At the edge of a field of sunflowers facing in unison toward the sun that was setting on the horizon, the long reflection of the chairs sheltered under a large willow licked a temporary stage set up there for the occasion. The pretty country setting of the Arôme des Champs oil mill in Bromont lent itself perfectly to the performance of Vanessa Borduas , protégé of Marc Dupré at La Voix who also distinguished herself at the Festival international de la chanson de Granby. L'Escale is the name of the tour that she and other artists undertook in a minivan to unusual locations across Quebec this summer. An initiative of Productions Flèche , the creation and production company that the young woman herself set up so that her voice, mixed with others, could carry further.

To undertake is also to create

Vanessa has been performing since she was little. “The path I took to convey my messages and express my sensitivity today involves entrepreneurship,” she doesn’t hesitate to say. “I searched for myself for a long time, I hesitated to give up jobs that had the security of a full-time salary. Finally, I invested in my own company, then I structured and reoriented it. It was a friend who recently made me realize that no matter what I get into, I create.”

A relief for someone who has always had a thousand and one projects in motion but who defines herself first and foremost as an artist. “Today, I am able to plan creative moments separate from my work as an entrepreneur, but I have always tried my hand at everything: relaunching the student radio station, reviving the music room, supporting young people in theater, participating in workshops and writing residencies as far away as France, learning and then teaching at the École de la chanson, training in communication and cultural animation, managing projects, then events and artists.”

An agile entrepreneur, a business project that evolves

“Initially, the company Productions Flèches, registered in 2014, was to launch my first album independently,” she admits. “But I quickly felt like I was pedaling in the void, I wondered why I was doing this and where I was going. I felt alone and out of breath. I went to my entourage to ask a little about what other independent artist-composers-performers found most difficult about self-management. Each time, the answer that came back was to sell yourself.” Vanessa started prospecting: she contacted venues, and did bookings for other emerging artists. In 2016, the company became a show agency.

The 24-year-old woman dove into entrepreneurship and took training to better master all the cogs: she obtained an ASP in business launch and followed the Nest in Montreal program on Lean Startup organized by LOJIQ to refine her business proposition.

Always ready to pivot her business to ensure its relevance and usefulness, Vanessa recently integrated artistic management and show production. Two new employees offer à la carte services: research and writing for project financing, administration and communication, career management and production consulting, artistic and visual identity. “This new component allowed us to keep the business running during the lockdown.”

In addition to becoming a creative company, Productions Flèche is a record company, an independent label, since Vanessa has returned to creation and self-production. With a license that allows her to exploit the recordings of others and distribute them digitally, she also contributes to the marketing and commercialization of interested artists. With clairvoyance, the young woman seized the space that had opened up with the democratization of the means of production and diffusion, particularly with digital, to take the reins.

Entrepreneurship to promote culture

The Escale tour is the major post-pandemic cultural recovery production project. “I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, even if it was the riskiest financially,” notes Vanessa. “Part of the grant is only granted at the start. I had a large sum to advance for the purchase of the truck, its transformation with the show equipment, the branding, and the canvassing of the venues to network with agro-tourism companies. We had to find an alternative and reach the public in a way other than in theaters. It’s a trippy and innovative initiative, which I will surely repeat, but above all, it allowed seven artists to tour this summer. It’s a great showcase.”

My company really takes on its full meaning in this spirit of mutual aid. This is what ignites me and what is today at the heart of my corporate mission. His new challenge? “We rarely talk to artists about how to manage the growth of their business. I keep my ears wide open to be able to ensure the future and make artists shine.”