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My Career: Body & Soul Director Avril Stanley


By Avril Stanley
11th May 2023
My Career: Body & Soul Director Avril Stanley

Avril Stanley is the creative director and founder of Irish festival Body & Soul – a festival she was inspired to create after seeing how other cultures celebrate their own unique customs and traditions. Here she tells us more about her career journey to date and why ‘protecting the pearl’ is key in her line of work.

Did you always want to be a festival director?
No. I wanted to be a photojournalist, as I loved to travel and meet people from all walks of life. Ironically, it’s travelling that got me into festivals. I was so inspired by the many types of festivals around the world, and how different cultures celebrated their customs and traditions – it left me wanting to create something of my own in Ireland. Hence, the Body & Soul Festival came into being as a contemporary celebration of the age-old tradition of the summer solstice!

In college, I studied… French and Italian language and literature in UCC. I was on Erasmus for one of those years in an incredible village in the mountains called Urbino in Italy and came home fluent in Italian.

My most formative work experience was… with Bill Hauritz, the director of the Woodford Folk Festival in Australia. I volunteered at his festival many years ago and was given the role of his PA for the event. It was an amazing window into the world of events that left me in awe! His vision for the festival, their 500-year sustainability plan and the way in which he dealt with his staff, patrons, stakeholders and artists was so inspiring – it compelled me to launch Body & Soul in Ireland.

My first real job was… setting up Body & Soul as a creative production house in 2003. Prior that that, I worked as a therapist and also within events, but nothing compared to the real job of running your own business!

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… to ‘protect the pearl’ – I didn’t quite know what that meant until later in life. Stand by your values, don’t compromise on your integrity, trust the unknown and follow the path that makes you feel alive!

A common misconception about what I do is… that it’s glamorous! People think being a festival director is very rock n’ roll – drinking champagne with famous stars, jet-setting all over the world, living a decadent lifestyle. In truth, it’s a lot of spreadsheets, talent booking, people management, long hours and pouring your heart and soul into pulling off an amazing experience for thousands of people across three days and nights in the middle of the Irish countryside. It takes trust and guts, but it ‘aint glamorous!

My main responsibility in work is… as the creative director, it’s my job to find the best people, opportunities, collaborators and talent, woo them with our festival’s legacy and weave them together to create a cohesive considered and carefully curated premium festival experience.

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
Different people at different times have come into my life and have been a great guide and support.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… to run a festival. It’s an enormous gamble based on getting the right balance of acts and creative programming, doing something that stands apart from the norm, gambling on the weather and trusting that people will buy tickets. In Ireland, the weather can be the biggest factor in executing an amazing event or a mediocre one!

I wake at… 7.30am on weekdays, but love the occasional lie-in at the weekend.

The first thing I do every morning is… hit the snooze button and have another five minutes of cosiness under the duvet before stepping into the day.

My morning routine is… to play my favourite song in the kitchen to kick-start the day. Depending on the mood, it could be anything from folk, to rock, to pop to electronic.

I can’t go to work without… my iPhone!

I travel to work by… foot. But that’s in the back garden so it’s not as much of a walk as one might like!

On an average workday I… sorry, no answer is coming here! Every day is a school day, and each one is different!

I start my working day at… 9.30am.

The first thing I do at work is… check in with my general manager, and dive headfirst into a day of meetings with various team members on just about anything from sponsors to talent booking, event operations to programming, and marketing to finance. It’s never dull!

I usually spend the first portion of the day… having department meetings, but it varies from week to week depending on how close we are to an event.

I break for lunch at… it’s interesting how I cant answer this question! There is no pattern to lunchtime for me – sometimes I work, sometimes I take a break, it depends on my mood and how busy I am. Lunch could be anything from a bowl of soup, to falafel to leftovers from the day before’s dinner to oat cakes with avocado.

The most useful business tool I use every day is… Google Calendar. It’s integrated into Google Meets which is similar to Zoom. One click and you are sitting in a virtual world with your team.

I save time by… clearing my inbox late at night when no one is awake! Questionable whether it really is saving time, but it often feels that way…

I rarely get through my working day without… yearning for something salty or sweet. Learning to reach for nuts or a tangerine versus chocolate is key!

The best part of my day is… when I close the laptop and dust myself down before returning home. Work is great but life is for living too, and as the years go by, I am getting better at knowing when my cup is full.

The most challenging part of my day is… when my attention is scattered and I can’t bring myself to do a piece of work that feels laborious – reviewing a security schedule or a complex situation that demands one’s full attention, for example.

I know it’s been a good day if… I feel spacious, productive and excited. Be it that we received confirmation of an amazing artist for Body & Soul or the day has had a sense of flow – positivity is always welcomed.

I usually end my day at… 6pm but sometimes prefer to work late into the night when the energy vaults allow.

I switch off from work by… cuddling my son and partner, going for a walk, having a glass of wine, or chatting to a friend, It’s the simple things that work best.

Before I go to bed, I… sit for 15 minutes to decant the day. It helps me to let go of any residue from the day and gives me a chance to catch up with myself and wind down.

I often prepare for tomorrow by… giving thanks for today, and seeing what tomorrow brings (along with checking my calendar the night before to see what lies ahead!)

After a long work week, I destress by… having a sauna. The ritual of going from intense heat to ice cold on repeat totally switches off my brain and gets me back into my body! It is so enlivening, plus it facilitates the most amazingly deep sleep.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… Body & Soul. I believe we have created something quite beautiful and original in the music and arts scene in Ireland and have brought a lot of joy to many people over the years, whilst maintaining our independence and creative edge along the way.

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is to… reach out to the festival promoters or creative directors that you are most inspired by and see if you can shadow them for a while. Hands-on experience is the only way to know if this industry is really for you. In the end, it will be your bravery, determination, vision and charm that will see you through and open up all manner of doors. Asking for advice and the opportunity to learn is a strength, not a weakness.

I’ve just finished working on… I am working full time on the Body & Soul Festival at the moment which takes place from June 16-18th in the stunning Ballinlough Castle in County Westmeath. After that, I am developing a retreat series for Body & Soul that we can’t wait to unveil.