The Role

File management, technological, human and infrastructure research, communications. Designed pitch decks, took part in organising the 5 Étoiles de Pau 2025 edition. Cost forecasting, quotes, B2B contacts.

Assistant Director: Building a nationwide-scale show

Apprenticeship Art Direction R&D Confidential
Currently apprenticing in Pau (France), I work as assistant director on a particularly ambitious stage project. Due to a strict confidentiality clause, I cannot reveal the name or the exact universe of this creation. The objective, however, is publicly stated: design a show meant to tour the largest Zéniths and Arenas in France around 2028–2029. Being involved this early in the genesis of a project of this scale lets me work on the very foundations of the piece, well before rehearsals or physical production begin.

Art Direction & Conception

My main role is to materialise the project's overall vision so it can be understood and shared with future partners.

The Artistic "Bible": I'm in charge of producing and laying out the show's bible. It's the absolute reference document compiling the project's DNA (narrative intentions, visual universe, scenography, costumes).
Inspiration Research: I run a constant creative watch. I gather sharp references to feed the project lead's and the management's thinking.
Strategic Presentations: I design high-end pitch decks aimed at convincing investors, tour bookers and co-producers to join the adventure.

R&D and Technology Watch

An Arena show planned for 2028 cannot rely on yesterday's technologies.

Stage Innovation: I assist management in exploring new technologies applicable to live performance. This involves in-depth research on immersive devices, video mapping innovations, automated machinery and lighting.
Feasibility Studies: My job is to bridge our artistic ambitions with the technological and logistical reality of a Zénith tour. I have to find the right balance between innovation and the technical viability of daily set-up and tear-down.

A precious detour: the 5 Étoiles de Pau 2025

Beyond the confidential stage project I work on every day, my apprenticeship at Arkana sent me, for a few weeks, into the 2025 edition of the 5 Étoiles de Pau show jumping event with Centaure Production. Arkana and Centaure share the same CEO, so the connection happened very quickly. I saw how an event of this size is set up from the inside: team coordination, logistics, cost forecasting, B2B contacts, and a lot of fieldwork. It's technical, more chaotic than you'd think, and involves many calls and small arbitrations no one ever sees on stage afterwards. What I take away most are the people I met on the project. Artists, technicians, producers, partners, volunteers — many faces with very different ways of working, and it's that mix that makes an event hold together or not. I came out with a real local network in Pau, and confirmed something I already suspected: in this job, the to-do list matters less than the quality of relationships between the teams handling it.

Outcome: thinking entertainment at scale

Working on a project with a 4-year horizon requires a very particular intellectual discipline. This apprenticeship is a real accelerator of skills in cultural project management. It teaches me to no longer limit myself to producing a single visual, but to structure an overarching vision. Developing the artistic direction and the technological infrastructure of a future national tour strengthens my ability to weave pure creativity with production strategy. It's an invaluable experience that prepares me ideally for managing large-scale audiovisual and live-event projects.