Interview with Virginie: TV Journalist & Winner Of The First Play Off
On Friday, September 28th, Whyd and Digital Hunter co-hosted the inaugural Play Off: Tracklister Head to Head at the Pop In. We had reached out to a number of people to participate and share their best tracks to delight the audience in vicious musical combat. The afternoon before the contest, we still needed one more participant to reach eight for the bracket. Out of nowhere came Virginie Van Gysegem and Angela. who signed up via Facebook and threw their hats into the ring. At the end of the night, they stood victorious. So who is this music lover who bested the competition? Let’s find out!
1. Hey Virginie! Can you tell us a little about you? What are the different sides of your personality and how do these aspects show up in your projects?
That is a little complicated… because with me that could go in any direction! To make it short and sweet, I would say: Belgian (from Liège)/29 years old (shit, I’m almost 30! Oh la la!)/Curious, stubborn, sociable/bachelor’s degree in foreign trade/spent five years as a purchasing advisor, selling companies in a semi-private, semi-public group/lived for three years in Brussels/left everything and moved to Paris.
Today, I’ve been in Paris for a year and I am definitely not ready to leave this town!
After a year of working as a casting agent for various reality TV programs like “The Bachelor” (TMC), “Connected” (TF1), “Amazing Race” (D8), “Les Ch’tis,” and” The Best Dance” (W9), I sort of fell into a job (a little randomly) as the Artistic Director of a music program that I feel has gone very well. My musical universe certainly lines up with the show, it’s given me the chance to mesh with the team, and I absolutely love it!
2. You are a journalist on the TV show “Aline in Wonderland" on France Ô. Can you tell us about this music show and your role on the program?
Well, I don’t know if I can actually pretend to be a journalist. I don’t have that background and this job is completely new for me. I prefer to use the term “Editor.”
"Aline in Wonderland" (Friday nights on France Ô) for me is about meeting cool people, learning a ton, and making true discoveries. But above all, it is the professional development that I was searching for.
We are a small team, all very different but complementary to each other. Everyone pitches in, everyone is hands-on, which together gives us a show that we can really qualify as hype, trendy, and very chic (I’m thinking especially about the amazing job of our cameramen/editors). It is truly a show with a lot of variety, and very sharp with indie, pop, electro, hip hop, and other artists. That might seem pretentious but I think that today it is very rare to find this type of music show on TV.
As for me, I will try to explain my role quickly because I am realizing that I’m super excited about this show and could talk about it for hours :) I get ahold of artists for interviews, I create outlines for the shows, I propose subjects to talk about, and I write news and I edit things (with the help of an editor). I even had the chance to take the camera! So it’s really a little bit of everything and I can assure you that I love every part of it.
3. The wonderland doesn’t stop there, because you are also the blogger of Be My Wonderland which centers around music, but not only that?
Well my blog is really just for fun! Kept without any pretentions for nearly two years, I never imposed the rigors of a true blogger on myself. I post articles only when something speaks to me. No ads, no sponsored articles…
There is obviously all of my favorite music, and from time to time (when I find time to write a little) I talk about the places that I like, particularly in Liège, Brussels, and Paris. I also talk a little about fashion, but only when something really strikes me, or, I admit, when I want to laugh (mock) a little… :)
4. You participated, in a duo with your friend Angela, in the inaugural Play Off, organized by Whyd and Digital Hunter. You signed up at the last minute and walked away with the victory. What is your secret? A meticulously prepared tracklist?
Well, Angela sent me the invitation a day or two before the contest if I remember correctly. You know that as soon as I saw that it was a party with a cool and uncommon concept, I said “why not?” I have always dreamed of being a DJ, and this was my chance to see if my taste in music would get people dancing together…or not… Nah, I’m kidding, it was really the concept that pulled me in.
My secret? I have no idea, I listen to everything, that must help! I would say maybe, having a spontaneous and varied tracklist. That same day, on the metro, I ran through my iPod and I chose about twenty songs. At the start of the night, I made the final choices. It was a very nice night, why don’t you guys organize more of them??
Don’t worry Virginie, we will! Subscribe to Virginie on Whyd, and make sure you follow her on Twitter!
And here it is, Virginie’s winning playlist:
Interview translated from original French.