CCB Magazine

Nachgefragt with Florian Unruh | VocalCenter.Berlin

Photo: Florian Unruh

Nachgefragt is a new small interview format we developed. From now on, we will let actors who have visited our consulting service have their say and ask them which path they took afterwards. With the interviews we get feedback and give insight.
 

Kreativ Kultur Berlin:Hello Florian, please introduce yourself briefly.

Florian Unruh: I'm Florian Unruh, 26, a trained vocal coach, voice therapist and founder of VocalCenter.Berlin. That means I coach singers, prepare them for recordings, go with them into the studio, train artists for tours and accompany them.

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: How did you start?

Florian Unruh: As a self-employed singing teacher and coach, I did not yet have a unique selling point, nor a concept, and was initially dependent on word of mouth. When I moved to Berlin after my studies in the Netherlands, I initially continued my education and was able to acquire a lot of expertise. But basically I had little overview of the music scene. In the consultation with Melanie, I came up with several ideas at once, of which the "voice emergency doctor for tours" and the two training packages ultimately stood out.

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: The consultation with Melanie was in May 2016. What questions did you come with then?

Florian Unruh: I had already read up on self-employment and PR basics. I also began to develop a vision of where I wanted to be in a few years - namely on tour and in the studio with artists! And the need for advice was mainly to get myself out of the closet and have my offerings looked at from the outside as well. What could be interesting for which target group? Where is there a need? What are my most important contacts and who are possible cooperation partners? At some point, I had better formulated "B" as a goal and, through brainstorming, got numerous ideas on how to get there from "A".

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: And could we help you?

Florian Unruh: The best thing about the consultation was the complexity. At no point did I feel that there was only one answer to my questions or only one how-to strategy. On the one hand, of course, this was frustrating because simple solutions always simplify a lot of things. On the other hand, it activated my synapses on how to approach things in the future. Now I have a long o-do, but also the security of being able to better sort out many small opportunities in order to move forward step by step. The counseling made me more aware of possibilities and encouraged me to dive into the pool of options.

Business card in office plant by Florian Unruh

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: Florian, what's on your business card today?

Florian Unruh: On the front of my business card you can see my profile and in neon letters "Studio" and "Tour". Those are my two package options. Other than that, it has the name of my company and my contact information. But when I introduce myself somewhere, I refer to myself as the founder of VocalCenter.Berlin.

Success for me would mean that I can say "I have helped singers with vocal problems to advance their careers" or "I have raised awareness of good singing in pop again"

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: On a scale of 1 to "Woohoo": How successful would you describe your project/business/product?

Florian Unruh: A cautious "Woohoo". Cautious, not because things are going badly, but because I'm very very German; I can't praise the day before the evening - haha. Success for me would be being able to say "I've helped singers with vocal problems advance their careers" or "I've raised awareness of good singing in pop again." When I work with artists and see how the training pays off, how they put on an awesome live or studio performance, I feel proud. Currently, I'm incubating the official opening event, where I want to celebrate the "voice in pop" with professionals, friends and colleagues from the music scene.

Kreativ Kultur Berlin: What are your future plans?

Florian Unruh: In a few years, I'd like to work with major labels and manage bigger artists. In such a framework, I can make a difference. I can directly influence the quality of pop music. My mission is to make labels, managers and bookers understand again that all the marketing and promotion in the world is of no use if artists fail on stage. I also want to find a permanent location for the VocalCenter.Berlin in the next few years and establish myself as a go-to coach.

More information of Florian Unruh and his business: vocalcenter.berlin

VocalCenter.Berlin Opening Event auf Facebook

The interview was conducted by Peter Kessel | Kreativwirtschaftsberatung Berlin

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