

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frederic De Jesus.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins in college, at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). As fate would have it, I was inspired by watching an episode of NYC Prep (a reality show that aired on Bravo) to throw a non-profit benefit concert. Using that spark, I formed a team gathering members from the student body to help me with this vision. We toured various NYC venues including Gothan Hall and the Park Avenue Armory but ultimately the plan didn’t come to fruition as envisioned largely due to us frankly being in over our heads, however, the idea evolved and manifested in a more manageable scale as a benefit concert in support of Relay for Life hosted at the school’s auditorium on Broadway, with guest speaker Derek Watkins, known professionally as Fonzworth Bentley.
From there I held a string of internships, most notably my first with Omerge Alliances under Olivia Scott and my last with Warner Records’ (then Warner Bros. Records) Brand Partnership and Creative Sync Licensing department under Lori Feldman.
My first internship with Omerge, a relationship maintained since 2012, led to my first ESSENCE Fest experience in 2017. That festival experience sparked my fire and love for the festival, entertainment, and event space which was greatly magnified by my 2018 move from New York to Atlanta and my 2019 involvement in launching and co-managing the Omerge-created “Wellness House” for the festival’s 25th Anniversary.
The dichotomy of a world on fire in 2020 and a very open and unchanged Atlanta served as the perfect launchpad for me to step into independently donning the producer hat with developing wellness and mental health programming for the African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association’s annual fundraiser.
Ultimately, these experiences led me to the birth of BASILICA as I dug deeper into production, entertainment, and live experiences producing and booking talent for numerous weekly and monthly shows, one-time events and concerts, mid-to-large scale events, and brand commercial shoots.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would love to say it has but that hasn’t been the case. Building a business while juggling a day job is no easy feat especially if the concentric circles of each require time and energy of you at the same time. In 2021 I started a business that eventually required a lot of moving around during business hours. I ran myself thin, I was burned out. What’s worse was I was in business with “partners” that weren’t pulling their share of the weight. I could’ve simply done better at slowly ramping into the business as I learned more, listening to my gut and doing more due diligence on people (even if they come recommended) before getting into business with them, and putting proper systems in place to alleviate my stress. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the limits of the human spirit during that time, but more importantly, I learned that I never wanted to feel that way again.
We’ve been impressed with BASILICA, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
BASILICA is a culture-focused experiential creative agency with roots in Atlanta and New York City. We specialize in operations management and developing programming for events and productions with a focus on music and wellness-based programs.
We’ve produced various independent events and productions across Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City booking talent, determining programming, directing creative elements, managing stages and run-of-shows for numerous weekly and monthly shows, one-time events, and concerts, mid-to-large scale events, and brand commercial shoots.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The journey is going to require more of you than you know. It’ll require more than what others know or can even relate to. Whether you’re ready or not you’ll also begin to see and feel the need to align your life and your interactions in a way that is least disruptive and most supportive of your goals.
You’ll see relationships you cherish demanding the same time, energy, and finances from you and not adjust to factor in this new set of challenges and obligations you face or not pitch in even in the simplest of ways you’ve laid out for them.
I wish everything but the aforementioned for you but if what you experience is more akin than not, this is okay because the truth is that they didn’t choose this life, you did. They weren’t the ones to receive the message or the spark to dive into a new life path, a path rife with challenges and constant demands to take priority in your life.
You’ve already set yourself apart from most by having taken heed of the calling. You had the courage. Your risk tolerance far supersedes their risk aversion. You’re simply cut different.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/fredericdejesus
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/fredericdejesus/
Image Credits
Chuck Marcus (@chuckmarcus) for the studio photos