We recently connected with Frederic De Jesus and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Frederic, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from learning to rebuild without resentment. When I was let go, it shook everything I thought I knew about stability, identity, and purpose. But that experience taught me how to start over, not from scratch, but from experience. I had to relearn patience, discipline, and self-belief, and to stop measuring progress by external validation. Resilience for me isn’t about bouncing back; it’s about realignment. It’s about accepting when a season ends and having the courage to build again, sharper, lighter, and with clearer intent.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Right now, I’m focused on expanding BASILICA, a multidisciplinary creative house that develops artists, produces live experiences, and builds the operational systems that keep creative work sustainable. We’re at an exciting stage where we’re refining our internal infrastructure, building partnerships, and preparing for new projects that merge music, media, and business education.
What I love about BASILICA is that it’s not just about creativity, it’s about structure. Our work spans production, artist development, and creative operations, and each division is built to help people bring their ideas to life with both artistry and discipline.
Looking ahead, I’m most excited about growing BASILICA’s ecosystem, from developing digital tools and educational resources for artists to curating new live experiences that blend performance, storytelling, and strategy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities that have shaped my journey are adaptability, discipline, and clarity.
Adaptability has been everything. Life doesn’t move in straight lines, especially in creative work. The ability to pivot, to reimagine a plan without losing momentum, has kept me in motion even when things didn’t go as expected.
Discipline became my anchor. For a long time, I waited for motivation; now I focus on rhythm. Showing up consistently, even on the uninspired days, is what separates potential from progress.
And clarity, learning how to see the bigger picture and communicate it clearly, that’s where leadership comes from. Whether it’s a project, a team, or your own personal direction, clarity turns effort into intention.
My advice to anyone early in their journey: stay flexible, stay steady, and learn to see yourself as the system you’re building.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I’ve been fortunate to have had a few people guide me at different points, but one who stands out is Olivia Scott of Omerge Alliances. She gave me my first real opportunity in this field and believed in my ability long before I fully saw it myself. Through her, I was introduced to ESSENCE Festival, an experience that completely changed my sense of scale and possibility. Olivia’s example taught me how to merge business with authenticity and how to navigate the creative industries with both strategy and grace.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://fredericdejesus.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/fredericdejesus
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/fredericdejesus
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