The New Bosses 2022: Daytona Häusermann, Gadget ABC
The 15th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 114 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.
To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2022’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.
Catch up on the previous New Bosess 2022 interview with David Nguyen, booker at Rock for People in the Czech Republic. The series continues with Daytona Häusermann, agent at Gadget ABC in Switzerland.
Häusermann started working for Gadget in 2016, as an intern doing mostly preproduction for promoting shows, as well as domestic artists. After her internship, she was able to build up her own roster of domestic artists, from newcomers to more established talent.
Besides working as an agent, Häusermann is responsible for the artist production of Radar Festival, booking the concert series ANTE, as well as Gadget’s new hip-hop festival SPEX launching in Berne 2023.
Before joining Gadget, she worked for a small event agency and an indie label, amongst other things. She was always attracted by the experience of a live show, growing up around Rote Fabrik in Zürich where her mother worked as a sound engineer.
Your mother was a sound engineer. Did that influence your choice to find a career in live music?
I guess it just showed me that a career in this industry is an option. Having the possibility to see behind the curtain of the live industry probably just put it on a plate for me.
Lots of people are trying to find a job in the music industry. What advice would you give to anyone trying to get a foot in the door?
The Swiss market is kind of small so there are not a lot of jobs on the market. Sending your application proactively to all the companies you could imagine working for is a way to get their attention. Often doing an internship is the way into the industry – but you must be able to afford this, which is not self-evident.
As a young person working in the highly competitive Swiss market, how do you try to find an edge over your rivals – are there particular events or forums you rely on to help you connect and network with agents, for example?
I attend the international showcase festivals like Reeperbahn, ESNS, The Great Escape, etc and try to be present at as many events as possible in Switzerland – always on the hunt for new talented acts and to keep my network strong.
Do you have any mentors you can turn to for advice?
I would love to name a woman – but unfortunately there isn’t one in my career path. I hope this will change in the future.
“I would love to name a woman [mentor] but unfortunately there isn’t one in my career path”
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live music industry a better place?
To keep people working in this adventurous and stressful industry happy and healthy, I feel like it is important to invest in a good HR department and be sensitive about employees’ needs and individual career planning, especially for women.
What has been the highlight of your career, so far?
Still waiting for the moment to see Cher live from the pit! I had many highlights. It’s always very rewarding seeing the growth of an artist or seeing a project like a festival working out!
What are the biggest lessons that you learned during the Covid pandemic that you can use to help with your career going forward?
That I need more sleep and more relaxation. Spoiler: I was not able to keep this up.
What advice would you give to anyone who is trying to find a job in live music?
Keep yourself informed about the market, new acts, trends, attend concerts, festivals, and find out which field in this diverse industry really interests you the most. And try your luck!
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The New Bosses: Introducing the class of 2022
The 15th edition of IQ Magazine‘s New Bosses can now be revealed, highlighting 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.
New Bosses 2022 inspired the most engaged voting process to date, with hundreds of people taking the time to submit nominations. The final 20 comprises executives working across agencies, promoters, ticketing companies, charities and venues in 12 different countries.
In no particular order, the New Bosses 2022 are:
Benji Fritzenschaft, DreamHaus (DE).
Clara Cullen, Music Venue Trust (UK).
Dan Rais, CAA (CO).
David Nguyen, Rock The People (CZ).
Daytona Häusermann, Gadget ABC (CH).
Grant Hall, ASM Global (US).
James Craigie, Goldenvoice (UK).
Kathryn Dryburgh, ATC Live (UK).
Resi Scheurmann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg (DE).
Seny Kassaye, Fort Agency (CA).
Agustina Cabo, Move Concerts (AR).
Sönke Schal, Karsten Janke Konzertdirektion (DE).
Steel Hanf, Proxy Agency (US).
Steff James, Live Nation (UK).
Stella Scocco, Södra Teatern (SE).
Vegard Storaas, Live Nation (NO).
Lewis Wilde, DICE (UK).
Zoe Williamson, UTA (US).
Jonathan Hou, Live Nation (US).
Maciej Korczak, Follow The Step (PL).
Subscribers can read shortened profiles of each of the 2022 New Bosses in issue 114 of IQ Magazine, which is out now. Full-length Q&As will appear on IQ in the coming days and weeks.
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