the venue each year. How does it feel?
Markus Schulz: It feels amazing! I was very fortunate to be able to do it last year. That feeling of gratitude was there throughout the whole experience. It felt incredible to be together again.
EDM.com: What’s key to your relationship with Los Angeles that you keep selling-out Avalon nightclub when you play in L.A.?
Markus Schulz: My relationship with the Los Angeles entertainment scene has always been paramount in my career. When my reputation started growing outside of Miami in the early days, I got some early bookings in L.A. In the beginning, the challenge to play L.A. felt a bit daunting, but thanks to the communities of trance music fans, Los Angeles really embraced me and my sound.
Fans there welcomed me as part of their family. It gave me the confidence that, if I could connect with people there, I had the ability to do it in the other key clubbing cities around the world. Avalon was one of the venues which provided me the opportunity to bring my open-to-close experience to fans as a regular event. It’s an incredible privilege to be able to return to Avalon Hollywood for another year this New Year’s Eve! It’s not something I take for granted.
EDM.com: I’m sure there are many, but do you have one resounding memory of playing at Avalon Hollywood that stands out from all of your other New Year’s Eve shows?
Markus Schulz: For sure! It’s one of those special venues and cities I’ll be forever grateful for. The 2017-2018 New Year’s Eve show at Avalon was where I proposed onstage to my wife, Adina, so everyone in attendance that night got to share that memorable, beautiful moment with us.
Generally speaking, I’m at the point in my career now where people are starting to assess my overall contribution to the music industry. This series of New Year’s Eve open-to-close shows at Avalon Hollywood is an essential element to the story of my career as a DJ.
EDM.com: Performing an “open-to-close” DJ set is something most DJs will never even attempt. It’s not only because there’s not a demand from ticket-buying audiences for those DJs, but also because doing so is so physically taxing. A lot or even most simply don’t have enough music (or stamina) to last that long. Would you agree with that assessment?
Markus Schulz: It’s an enormous challenge, both physically and mentally. For my Avalon New Year’s Eve shows, I typically plan on playing for 12 continuous hours without a break. Mentally, I’d break that down into the role of three DJ sets: an opener, peak-hour and afterhours.
Markus Schulz.
Coldharbour Recordings
EDM.com: Can you elaborate?
Markus Schulz: The opener, where you’re gently easing people in with deep, progressive and percussive music. This helps set the tone of the event and allows me to gradually build. There’s a slight difference with this portion of the night compared with my normal programming because it’s New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s, you obviously have that huge destination point of the clock striking midnight, so I might move through the gears a little quicker in building the energy.
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The peak-hour is where I play all of my biggest hits: big vocals and big melodies. I also throw in a few surprises that people aren’t necessarily expecting. Again, and because it’s New Year’s Eve, this part of the set would begin a little earlier so I can start building towards the big “midnight moment” around 30 to 45 minutes out.
EDM.com: Then the countdown, and… boom! The clock strikes midnight near the height of your peak-time portion.
Markus Schulz: Yeah. Then later is afterhours, which is where my “Down the Rabbit Hole” themed sets this year have been derived from. This is the point in the night when I have the entire room vibing as one. Here’s when I can start moving the music towards a darker, more twisted tip. The bright lights get dimmed and we’re fully on a euphoric techno exploration. I go in, before heading into the morning and coming-up out of the darkness and into the light, musically speaking.
EDM.com: You’re constantly responding to the crowd as you’re playing, so it’s never like you can pre-program a set, right? All you can do is prepare for it. How do you organize your music so that you don’t get completely lost searching for music during a marathon set?
Markus Schulz: When I’m gathering new music, I typically categorize tracks that’ll connect with me into specific folders that match those DJ-roles I’ve just described. There’s a lot of planning involved! You’re essentially topping-up your music folders with new content every week, all year long, and as the show date moves closer, in my mind I can start to piece things together towards the journey I want to take the audience on.
EDM.com: That’s a glimpse into what you do on the mental side—preparing meticulously with your track selection. What are you doing to prepare yourself physically for such a marathon?
Markus Schulz: Physically, you also really have to prepare well. I do a lot of cardiovascular workouts in the gym during the week, year ‘round. On the day of the show, I’ll eat quite lightly and get in a disco nap before heading to the venue. The golden rule is not to consume any alcohol while performing, in order to prevent dehydration. So, plenty of water while performing, and in case I need an energy boost, I’ll also pack some nuts and fruits in my bag.
Markus Schulz.
Coldharbour Recordings
EDM.com: What’s the toughest part of your open-to-close sets?
Markus Schulz: To be honest, I find the hardest point of the open-to-close sets is getting to sleep afterwards. The reason I say that is, while you’re physically drained, mentally you’re still running at a million miles-a-minute because you’re constantly reading the room and having to musically react to ensure they stay with you throughout the journey. It’s the reason why I’ll typically stay in L.A. for a couple of days after New Year’s Eve to recover and relax.
EDM.com: What can clubbers expect this year that’s different from your previous New Year’s Eve shows?
Markus Schulz: Well, I took a few weeks off from touring in November to work on the next Markus Schulz artist album, which we’re aiming to release in the summer 2023. Everything I have earmarked for the album hasn’t been played out anywhere yet, so the Los Angeles faithful can be assured they’ll be the very first to hear those tracks.
EDM.com: Besides preparing for your New Year’s Eve set, how did you spend the last few months of 2022?
Markus Schulz: Following the release of the Dakota EP, Odyssey to the Netherworld, which was released this past summer, the second half of 2022 has been devoted to my collaborative “X” series. For that, it’s been great working with a collection of old-friends as well as new, upcoming talent.
The latest release is “Prestwick” with the legendary BT. The reactions to it have been great so far. I have a couple more finished that’ll be releasing in early 2023, so they’re sure to be showcased during my New Year’s Eve set, too.
EDM.com: As a globetrotting DJ and producer who routinely circles the Earth performing for people of all cultures and nationalities, how do you personally feel about New Year’s Eve?
Markus Schulz: I’ve always thought of New Year’s Eve as a night when everyone goes out to celebrate the incoming year, even if they don’t go out regularly or on any other night of the year. Being around people as the clock strikes midnight is an amazing and perfect way to create optimism for the new year ahead. That’s why—even if you haven’t gone out in a while—you’ll find other like-minded people who are also out for the first time in a long time.
The atmosphere at midnight, there’s nothing like it! Being part of a group celebration and witnessing the spectacle of confetti, music and cheering is something you don’t forget. As the DJ playing a full house on New Year’s Eve at Avalon Hollywood, remember that I’m having a blast, too.
You can get tickets to see Markus Schulz on New Year’s Eve at Avalon Hollywood, Los Angeles here.
Hello friends, it’s that time again. Interview time. Regular readers know that I am something of a fan of RPGs. It’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming indie RPG Chained Echoes has caught my eye. After a very long time in development, the game is nearing the finish line. This means Matthias Linda, the person behind the game, was able to give up some of his extremely precious time to answer a few questions for us about this fascinating-looking adventure and the equally fascinating adventure behind its development. Let’s get to the interview!
TouchArcade (TA): Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your role in developing Chained Echoes? Also, what are your favorite pizza toppings?
Matthias Linda (ML): My name is Matthias Linda and I’m the developer of Chained Echoes. Like, literally. I am the dev team. I do the pixel art. I do the code. I do the game design, the quests, the writing, the bad puns and all that. Some of the backgrounds were done by freelancers, the music was created by an amazing composer. But yeah, I’m a solo developer. So my role is developing I guess. All that while eating pizza topped with parma ham and arugula. No idea how many I ate during the last 7 years.
TA: For our readers who are just hearing about Chained Echoes for the first time, can you give us a quick napkin description of the game?
ML: Think of the old SNES and PSX era RPGs. Add Magic. Add Mechs. And think of these old games as you remember them, not as they actually were. Boom. You’ve got Chained Echoes. See, my main approach was to develop a game which captures the feelings and the images in my head I had of these times.
But sure, I can give a more traditional quick rundown on the game: Turn Based RPG inspired by JRPGs. A party of up to 8 members, an extensive story. You can fly mechs and airships. Boss fights, side quests, check. And an amazing soundtrack.
TA: What are your sources of inspiration for Chained Echoes? Hit us with some deep cuts.
ML:Suikoden 2, Terranigma, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Xenogears and so many more. God, I could talk about all those games all day long. I grew up with these games, I grew up in the golden era of RPGs. I grew up in the best time, if you ask me. I always feel sad for those who missed this time. And I took inspiration from all of them. There are direct homages where I hope that players will notice and be like “Nice, I know that scene, I know what he did there!” and mechanics which are direct tributes. As I said, I tried to develop the game in a way of how I remember my childhood experiences. In fact, if you start them up today, you will notice that a lot didn’t age very well. And yet, in my head, they are still the greatest games ever created and I tried to design Chained Echoes how I remember these titles.
TA: Tell us one or two really cool things about Chained Echoes that you are proud of?
ML: The most obvious thing is the combat system. It is turn based, yes. It has a ton of tactical depth, especially with characters which will join the party later. And every fight, even against trash mobs, can be a challenge. And while these fights take their time, the combat system feels fast and action heavy.
I’m also proud of having actually finished the game. Well. Nearly. I’m getting there. It still feels super weird that I managed to pull this off. Especially if I think about all the little details I’ve hidden in the game everywhere. You know, I sometimes lose myself in those details and add little things here and there and forget about the time. I really needed to make sure that I would actually continue working on the game itself.
TA: What was the hardest part of developing this game?
ML: Doing nearly everything on my own and not losing oversight. And bringing everything together. Luckily I did that part somewhat early on. So, there was that Gamescom, I don’t even remember the year, must have been the first year of the pandemic I think. Everything went digital and me and my publisher decided to participate in the online event. For that I had to create a demo and… my god, I swear, that was the most stressful time of my indie dev life. I underestimated the amount of work needed to make the game actually work and run. In the end I literally finished the demo at the very last possible moment.
I think I need to explain that. So, it is easy to design a combat mechanic. It is easy to create levels. It is easy to pixel a character. It is easy to write a story. Well. No. All of that isn’t easy of course. But, it is easy compared to connecting the things and make them go and work hand in hand without everything falling apart. On paper everything seems so easy and then you realize that some mechanics do not work in favor of each other.
I am happy I did create the demo early on. It helped me in terms of progress although it did throw me back in first place. But from that moment on I could always just add things to a running system.
TA: Who is your favorite character in the game and why?
ML: Sienna. The thief. She’s a complex character and the picture you’ll have of her during the game will change a lot. I don’t want to spoil anything but trust me, she has way more layers than you might think. Also the situations she ends up are, at least for me, the most fun ones. Probably due to my bad puns.
TA: Were there any particular challenges in bringing the game to the Nintendo Switch?
ML: To make the game run on 60FPS everywhere. Or nearly everywhere. That’s mostly my fault. I’m not a programmer after all, I learned everything by doing. So I had to clean up a lot of crap I did during the development.
TA: Is there anything you wanted to put in the game that didn’t make it in the end?
ML: Well, no, yes, maybe. There are things I’ll add later on ’cause I mentioned them in the Kickstarter. But nothing which is essential for the experience I wanted to create.
TA: What’s the last JRPG-style game you really got into?
ML:Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It literally delayed the game by one and half weeks cause I sank too much time into it.
TA: Thank you very much for your time. If you have any message for our readers or final comments, this is where you can say whatever you want.
ML: Even if you don’t like turn based RPGs, JRPGs or pixel graphics. Even if you know that Chained Echoes is a game you want to avoid at all costs. Please, give the soundtrack a try on your preferred streaming platform once it arrives. It is literally that good. Eddie (Marianukroh), the composer, is a god when it comes to music. And I’m still amazed by just how good the OST is.
Chained Echoes is scheduled for release in Q4 of this year, so we should be seeing it in the next couple of months. I’d like to once again thank Matthias for answering our questions about the game, and a shout out to Derek at Hound PR for facilitating. And thank you, dear readers, for doing that reading thing you do.
“You go right ahead, Matt. Give me your best shot.”
The unmistakable voice on the other end of the phone beckoning me for questions belongs to Pierce Brosnan. I know it well. I grew up watching Brosnan in a series of movies all through the 1990s; Mrs. Doubtfire, Dante’s Peak, his wildly underrated remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, and of course, four James Bond adventures, starting with 1995’s GoldenEye. At 69, Brosnan may be a bit older than in his 007 days, but he still has that same crisp, clear voice. When he asks where I’m calling from and I tell him Brooklyn, he responds “Ah … lovely Brooklyn,” in a way that makes it sound like the most idyllic spot on Earth.
We’re speaking to discuss Brosnan’s return to big-budget blockbusters in Black Adam, which stars Dwayne Johnson as a nigh-omnipotent warrior from the world of DC Comics. When Johnson’s Teth-Adam awakens in the present day after centuries in suspended animation, he comes face-to-face with the Justice Society, a group of heroes that includes Brosnan’s character, the mysterious sorcerer Doctor Fate.
While Black Adam is Fate’s first live-action onscreen appearance, the film suggests he’s been around the DC Extended Universe for a long time, and during our conversation, Brosnan and I talked about how much of that informed his portrayal of the character. We also discussed his input into his costumes in the movie, how difficult it is to keep that shiny Doctor Fate helmet free of fingerprints, and whether he’s interested in continuing on as Fate in future DC movies. (Spoiler alert: He is.) Most importantly, we waded into the most heated debate on the internet: Which fandom has the most intense supporters: DC or Mamma Mia!
How familiar were you with Doctor Fate before you were offered the role?
I wasn’t really, to tell you the truth. I mean, the comic book world has always intrigued me, but I didn’t know too much about Fate. Of course, now I know. And now I am. So I had the most wonderful three months in Atlanta making this film with my fellow actors. They all shone brightly and we became good friends: Aldis [Hodge], Quintessa [Swindell], Noah [Centineo], Sarah [Shahi]. We would have lovely lunches and dinners and we became a family.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the character is that he has this enigmatic backstory; the film alludes to the idea that Doctor Fate has been around a very long time and gone on many previous adventures. Are you the sort of actor who wants to know all the details of the character’s backstory? Are you having conversations with the filmmakers about exactly what has transpired in his past or does it not matter as much to you?
You know, if it’s on the page and it works, then you don’t need to ask a million questions. You play the scene, you play what’s on the page. But you also have a backstory: He was married, he had a life, he had a wife. He has the blessing and the curse of Helmet of Nabu. You have to believe in that and personalize those artifacts with tiny little things. I wear my own watch in the movie; it’s a beautiful Blancpain watch, a gift from my wife, inscribed with “Time flies on love’s wings.” That’s also my wedding ring I wear … so you begin to create your own mythology in little ways like that.
You read, obviously, and you hear about the people who have love for this character. So you want to acknowledge that. I’m an actor of certain years and time. I’ve traveled the world and had grief experiences as an actor, as a man. And you bring that into question. And you also have the love and friendship of Carter [Hall, played by Aldis Hodge]. He’s a man who I love, who’s a brother, who we have shared time and history. And of course, in my case, I know more of what’s to unfold than he does. So that gives you, as an actor, an emotional core to what’s happening each moment.
I was going to ask how much input you had into the look of the character; given that you are wearing some of your own items like your watch and your ring, it sounds like you had a fair amount.
Yes, they just became talismans that made sense. Fate is an archaeologist, he likes the finer things of life. His costume is kind of of a period from the past. The helmet Jaume and I worked on together with the creative team. I said I wanted something elegant and sleek and beautiful. An artifact that would sit on a pedestal in a palace somewhere in the world. So we did, we talked creatively about the helmet.
Speaking of the helmet, the words you used are exactly right; it’s sleek and beautiful. It’s also very shiny. After the movie, I wondered, because you are constantly carrying it around onscreen, was it difficult to keep it looking so beautiful and immaculate? Was there a person whose job it was to just constantly wipe fingerprints off it?
[laughs] Correct. No, it was held in great reverence. I cherished it and I would look after it, and I would protect it. It was never dropped. It was beautifully made. There’s only one of them. Hopefully it’ll show up on my doorstep one day. I did ask for it. I don’t know how much it cost, but it cost quite a bit of money to make the helmet.
But that’s the joy of moviemaking and reading a script and thinking ‘My God, how are they gonna do this?’ And then of course, you show up and it is revealed to you each day how the scene will unfold.
If they do give you the helmet, what would you do with it? Do you have a spot in mind you would want to display it?
Oh, I would put it on a beautiful pedestal, yes. I would. And make sure the light shines on it. It’s just a fabulous piece of art.
Was the rest of the costume ever actually fabricated, or was it entirely a CGI creation?
Oh no, I had to don on the mocap. And the mocap suit is another form of art, another form of theater, another performance. Because it involves wearing a costume that is not the most flattering, but it is theatrically quite engaging.
Things like motion capture suits and CGI, the process of making these large-scale action movies has evolved so much over the time you have been starring in them. I’m curious how that affects your work as an actor in the middle of it all. Is it easier to make these sorts of big blockbusters these days? Or is it more difficult now?
No, I find it very easy. I had classic training in ballet, in voice, in movement, in mime. Then in my theater days I was used to working in black boxes where there were no props. There was nothing on stage. It was just the physicality of your motion, your body. So it it was exhilarating. You have to have full command of your own body, and confidence to be able to stand there in a motion capture suit. And you pray that the digital guys get it right and make you look good. I would see them and I’d say ‘I know where you live. Make me look good. No pressure. Just make me look good.’
Fate is very important to the story of Black Adam because he can use his powers to see into the future. Did you ever consider what you would do with such a power? Would you want to be able to see into the future if you could?
I don’t think I would, because you would be powerless to do anything about what is to come, really, on a grand scale of things. I like being in the present. For me, that has worked for the last 69 years, so why change anything?
As we already mentioned, the movie hints that this character has been heavily involved in the history of the DC Universe. If Black Adam is a hit and Warner Bros. wants to explore the Justice Society’s past in future movies, is that something you would be interested in doing?
Yes, of course. They’ve already had discussions with me about Dr. Fate. But I think we should … let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched.
[laughs]
I’ve been to this well before, and I think the movie is spectacular. I think you get big bang for your bucks. For the people who love these movies, I think they will be absolutely enthralled and delighted. It’s good entertainment.
I know you’re just getting started doing projects with the DC universe, but so far who do you think has the more passionate fans: DC or Mamma Mia!?
[pause] Oh, that’s a good question. That’s a very good question.
Well, I know what the Mamma Mia! fans are like. I’ve experienced the love and the good fortune from that movie. I wouldn’t want to put them in competition with each other. I think there’s enough fans out there to celebrate both movies.
Black Adam opens in theaters on October 21.
DC Comics That Can’t Become DC Movies
These popular DC Comics titles can never get their own DC movies. (Sorry.)
Following the latest edition of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, Sebastián Salat, International President of Zitro, analyzed the company’s participation in the event, which took place from October 9 to 12 at The Venetian Expo, as well as the outlook of the gaming industry in Latin America.
In an exclusive dialogue with Yogonet, the executive reflected on the large number of visitors to its booth at G2E, where the supplier of gaming machines and iGaming titles exhibited its most extensive and diverse product line to date.
He also highlighted the brand’s rapid growth worldwide and its leadership in Latin American markets. In addition, he discussed how the advancement of online gaming regulatory processes in this region will drive Zitro Digital’s expansion.
While there are still important events on the 2023 calendar, in a way G2E closes the year for many of the executives who are part of this industry. What is your assessment of the latest edition and the products presented by Zitro in Las Vegas?
This year’s G2E was the best attended we have ever had in Zitro’s history. The massive public attendance at our booth is the consequence of the spectacular transformation process that our company has undergone, which today is the leading company in all Latin American markets, mentioning Mexico prominently, and is registering rapid growth in Europe and in the North American market, where we are already present in 13 jurisdictions, including California, Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Virginia, Ohio, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Kansas.
📽️ We can’t help but reminisce about the best moments from our journey through G2E Las Vegas! Check out Zitro’s stunning booth, vibrant atmosphere, and wide library of games in this exclusive video recap.📽️
On the other hand, in the year 2023, we have more than doubled the business of Zitro Digital, positioning our company as one of the essential game providers for digital casinos anywhere in the world. The affluence to our stand of companies that operate in this channel, whether operators, platforms, distributors, or aggregators, has been spectacular, and the digital world has already discovered the amazing profitability of our games.
Regarding the products exhibited, and the way they were presented in our stand, we have received many congratulations. Those who visit our booth will undoubtedly corroborate the enormous progress Zitro has made in the breadth and diversity of its product range which makes our booth at G2E a must for any casino operator in the world.
Of the products presented, which do you think will be the most celebrated by Latin American operators? Will you be developing specific products for Spain or any of the Latin American markets this year?
At G2E we have presented the most extensive and diverse product line we have ever presented at any previous event. Of course, Zitro’s presence in the world today is greater than we have ever had, and it took a lot of hard work in 2023 to be able to serve our customers in the many markets we are in.
From our wide range of games I would like to highlight Fu Frog, Fu Pots, and Billy The Pig for the Glare Illusion and Glare Allure cabinets, as well as Lún Pán Dú and Mighty Hammer Ultimate for the Glare Altius cabinet. All of them are safe bets for Latin American casinos. The Mighty Hammer Ultimate game has been chosen as the basis for our first WAP network in Latin America, a country that we hope to announce soon.
Zitro's stand at G2E Las Vegas 2023
Regarding whether we develop specific games for Spain or Latin America I must say that we have observed that great games tend to be successful across all regions, although they certainly need to be adapted to the tastes of the demographics of the players in each market.
This is what we have done with our first game for WAP: we started from a successful game like Mighty Hammer and transformed it into Mighty Hammer Ultimate, a version of the game suitable for the players it is aimed at, but capable of paying the big prizes expected from the WAP interconnection of machines in various casinos.
Another good example is the gaming room market in Spain, where Zitro is the outstanding leader. All the successful games that Zitro has been launching for the global casino market are adapted to the regulatory requirements of the Spanish gaming halls and made available to the operators of these establishments.
How does your regional strategy vary, the gradual opening of the online gaming market in more and more Latin American jurisdictions? What is the importance of this segment for the company?
Zitro Digital is already today an indisputable pillar of Zitro’s growth, and the progressive regulation of online gaming in multiple jurisdictions in Latin America and the world encourages us to continue investing in this business vertical.
Today, at Zitro Digital, we have an extensive library of games that includes our video bingo games, as well as the Zitro video slot games that have changed the history of our company, and that have placed us among the most prominent content providers in the industry.
Additionally, this year 2023 we have taken some steps beyond launching in digital format the games that have triumphed in the land-based market: we have started to make available to our customers games for special dates, ideal for seasonal promotions, as well as various tools, such as tournaments or missions, that accompany our games and help the operator in their distribution and promotion.
LatAm is a key region for the company. What characteristics would you highlight from this year’s performance in the region’s main markets and what do you see as the main challenges for the coming year?
Our only concerns in Latin America stem from the socio-political situation in key markets, such as Argentina. Our company is the undisputed leader in the region. We have the product, and we have a solid, capable, and cohesive team there.
The demand for Zitro products from operators and players is overwhelming, but the rulers of many Latin American countries still need to ensure the political – and exchange rate – stability that operators need to be able to invest in and that consumers also need to be able to spend some of their income on leisure and entertainment.
Is Brazil a market to be addressed from its imminent opening to online gaming? And do you think it will open its land-based gaming market, once the first objective of regulating sports betting and online gaming has been achieved?
At Zitro we are working to be prepared for the opening of the Brazilian market, both digital and land-based. We hope that how gambling in both channels is regulated will allow a feasible development of this activity.
