‘Creating music opened up my mind’
Start Up Campus Haarlem in conversation with Augustin Ravidat
Augustin Ravidat (23) is an International Creative Business student in Den Haag and moved to the Netherlands from France. He started his own content creation agency and is a songwriter and rapper.
Half work is not an option
“People will know me as a hardworking, optimistic and creative guy who has a lot of ideas and the capabilities to create and finish creative projects. Half work is not an option for me. And I think that I will bring that mentality to the table in new projects. I bring stability and commitment to the team. I was born in the south of France and grew up in Pays de Gex just near Switzerland. I started working when I was sixteen years old in the hospitality industry. After high school I went to Lyon, but I just did not like it. It did not match my expectations. I had a friend living in Den Haag, who studied International Creative Business. He told me that the study was interesting and would give you a lot of directions to go to. He invited me to come over and I stayed.”
Best professional experience ever
“During the first two years, me and this friend, stayed together and in my third year I got an internship in Thailand. Another friend from high school lived there. He just started his online business and he needed help for launching his YouTube channel. Going there was my best professional experience ever. We worked a lot in Thailand. In the beginning I worked on his online business which is creating content about dropshipping for the French market. But from the start we wanted to make videos. We kept on discussing what would work and what wouldn’t. I gave him ideas and edited the videos. I liked it so much that this was the start of my own business as well.”
I speed up creative projects
“I want to help content creators put out the best possible content they can make. I give them innovative ideas and relieve their pain if it comes to video editing, data analytics and algorithms. My talent is to help creators find success in their journey but above all I’ll make sure that the creative projects are getting finished right on time. I know how creative brains work. You get excited, you start creating and then your head is already busy with the next project. Here is where I come in. I would say: let me cover that part, so the creators can stay creative in their own way. It is a win-win. Clients know me as a reliable, nice person to work with and as a fast-working editor. I speed up creative projects in ways where it is usually lacking time. I am proud of that.”
Great way to express my thoughts
“Next to my study and content creating agency, I’m into music. The friend that got me in Den Haag is a great musician. I started writing lyrics in the summer of 2020. For almost four years now, I’m writing once a week. Not a full song, but I try to stay consistent with it. I don’t know how to play an instrument, but I know how to rap and put words on the tempo. And honestly, I love it! The first time I tried it, I felt the vibe immediately. It’s a great way to express my thoughts. I knew how to express myself back then, but music helped me open up even more than before. I have a lot of friends who are, comparing to me, more into music and want to be out there. I just want to help musicians with good lyrics, creative ideas or structures so they can focus on the music. You can find my published music on Soundcloud and in the near future I will be releasing on Spotify with another friend. Sounds good right?”
You can’t fail if you don’t give up
“I joined the Start program at Start Up Campus Haarlem. I met people with the same mindset, with all diverse backgrounds and it gave me exactly the environment where I want to be in. It gave me a lot of other perspectives. You know, every person is unique. For students who are considering starting their own business, I would say: don’t stop! If you think that your idea is good. Just start and never stop. At some point it will work. My friend from Thailand always says: You can’t fail if you don’t give up. So, never give up!”
Start Up Campus Haarlem is the place for entrepreneurial students at Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Through an inspiring five-month program of events and workshops, you work on entrepreneurial skills, and your network grows at lightning speed. Entrepreneurship begins at Start Up Campus Haarlem! Want to know when the next Start or Growth program starts? Check our Instagram or website.