OPERAWIRE - Q & A with Francesco Lodola

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Operawire, the world’s most influential trade magazine, interviewed Francesco Lodola, founder of Ben Artists Management. Lodola, in conversation with Francisco Salazar, discussed his journey in the opera industry and the decision to start his own management company:

“Between 2018 and 2022, I worked as a press officer and social media manager for several artists. At the end of 2022, I realized that my path in that field was no longer enough for me. After the pandemic, this work underwent a real revolution, with both positive and negative effects (such as a general homogenization of content). At that point, I decided that I wanted to make a truly meaningful contribution, working on ‘building’ the careers of new artists, often from scratch. This is how Ben Artists Management was born at the beginning of 2023.”

Salazar asked him about the challenges of being one of the few under-30 artist managers in the industry:

“My path has been different from that of many of my colleagues from the very beginning. Often, an agent starts by working as a junior or associate in a major company and then later creates their own independent business. In my case, I worked independently from the start. It required a lot of courage, determination, and healthy ambition. It wasn’t easy, and it still isn’t today. You can encounter institutions open to dialogue and others closed off by prejudice often linked to my young age (which, in their view, rhymes with incompetence or inexperience), a kind of reverse ‘ageism.’”

He also shared his vision for the profession and his outlook on the future:

“Since founding Ben Artists, my goal has always been to create a ‘boutique’ of artists, avoiding the idea of an endless list of names. […] From day one, I have dedicated myself to carefully selecting my artists and establishing a working relationship with them that is not one of subordination, but rather based on teamwork. […] (Artists) must be respected, the truth must be told with tact (even the most uncomfortable or difficult truth), and they must be guided in their choices. […] We are a team. We all work towards the same goal. […] In the next 10 years, I hope to still be here working with artists, having fun with them, looking back with a smile on the difficult times, and always nurturing the same love for art, which is the only friend and lover that never abandons you.”