Artistic agent
Among my many passions, and perhaps due to my deep love for music, poetry, and art, I have always felt a lifelong desire to promote artists who profoundly moved me.
Pegrou
Cutely enough, the first band I tried to get involved with as a teen, was called Pegrou (a slang term in French « verlan » (inverting syllables, so « Pegrou » for « Groupe ») back when I was still in high school at the age of 15. By then I used to hang out in the Trocadéro Gardens with the so-called “Troca gang” – a group of young people from the Paris suburbs who would gather to skate and play music. That’s where I met the members of Pegrou in 1980, I believe. They were a slightly punk, if not fully punk, band—funny and quintessentially French. I loved their first song, « Diable elle tricote » (a bizarre title meaning something like “Damn, she knits ”). We, along with one of the Troca gang leaders, Eric Lépine, got them a gig at a tiny club in Les Halles, called « Le 2 et demi ». As the name suggests, the place was small, and I doubt it exists anymore.
To listen to the vynil version of « diable elle tricote » :
Erik Karol
A few years later, in 1988, at the age of 24, I met Erik Karol at a café terrace by the Seine in Paris. Apart from being absolutely the most gorgeous thing i had ever seen, he was a “fabulous baroque countertenor,” with an utterly unique voice, and furthemore a very talented poet. He was a real character. You can read more about Erik Karol and our collaboration and particular bond in the ‘Music’ section of this website. I worked with Erik for ten years, representing him contractually as his « artistic agent « in the USA and internationally, and also produced an album for him in Paris with my husband Emmanuel Reverdi « Le Cabaret des éléments ». We ended this collaboration in 1997, when he was cast in Cirque du Soleil, for the main role in « Dralion » after an audition in Amsterdam, (where Emmanuel and I accompanied him, while I was 5 months pragnant with my twins). If things did not end well professionally between Erik and I, he is « above all », the reason why I have today the two most magnificent sons that I could ever hope for. (He introduced me to their father, Emmanuel Reverdi in 1996), so, whatever truly happened, I am and will always be grateful to him for the rest of my life.
Below is the pressbook I designed for Erik with Maité Guétaff, who co-managed Erik with me, before we started touring in NYC in 1996.
To see the video of "Victoria" :
Barry Movsessian Canterna - the exception, Barry was a sculptor…
Barry Movsessian Canterna was a genius sculptor and « avant-garde artist », with one of the most unique life stories and fates. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1951, he attended « Carnegie Mellon Institute » and later received a scholarship to « Long Island University ». He also studied at « Pratt Institute ». Barry was a prominent figure in Manhattan's avant-garde art scene in the late 1980s, standing out as one of its most brilliant actors.
He very sadly passed away in 1993 at the age of 41 due to AIDS. With regret, but passionate about the discovery of his art and his beautiful, eventful and tragic destiny, I became his agent only posthumously, one year after his death in 1995, when his family asked me to represent him. I had to learn about this brilliant and extraordinary artist, as well as this strikingly handsome man, through his phenomenal work and the countless testimonials of love and admiration shared with me during my time working on his behalf.
Barry Movsessian Canterna was best known for an early work, described to me by his brother Kevin Movsessian Canterna : an astonishing and massive piece called « Police Brutality », which he created in 1978 after he and his younger brother Kevin, were involved in a street conflict with police officers following a Lou Reed concert at the famous Bottom Line in New York City. The life-sized sculpture depicts eight police officers towering over two handcuffed figures, representing the two brothers. This work became the centerpiece when 18 of Barry's artworks, most of them in bronze, were displayed together.
Barry Movsessian Canterna’s work has been exhibited in galleries in New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Belgium. The « Police Brutality » massive masterpiece of Barry, crossed the entire United states, displayed on the back of an open truck, so that everyone would see it.
Here is the pressbook I designed for Barry:
Fiesta Flamenca
Flamenco has always captivated me with its emotional depth, expressive power, pride and ability to touch the soul of those who listen to it. It is an art where every gesture, every note, every movement is charged with passion. Born in Andalusia, « Flamenco » is much more than a simple dance or music ; it is the pure expression of life itself, in its joys and pains, hopes and sorrows. It embodies an inner struggle, a celebration of raw emotions, and an intimate connection with secular traditions. My first contact with this fascinating art dates back to my childhood when I attended my very first flamenco show at the « Corral de la Morería in Madrid ». This mythical place, recognized as the most famous flamenco institution in the world, offered me an unforgettable experience. I still remember the intensity of the dancers, the haunting music, and how each performance seemed to tell a deeply human story. It was at this time that my love for flamenco really took root, and since then, this art never ceases to amaze me. The flamenco guitar, with its vibrant chords and percussive melodies, tells stories that words cannot grasp. The palmas (clapping of hands), the zapateados (feet percussion) and the cantes jondos (deep songs) resonate with an almost mystical intensity, transporting the listener into another world. Each performance seems to be a dialogue between the artist and his own mind, a dance between light and shadow.
What I like about Flamenco is the way it manages to translate the human soul, evoke a collective emotion while telling intimate stories. It is an art that constantly evolves while remaining true to its roots, and it is in this fusion of tradition and innovation that lies its timeless beauty.
Therefore, in 1992, while managing my restaurant, I started helping a friend in Brussels, Olivier Kerrad, to manage an absolutely unique «Flamenco company» (14 artists), called «Fiesta Flamenca de Andalucia». They all had Andalusian roots, but were all born in Brussels. To do this, we have developed Média Promotion, both in Paris and Brussels, to promote and manage these fabulous artists. For a few years we helped them (and it was complicated to move and accommodate 16 people) to perform in the best venues across Europe. Nevertheless, this great adventure has left us with wonderful memories.
Here is their pressbook:
Barzakh
It's in Tunisia that I'm back for a while, after discovering a fabulous Tunisian Metal band, Barzakh, (whose leader and sound engineer is an absolutely fabulous guitarist, Haithem Mahbouli). I discovered them one evening in concert in the northern suburbs of Tunis and was ecstatic by their absolutely astonishing performance. I immediately decided to write about them, so that the « metal world » and the « rest of the world » would discover them too, and I published an article about them and their ultra-promising talent in a magazine (where I wrote in the cultural section) called “Réalités”. The article, published on August 2, 2007, attempts to dispel the myth of a satanic counter-culture (some festivals were cancelled in Tunisia at the time). Heavy metal is visually and euphonically characterized by its fantastic inspiration and its popular, sometimes dark and apocalyptic representations. That's why it's so misunderstood. Monsters and darkness represent nothing other than the suffering of the soul. Like its blues ancestor, heavy metal is an expressionist cry of pain, whose realistic themes focus on grief and loneliness, but also reflect the anxieties arising from the rising threats of our societies, such as war and weapons. But I'd say that in those days in Tunisia, being a metal band wasn't easy, nevertheless this talented group endured, as did the incredible “Carthagods”, (Gods of Carthage) quite simply called, also a fabulous Tunisian metal band. For Barzakh, their message was as clear and simple as the name of their first album : “Noor”, (Light) to let the light of our hearts invade us. To turn our dreams into reality, and to never give up.
Although we know that “” was inspired by and composers such as and , as well as and , there are many different kinds of Metal variants : Power Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Progressive Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal...etc.... , like , had an approach that was truly their own : Tunisian, dialectic, African, experimental and luminous.
To listen to them (my favorite track, “Borken”, and the first song they ever wrote in 2006).
To listen to Carthagods (my favorite track, “Memories of neverending pain”, written and interpreted by an extraordinarily talented artist, ).
Barzakh and Carthagods exceptionnaly merged on stage, during The International festival of Carthage in 2023, which was a huge interplanetary event ( I almost jumped on a plane) : https://www.mosaiquefm.net/fr/video/718908/carthagods-barzakh-sur-la-scene-du-festival-international-de-carthage.
