Steven Martin is a Belgian event producer and artistic director born in 1971. He has over 17 years of experience in event marketing and producing shows. Some of his past projects include large scale events for Nespresso, Toyota, and Ethias. He has a process of analyzing briefings, developing concepts and storylines, and managing all aspects of production. What inspires him are his daughters, innovative theatre and live performances, and the history behind iconic performance venues. He is passionate about using creativity and emotion to craft magical experiences for audiences.

1. Bio Steven Martin
personality, passions, working procedures, references

2. Thank you
for allowing me
to share my passion with you
Steven Martin

3. BIO
Born on the 10th July 1971 in Brasschaat near Antwerp,
a new and passionate adventure of life started.
Raised in Antwerp by an award winning mother,
blessed with 2 beautiful daughters
studied the rules and theories of Communication Management,
to be able to break them shortly after…
A dancer that never learnt how to dance…
In my mind I see beautiful things,
Creativity and ideas are everywhere around us,
Inspiring, tickling, teasing, confronting…
My life is driven by emotion…
the most beautiful gift man has ever received.

4. BIO
I speak, read and write Flemish (mother tongue), German, French, English
Professional bachelor in Communication Management (1994)
Active in event marketing since 1995
Manager of my own event agency from 1999 till 2003, freelance ever since
Specializing in creative services and stage related specialties since 2001
Large artist database with decent contacts in this world
Partner of MOVE (dance school) and The Groovies (professional dance squad)
For endclients also represented by
Patrick De Coninck (MOVE),
Aurelia Cats (Art Vision Entertainment)
and Alexandre Hourdequin (Talents & Productions)
Some references on the next pages

5. BIO
1999 – “Carolus Quintus: Euro or Neuro” (Ghent, 10.000p, open air)
Artistic direction Luc Petit
Artistic production Steven Martin
Winner of Bronze Benelux Event Award
2002 – “GuldensporenSpLAsH” (Kortrijk, 12.000p, open air)
Artistic direction Dirk Decloedt
Assistant artistic direction and artistic production Steven Martin
Winner of Golden Benelux Event Award

6. BIO
2010 – ”A Human Adventure” (Avenches Zwitzerland)
Artistic direction Luc Petit
Artistic production Steven Martin
Inauguration show for Nespresso production center
2011 – “Sensations” (Belgian roadshow)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Product launch roadshow ‘bring a commercial to life’

7. BIO
2009 – ”Rebel, Rebel” (Groot-Bijgaarden)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Product launch show for Citroën
2009 – “Le Nouveau Cirque” (Hasselt, Ethias Arena)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Dinner show for Ethias

8. BIO
2009 – ”Man: Power” (Athens)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Product launch show for Toyota Material Handling Europe
2008 – “Tonero” (Marbella)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Product launch show for Toyota Material Handling Europe

9. BIO
2009 – ”12.000 Diamonds” (Antwerp, 12.000p, Sportpaleis)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Company show for Familiehulp, winner of Silver Benelux Event Award
2010 – “Visions” (Willebroek)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Fashion show for Luxottica

10. BIO
2010 – ”Le Grand Vert” (Charleroi, Spiroudôme)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Finale show to emphasize on tha main conference theme
2012 – “Love Help” (Lint, 4.000p, Eurocam Media Center)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Company show for Wit Gele Kruis, current nominee for Benelux Event Award

11. BIO
2012 – ”25” (Aalst, theatre show)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Theatre show for 25th anniversary of our dance school and dance squad
2012 – “My Vision” (Aalst, theatre show)
Artistic direction Steven Martin
Michael Jackson tribute show by Christ’OF (Europe’s nr. 1 Michael Jackson impersonator)

12. My working procedures
Allow me to give you an insight
in my working habits

13. PROCESS
STEP 1 - Finding the clients by scanning markets and opportunities, launching ideas,
networking and lobbying (my clients are as well event agencies as officials/institutional clients/
enterprises at this time)
STEP 2 – Acquire the briefing, analyse and set up the creative and production team
STEP 3 – Researching, brainstorming, finding of inspiration…
STEP 4 – Create the storyline, writer the actual storyboard and start visualizing/illustrating it,
bringing the story to life
STEP 5 – Looking for partners and talent, preparing budget study
STEP 6 – Creation of presentation document and budget study / business plan

14. PROCESS
STEP 7 – Presentation and sales pitch to get the job confirmed
STEP 8 – Fine-tuning and testing of concept, rewriting, re-desiging... Imagining the show, the
concept over and over again... Experiencing and testing it to make sure the ‘magic’ works.
STEP 9 – Production of all elements of the show:
- travel and acocmodation
- logistics and technicals
- special effects
- people and talents
- software and programming
- rehearsals and test lab
- ...

15. PROCESS
STEP 10 – Continuous financial supervision and checks
STEP 11 – Start building on site
STEP 12 – Start programming / Mise-en-Scène
STEP 13 – Rehearsals
STEP 14 – Opening show: public relations, networking, publicity
STEP 15 – Recurring shows: follow-up, supervision of teams, keeping them ‘sharp’, repairs,
rehearsals, trainings….
STEP 16 – Final closing of budgets, financial closing report and opening new business
opportunities for future projects with the same client.

16. MY ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
I remind you that on my level of show production budgets and briefings force us to become very
‘polyvalent’ so that we can provide professional results in many services. Therefor you might get
the impression that I (think to be able to) do everything myself, which is of course impossible.
However a lot of things i can do and these things are used in my working proces:
ANALYSIS OF BRIEFING, RESEARCH, INSPIRATION AND BRAINSTORMING
As i also teach at Karel De Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp on business event marketing as well
as creative techniques and brainstorming, I know very well the importance of a good
brainstorming to inspire the creative team.
I very often organize brainstorming sessions with the class of my 9 and 10 year old daugthers. I
have a series of experienced creative people for brainstormings as well as total externals, giving
an extra ‘’pure’ vision on the project.

17. MY ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
STORY WRITING
I write the basic story and think about the images and feelings I want my audience to
experience, depending on the tone of voice needed in the story I have a series of ghostwriters/
authors I work with to create a more poetic experience in the show. Often I do this myself when
there is no budget for an external writer.
ILLUSTRATING & CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
A whole range of interesting techniques exist to present your storyline. Varying from the artistic
roughs and traditional storyboards to a whole range of audiovisual tools: 3d renders, animated
movies, video mock-ups... For projects with limited or no budgets I create these documents
myself in Sketchup, Photoshop, Premiere... A part from that I have a small team of freelance
top experts in 3D, graphic design, roughing, storyboarding, scenographic design, lighting
design....

18. MY ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
TECHNICAL STUDIES & CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
A whole range of interesting techniques exist to present your storyline. Varying from the artistic
roughs and traditional storyboards to a whole range of audiovisual tools: 3d renders, animated
movies, video mock-ups... For projects with limited or no budgets I create these documents
myself in Sketchup, Photoshop, Premiere... A part from that I have a small team of freelance
top experts in 3D, graphic design, roughing, storyboarding, scenographic design, lighting
design....

19. THE STORY

20. THE STORY

21. THE STORY

22. THE STORY

23. THE STORY

24. MY ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
PRODUCTION AND COSTING
All of my productions are being managed on a ‘live’ principle. I insist on having a clear view at
any time of what the team is doing, what still needs to be done and most of all where we are in
terms of budget. With over 17 years of experience I have had the time and missions to be able
to put in place my own working procedure based upoin some key documents (although they off
course vary depending on the charachteristics of the mission:
Briefing > analysis > concept draft > research > storyboard > scenario > show flow > roadbook
> cue list
Backed up at all time by a live costing/business plan for the job.
Some examples (as I take the discretion of my clients very seriously, I can only show documents
from past events/shows).

25. What moves me?
You asked me what
moved me emotionally recently

26. WHAT MOVES ME?
Just some elements I think of…
MY DAUGTHERS
First of all my daugthers are my main source of inspiration and everyday motivation, I am a very
active dad and relive their youth and discoveries with them.
THEATRE/SHOW
I can be amazed and positively jealous at easy but impressive creative ideas, showing the real
human power of imagination and phantasy. Technologically spectacular shows amaze me from
their complexety but most of the time they impress me less (for example the Opening show of
the Olympics which was beautiful in each of its details due to the ‘cinematographic
approach’ (what companies like Dragone have been doing for years) but which for me was a
huge barnum of too much and not well staged chaos. Only resting point for me was for that
matter the choreography with ‘only’ 50 dancers).

27. WHAT MOVES ME?
PHOTOGRAPHY / ART
David La Chapelle and his vision to create photo’s like they were 3d real life Photoshop artwork.
In my opinion images in phot and video are an underestimated art form, event with all the
creativity of videomapping techniques people still consider them as ‘only TV’. Therefor one
movie that really impressed me nevertheless the public opinion (they just did not get it) was
Moulin Rouge.
SHOW CITIES & BUILDINGS WITH HISTORY
Broadway, Moulin Rouge, Crazy Horse, Le Cirque d’Hiver, Kodak Theatre, Tuchinsky, Carré,
Opera House… I am very sensible to the magic of time, and imagining inside these theatres and
on their stages what this building already lived… wow!!

28. WHAT MOVES ME?
TINTIN AND THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN
A beautoful show production in musical, unfortunately only a few people had the pleasure of
experiencing it live due to a corrupt French booking agent causing the production company to
go down. It was impressive in scenography both as in its creation of a cartoopn world on
stage, picture frames and all.
SLAVA’S SNOW SHOW
So minimalistic, so intense and everything balanced perfectly. I am a fan.
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
A genious and pillar of the entertainment world

29. WHAT MOVES ME?
BLUE MAN GROUP
The way they use the stage and most of all the audience keeps surprising me. Great concept.
MOST SHOWS BY DRAGONE, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL , MAYUMANA,
MATERIALI RESISTENTI…
We would not be talking if your productions and the ones of you most direct competitors would
not touch me. Creating a dream world of magic for an audience to live during a short time, but
with memories that will last forever. That is what I want to mean to others in this life.
AND SO MUCH MORE…
Circus Ronaldo, Okidok, Béjart, Peter Pan, Franco Dragone (of course), Magritte, Light Art,
Tate Museum…
Life itself is a stage of inspirations.
Thank you ‘whoever’ for allowing me to be living it.

30. WHAT MOVES ME?

31. Looking forward
to continue our conversations.
Steven Martin
Live the emotion
www.architectofemotion.com
+32 479 550 235
steven@architectofemotion.com