SAMC Workshop

THINK TANK: Next Decade, Our Terms: A Closed-Door Session with the Region’s Sharpest Under-30s

15 Oct 2025 | 10:00 | Orpheus Hall
Ten under-30s from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria—bookers, journalists, managers, artists, production heads—step into the room not to observe, but to lead. One by one, they lay down the friction points of their scenes: outdated structures, burned-out models, missing tools, lost talent.

And across the table? Festival directors, label execs, policymakers. Not to lecture. To listen.

Structure:

  • Behind closed doors. No press. No pitching.
  • Each New Face delivers one provocation: "This is the problem we’re sick of pretending doesn’t exist."
  • Breakout groups led by senior stakeholders from festivals, networks, and institutions—but steered by the cohort.
  • One output: a collective declaration titled "Next Decade, Our Terms."

Why this matters:

  • The Balkan scene isn’t “emerging.” It’s working. It’s surviving. What it needs isn’t charity—it’s clarity. Clarity on who holds power. On what gets funded. On how to move the needle without moving out of your country.
  • The Think Tank is where generational silence breaks. And where careers, collectives, and futures start forming in real time.

Outcomes:

  • Public release of the New Faces Declaration across the SoAlive and partner platforms
  • Featured segment during SAMC’s main-stage policy block
  • Invitations for the cohort to join future EU working groups, curatorial councils, and regional exchange programs

Speakers:

Kristiyana Zhulienova Georgieva (Bulgaria) - Project Manager, ANMIP-BG (Association of Independent Music Publishers and Producers)
Monica Miroslavova Petrova (Bulgaria) - Marketing & Social Media, SoAlive Music Conference | MA Student, Popakademie Baden-Württemberg
Tena Kovačić (Croatia) - Production Assistant & Hospitality Manager, INmusic Festival
Marin Zelić (Croatia) - President, KUM Fobija & Director, Pandemonium Festival
Ivana Jovanović (Serbia) - Organizer, Zeleni Kačket Collective & Broadcaster, Radio Aparat
Branislav Cvetković (Serbia) - Editor, Balkanrock | Project Coordinator, Belgrade Open School
Špela Cvetko (Slovenia) - PR, Booker & Tour Manager, Jazzchange | Editor, Radio Študent
Ružica Petrova (Slovenia) - Production Assistant, MENT Ljubljana | DJ & Journalist, Radio Študent
Nadica Banishka (North Macedonia) - Manager & Booker, Gola Planina Collective | Label Manager, Mrtov Konj
Jane Veljanoski (North Macedonia) - DJ, Graphic Designer & Organizer, Dope Kukjata Collective | Producer, D Fest & SHIP Festival

Mentors:

Franziska Stambke - Liveurope
Dario Drastata - RUNDA / IMPALA
Nick Hobbs - Charmenko
Zorica Tepic - Music industry/entertainment executive with 20+ years’ experience; former CMO of EXIT Festival and senior strategist across major festivals in Serbia and the region
David Fricke - Journalist
Andy Halliday - Earth Agency