Céline Paris, professional Master's in Cultural Project Management
Beyond my background as an actress and psychotherapist, I have worked in culture for nearly 15 years, and more specifically in the administration of cultural organizations and theater companies. I have worked in radio, press relations, communication, and events. I specialized in overall project management (administrative, artistic, team management, audience relations, communication). I founded and developed several cultural entities (Les 6 Pots bleus, Buzz en Ville, Télégraphe 23), organized artistic events (the Super-Heroes photo shoot for the Mois extraordinaire de la ville de Paris, an exhibition at La Bellevilloise), and set up communication and press relations strategies (Festival Jazz dans les Alpilles, Roland Moreno…).

Which program at IESA?

The program I followed at IESA: Professional Master in Cultural Project Management. I wanted to focus my energy on a more specialized path and also to validate my hands-on experience academically, so I decided to take this program to acquire tools I was missing, update my knowledge, and engage with younger people, drawing from these encounters, from different ways of working, and from other perspectives on culture.

This program is a real turning point for me. First, because going back to school at 40 is a wonderful, energizing opportunity for me, one that forces you to make your brain work differently, to question yourself, to face challenges…

It is also about making contact with new networks, the buzz created by the intense pace of classes, expected assignments, and reports to hand in… You have to rise to challenges, take charge, reach out, and push doors open… I know these steps, but a part of me had fallen asleep for some time, and the wake-up call brought on by the program is very exciting; I remembered how much you have to dare, act, move forward, meet people… not everything is easy and it takes energy, but a lot of things are possible! Beyond the skills acquired, the knowledge, and the varied instructors, this is surely what I will remember: the momentum created during this period. After 6 months, I am exhausted, I have almost no social life, I have not been available for my children or my friends, I am short on sleep, but I have crazy energy, and even though I am a very enthusiastic person to begin with, my enthusiasm has increased tenfold!!!

Then, technically, the program is an ideal framework for building projects, whether the PGR or others… You are surrounded by incredibly rich instructors who share their experience and are always ready to take a supportive look, give advice, and make connections… It is a huge asset, and it is what made me choose IESA art&culture over Dauphine: this concrete connection to the reality of the field, thanks to these instructors and to the tutorials and projects to develop alongside the classes.

I just find it a shame that an institution like IESA does not have its own event, a multidisciplinary festival where each year the different students could collaborate, each in their own discipline, and test their skills on a real case… It is an area that would be interesting to develop. A great challenge!