What artists have influenced you?
in my case "artists" are social scientists and writers. when i read "the tipping point" by malcolm gladwell, it was basically like seeing my future flash before my eyes. also edward o. wilson, who pretty much invented the field of sociobilogy--it's the study of the evolution of social behavior. really fascinating stuff if you're into why people are the way they are. and in a weirdly related sort of way i really dig brett easton ellis, who's responsible for such books as glamorama, less than zero, and the rules of attraction (which despite its sociobiological sounding title, is actually fiction). he's most famous for american psycho, which is a great piece of satire on modern culture, but not my favorite of his books. i'd say his super dry, deadpan, ironic sense of humor has inevitably had an impact on the way i write--tho i'd like to think i'm not quite as morbid with my sense of humor as he is.
What is the Do Lab, and how did you get connected with them?
the do lab is an l.a.-based event creations company which designs and produces super immersive, highly-sensory, interactive environments and events. we do a lot of work with major music festivals like coachella in southern california, and also recently summer sonic in japan, and electric picnic in ireland. and we also produce our own events as well. i like to say that at the do lab we treat experience itself as an artform, which is a good way of looking at what we do since we are also an artists collective. we've got a team of designers, producers, constructors, performers, costumers, composers, photographers, graphic artists, djs, musicians, lighting directors, you name it, if it's involved in creating an dynamic event experience we've got it. i got connected with the dolab in 2005, when i became the production manager for lucent dossier, which is the vaudeville circus style performance troupe that's part of the collective. now i handle marketing and communications for thedolab, creating promotional strategies for our events, and also producing the quarterly online arts publication we put out.
What is culture marketing?
at its best, and most effective, culture marketing is a turning of the tide where brands now turn around and start supporting the communities that have been supporting them. and this allows for a completely different kind of dynamic than has ever really existed before in marketing, where there's the opportunity to create a relationship that's really genuine and fun and even useful. which are three words that have not typically been associate with marketing. one of my favorite gigs i've gotten to work on with the dolab was redbull's ascension party in 2005. the idea behind it is to create a kind of showcase to bring the local underground communities of the city into the spotlight, so, bring them up from the "underground"... hence "ascension"... and really it was just an amazing event with a huge focus on art and music and dance culture. they let us do what we love, which is put on a kickass party, and give people a great time, and all of that brought to you by redbull, which we would have been drinking anyway. so in a little nutshell, developing that kind of authentic, memorable relationship with communities is the gist of culture marketing.
Why did you begin your blog?
ugh. i hate that word. it's kind of hard for me to ever say that i have a "blog" because that word has all these kinds of connotations to it that i don't even want to get into. but what i do have is a website where i publish my ideas and insights on marketing and cultural shifts. i began it because i'd spent a decade heavily involved in dance culture, and in experience creation, and it finally got to a point where i realized i really needed to get all of what i'd been learning and creating out there. also, after ten years of dancing i missed writing a whole lot.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
oh my god, this kind of question is impossible for me. i came out to l.a. because i'd thought i wanted to produce movies. i ended up managing a circus, and then somehow turning into this nutball marketer. although i have a feeling i'm gonna settle down with marketing for a while, but who knows where that will lead? the UK is ages beyond the US in terms of what they've got going on in marketing strategy innovation.... check back in five years.
What is your favorite color?
green. it's the new black.
Of all the places you have lived, what was your favorite and why?
i have a joke that san francisco is all about being and not doing. new york is all about doing and not being. and l.a. is about seeming. and neither doing nor being. so it all depends on what you're in the mood for i suppose. although i will say that living in san francisco in 2000 was pretty great because i was 19 and it was the peak of the rave era, and san francisco is basically like disneyland for college students/20--somethings. but i don't think i'd like it as much there now.
How cool is it to actually be able to run away with the circus?
technically i was kidnapped. it's pretty fun. i highly recommend it.
What is your academic background and how has that helped shape your career, if at all?
i majored in film at boston university (hence the crazy moving to l.a. scheme). i guess the producing aspect appealed to me, cuz there are a lot of parallels between producing events and movies, so that seems to have been the common thread. but really, my major has since turned into nothing more than just something amusing to talk about at a cocktail party. my minor was sociobiology. and that's turned out to have a huge impact on my career. i think that kind of social science approach gives my perspective on marketing a great deal more depth. i don't know if that is necessarily helpful to girls that may be in high school or college right now, but i think the most valuable thing to take away from it is just to be prepared to change. be prepared for the fact that what you think you're going to want to do may turn out to be completely unrelated to where you later discover your passion lies. and in between just be curious and adventurous, and try a lot of stuff, and say yes to all sorts of different kinds of things just because you've never tried them before.
What is the most memorable project you have worked on and why?
the most memorable project is by far lightning in a bottle, which is the dolab's 3-day green music festival that we hold in santa barbara. i pretty much led the development of the entire marketing strategy for a music festival from beginning to end, which was the biggest project like that i'd undertaken up to that point. and then getting to witness its success was hugely rewarding. it was also an incredible bonding experience for the whole do lab team. working like that you get really close. bringing LIB to life was like having a baby with 20 other people. 20 people whom i consider family in l.a. i'm already eager to start on LIB08! |
A brief biography
jenka is a consumer insight and marketing strategy consultant. after emigrating from the former USSR with her family in the late 80's, she grew up in boston and started producing dances and art shows in high school. after producing music-driven lifestyle events all over boston and new york, she moved out to l.a.post-college and promptly stumbled upon the field of culture marketing at an underground skate show. she currently consults on campaign and engagement strategy for major lifestyle brands and music festivals.
jenka is a also a member of the L.A. based event creations company / artists collective, The Do LaB. having started out as the production manager for the collective's vaudeville circus performance troupe Lucent Dossier, she is currently the communications director for the collective which specializes in creating dynamic, highly-immerse, interactive environments and events.
in addition to the places already mentioned, jenka has also lived in austria, italy, and israel, and speaks four languages. a lifetime of translating between different cultural contexts is what informs her identity-focused approach to marketing strategy development. a consummate analyst of social behavior and cultural trends, she writes about her insights on the current landscape of marketing and culture at www.social-creature.com.
Credits:
Interview by Aaron Brendan Jackson
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photo by pixievisionproductions |
