IN PROFILE
CREWBOOKING: ‘REUNITING PEOPLE UNDER ONE PLATFORM’ As all corners of the entertainment industry look to return to full strength, Crewbooking strives to help touring professionals find the right person for the job. TPi sits down with Crewbooking’s Didier Streel and Louis Van De Leest to discover more.
Words: Stew Hume Photos: Crewbooking
There is no doubt that ‘word of mouth’ is still held in very high regard within the live events industry when it comes to recruiting crew members for a project. That being said, like many industries, there has been a shift in the use of online platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook helping connect crew and freelancers with prospective employers. As we move into 2022 with the ever-growing concern of the lack of crew following the pandemic, there have been a number of platforms, bespoke to the industries needs, offering new methods for freelancers to find work. One of the latest is Crewbooking. Created by several industry professionals, this online platform has already gained a large user base across the globe. As well as individual freelancers, a large number of companies have also adopted the platform to find and hire crew. Crewbooking reports an average of 100 to 200 new profiles every day. Company founder, Laurent Hirtz, who has a background in video within the entertainment industry, working with the likes of PRG in the past, came up with the concept of an app for other technicians to check his availability for the show. This idea soon became the bedrock of what Crewbooking is today; an interactive tool to connect like-minded professionals and, most importantly, help them get work. “We wanted to provide a full service for the entertainment industry,” explained
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Crewbooking’s Louis Van De Leest. “From live events to the TV and film sector right the way through to the VFX industry. We are targeting niche industries with the goal of reuniting people under one platform.” He went on to explain why this platform was vital despite pre-existing services. “We didn’t ever want this to be like other apps on the market. Crewbooking has been built from the bottom up from within the industry and has been developed with industry professionals focussing on this niche sector.” Accessible via the app or desktop, a profile can be set up as either an individual ‘Crew’ account or as a company. With a Crew account you are able to create a profile stating your expertise, any qualifications you have as well as post about current projects you have been involved in tagging the relevant companies. With a Crew profile you can also create your own network of other freelancers and even search for others in your region. Using a company profile, there are a number of features with advanced search options, allowing you to curate a network of known freelancers. With ‘My Team’, end users can build a team on the platform and integrate Crewbooking into the planning of their project. “One of the things that really separates Crewbooking from other platforms is the search function we offer,” explained Streel. “You can be really specific about the type of freelancer you are after. You define the
