Public Republic

Interview by Dessislava Berndt with the founders of the talent management company Hadeel El Deeb and Noha Nabil

Hadeel El Deeb and Noha Nabil, Photo: De Sabry

Hadeel and Noha, you did the management for the Egypt band Eftekasat and other artists very successfully. Why did you decided to open a talent management company?

We’re surrounded by an incredible number of individuals who have an edge in what they represent – in music, photography, painting, writing, film etc; we’ve been seeing and living their efforts and struggle to promote themselves, to showcase their talents to the right people, to be appreciated and encouraged. Artists are not expected to have the “know-how” to manage their talent and promote it; they are meant to focus on what they do best and express themselves through it.

Stamp-TM was launched to offer that missing link – the know-how – so as to create the right positioning base, PR & Marketing plans, and to offer a wide spectrum of opportunities to promote those talents to the right people and media at the right places with the right tools.

How would you describe Stamp Talent Management with five words? And you as founder and a person?

Stamp-TM is simply the trademark of talent.

The Percussion Show, Photo: De Sabry

We as founders are believers in original art and entertainment in every form of their representation; we’re two individuals who share the vision of finding the edge in a talent and developing it into a long term project, showcasing it the way it deserves to be seen.

What was for you the most surprising experience working with different artists?

People are under the impression that artists only offer what they’re actually showcasing, but when you work closely with them, you discover that there is a vast amount of creativity and ideas that they have despite the limitations that stop them from implementing those ideas. They’re usually either scared of exploring new directions, worried about jeopardizing the usual means that led them to their current successes, or simply do not knowing how to go about making it all happen. We’ve been taking part in the thought process and it has been an eye opening experience for us seeing the kind of potential they possess but haven’t been able to expose.

In what way will you support talents? How will you find them?

We’re here to handle every detail. Artists need to share their talent and take it to the next level; we create their communication tools (biographies, photo shoots, video footage), we build the right network of connections between them and the relevant industries opening up possibilities for investments, different venues, an increase in their audience and fan base, as well as turning them into icons of their own art.

We develop and implement plans ensuring their efforts will be financially lucrative on the long run, which is one of the main issues that usually leads to frustrating distractions and de-motivation.

Finding talents is a process of screening and “scouting” the market; we attend different events whether they’ve been promoted for or just informal gatherings of music, paintings, photography, fashion, and others. We read and listen to people’s feedback about the entertainment and art industries and take part in informal discussions exploring the different trends and ideas. We’re always accessible for those who want to get in touch and share their talent and how they wish to turn it into a bigger project; we’ve been referred to by friends and acquaintances and even during business meetings. It’s all about keeping your eyes and mind open to new ideas all the time.

How do you discover real talents (based on your feeling, experience)?

We’ve been exposed to different sectors since we started our career path 12 years ago; photography, music, writing, filming, fashion design, and graphic design are some of the aspects we’ve been working with in the different positions we’ve held. Having that opportunity has given us an edge in developing business plans that see beyond just mere art, turning each element into a project of its own market weight. We study the talents around us, we research the market and its artistic scene, we create a vision of what its missing in accordance to the real efforts behind each talent and the kind of difference it would make to the industry its exposed to.

Fashion Photography, Photo: De Sabry

Aside from the actual business development, PR, and marketing hands-on experience, we are constantly educating ourselves in the different fields of art and entertainment and we’re always applying for international workshops to frequently be updated with the latest projects and trainings with the gurus in the relevant fields.

The company is based in Cairo, Egypt. Is it planned to support only national artists?

Part of working with the talents in Egypt is to find international collaborative projects to showcase their work further; as we go along doing that, we’re always coming across regional and international talents that we can work with. Despite the main focus on Egypt’s talent, we’re always looking into regional and international expansion.

Drummer Ahmed Hesham, Photo: De Sabry

Could you tell us please something about your current and future projects?

We’re currently finalizing deals and logistics to host one of the biggest Middle East Musical events for a global cause; details on the date and venue will be shared very soon. We’re also in dialogue with several local and regional entities launching two of our upcoming projects; the first for The Percussion Show who have just been awarded the production grant from the Culture Resource and the other for Grammy Award winner Fathy Salama as a joint collaboration with UAE and other countries in the region.

Eftekasat Band, Photo: D. Berndt

What are you dreaming about?

So many things! All with the same objective of showcasing the real talents and their unique efforts to communicate their art. We want to become the hub of where talents meet to innovate and turn their potential dreams into ongoing projects, which will turn Stamp-TM into a source for investors, record labels, art and entertainment gurus, and media to collaborate with.

What is the greatest satisfaction for you as a person and your biggest challenge? And for the company?

Turning what once was a “future vision” into a present implementation that would only keep growing as we move on. Having established Stamp-TM at this phase of our lives, and getting such great feedback and reactions from the market is one of the first satisfactions that is constantly pushing us to do more.

When it comes to the actual business, our satisfaction is when talents witness a difference in their career path without compromising their artistic essence and when they get the recognition they deserve and have been hoping for. It’s always a motivating challenge to move in a fast yet realistic pace and in a world that has become so competitively digital resulting sometimes in taking the handcrafted talent for granted.

What is the most important thing you would like that people should know about Stamp Talent Management?

Stamp-TM will always do whatever it takes to initiate collective efforts, whether with the talents or the relevant people in the industry, with the objective to bring out the original art with the edge it offers. And that we do it all with passion and the real belief in the essence of every talent we sign with.

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