We recently had the chance to connect with Frederic De Jesus and have shared our conversation below.
Frederic, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’m walking a path now, but it took a lot of wandering to find it. For a while, I was saying yes to everything, trying to figure out which version of me fit. Now the path feels clearer: I’m focused on building BASILICA as a creative and operational home for artists and ideas I believe in. The wandering gave me perspective, but the path gives me peace.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Frederic De Jesus, a creative producer and MBA student building at the intersection of business and creative. I run BASILICA, a multidisciplinary house that develops artists, produces live experiences, and designs the systems that make creative work sustainable. My background spans production, event execution, and artist development — from large-scale festivals to intimate showcases. What makes BASILICA unique is how it blends creative direction with operational discipline, helping artists and teams move with both vision and structure.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Olivia Scott of Omerge Alliances saw me clearly before I did. I interned for her when I was around twenty-one, and that experience set off a chain of events that still shapes my career today. Through her, I got my first exposure to ESSENCE Festival in 2017, which became a defining chapter in my professional and personal growth. It opened my world to culture, production, and the scale of what’s possible when creativity meets purpose. Olivia has always spoken about me with a kind of belief that pushed me to rise to it. I hold very few people in the same regard.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
One of the defining wounds in my life was losing my sense of direction after being let go from a job.. It wasn’t just the loss of work; it was the loss of identity. For a while, I equated momentum with worth. Slowing down felt like failure. That moment forced me to confront myself and separate who I am from what I produce. Healing came from rebuilding slowly, learning to take pride in stillness, and creating again from a grounded place.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I believe discipline is more powerful than inspiration. A lot of people in romanticize momentum or “the spark,” but I’ve learned that what sustains the work is structure. Discipline isn’t the enemy of creativity; it’s the container that allows it to grow.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I’d stop second-guessing timing. So much of my life has been about trying to “arrive” at the right moment, when the project’s ready, when the money’s there, when everything aligns. But the truth is, momentum builds in motion, not perfection. If I only had ten years left, I’d release more ideas, share more unfinished work, and move faster on what already feels right. I’d trust the process to teach me instead of waiting for proof.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://fredericdejesus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fredericdejesus
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericdejesus
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