Beats' community manager talks running, french hip-hop and Antoine Griezmann.
Cliquez ici pour lire cet article en français.
As Adrien Picard opens the door wearing a Carhartt t-shirt, a pair of Norse Projects jeans and a thickish beard on his face, we instantly know we’re dealing with a cool and likeable guy.
The thirty-something year-old moved to London a few months back, and works for 247 Laundry Service, a Californian communication agency representing - amongst others - world-renowned headphone brand Beats By Dre. We met him at his flat in Hackney to talk about music, sport and his new life in the British capital while the football game opposing Paris-Saint-Germain to the Girondins de Bordeaux was just about to begin. As a massive football fan and lifelong PSG supporter, this is a special day for Adrien.
Even if he doesn’t play football, Adrien has always been athletic. When he moved to London, full of innocent enthusiasm, he changed his diet and decided he wanted to take better care of himself. “I didn’t have a job when I arrived, and I didn’t want to start slacking. Regular exercise helped me keep my eye on the target, and also keep fit”. He swims and works out for a few hours each week, but his favourite activity is running.
“I’ve always been a runner. I would run with my father as a child. I only got very serious about it 5 years ago, though, for the Nike We Run Paris 10k race”. Back then he used to hang out a lot at BlackRainbow, a Parisian shop where he was a loyal customer. “I wasn’t in the most active period of my life, and Clément Molton, the shop’s manager, invited me to join the Paris Running Club”. Initially, the Paris Running Club was a running crew launched in collaboration with Nike. “I started running with plenty of people, which encouraged me to set some goals for myself and try and exceed my limits”. He ran his first marathon two years ago in the South of France, invited by his uncle, and he’s already preparing for the next one in a month and a half.
He also does a bit of cycling, as he rides his bike to work across town every day: “it takes me 35 minutes as I ride pretty fast… and never stop for red lights” he admits with a smile. “As Beats By Dre now belongs to Apple, I work from their offices on Regent Street. I’m an integral part of the Beats team as my agency hasn’t opened any offices in Europe yet”.
However, high-speed cycling to work also amounts to a certain level of perspiration. Adrien deals with this issue with Baxter of California’s aluminium- and alcohol-free deodorant which he brings to the office to stay fresh in all situations.
As the Beats Community Manager for France, he is in charge of the brand’s image in the country, and manages its PR on social networks. “I plan promo and marketing posts on Twitter and Facebook, as well as Instagram from time to time. For the launch of new products, in particular for the Powerbeats sport range, I put together a list of influencers and relevant public personalities who we then sent products too”.
Adrien was hired for his extensive address book, but mostly because of his passion for football. And his job has given him many opportunities to meet famous players. “We often work with football clubs, including Bayern Munich and Chelsea with which Beats has sponsorship contracts. For the UEFA Euro 2016 we launched a massive advertising campaign with Antoine Griezmann whom I interviewed, as well as many other players”.
As far as his morning routine is concerned, Adrien has followed the same steps since he first set foot in London. He gets up at 7am, and gives himself an hour and a half to get ready. “When I was still living in Paris, I would get up 45 minutes before leaving my flat, I would grab something to eat and have a quick shower before heading out. Now, I take my time”. The day starts off with a glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. When he started preparing for a half marathon last year he also began to be very careful about his diet. “I eat a bowl of muesli with fat-free yogurt and a sliced banana. That’s usually enough to keep me going for the entire morning”.
The same applies to his grooming routine. Adrien takes the time to use the products he discovered on Horace thanks to a friend. Dr. Bronner’s pure-castile lavender soap is one of his favourite body products. He uses the >Baxter of California shampoo both for his hair and the beard he’s had for the past five years. “A few years ago in Paris I was stuck with an itchy beard. I went to Les Mauvais Garçons barber shop which is located in the Parmentier area. They recommended using my shampoo for my beard too as it isn’t too thick. Other than those products, I also brush my teeth with the Marvis aquatic mint toothpaste”.
When we ask him what qualifies as a nice relaxing morning, he explains that he loves to sleep in and watch his favourite TV series. “I just started a new series on Netflix called Luke Cage. I’m not a Marvel fanboy, but the hip-hop approach and treatment they’ve given this series got me interested.” Adrien admits to watching series “all the time”. The Sopranos ranks amongst his favourites “close but not quite tied with The Wire”, as well as the US version of Shameless and The Walking Dead.
We spot some decks on a table in his room - where you’ll also find Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s Death on Credit, Shoe Dog - Nike CEO Phil Knight’s biography - and a DVD boxset of The Wire, obviously. Adrien worked as the Digital Manager for French music TV channel Trace TV for 5 years, which makes sense as another of his passions is urban music.
"It’s one of the reasons why I moved to London. When I was 20 I was already into UK urban music, especially grime and UK Garage”. What he admired most about the British was their capacity and willingness to mix styles and genres. “My background is mostly hip-hop: it’s pretty much all I’ve listened to since I was 10. I started writing for blogs ten years later, and I instantly loved the UK sound”. His first experience of London was weekends spent in the city with the sole aim of attending as many parties as possible. "The people here were just so much nicer, and the ladies would naturally be much more open with the opposite sex”.
Under the 22h22 alias, Adrien was a regular Parisian nightlife DJ. His musical style is eclectic, ranging from Hip-Hop to R&B, House and Afrobeat. “I did a party organised by Yard at the Wanderlust, and I was also fortunate enough, thanks to my manager, to broadcast one of my French rap mixes on Dash Radio in California. It was pretty well received given I was totally unknown. Here I stick to releasing a few mixes from time to time on the Internet”. He’s also planning on releasing a series of travel mixes. “I’m going to New York soon, and I’d like to start with that destination: there will obviously be some Hip-Hop in the mix, but also Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” as sung by Carey Mulligan in Shame. I’ll also add some Armand Van Helden and Masters at Work tracks. Their House is typical of New York - heavily infused with Soul”.
We were barely 5 minutes into PSG – Bordeaux and Edinson Cavani opened up the score for the French capital’s team. In other words, time for us to let Adrien watch the game he loves in peace and quiet.
Photos : Richard Dowker
Interview : Pierre-Alexandre M'Pele