Duncan Stutterheim’s ID&T Not For Sale
Duncan Stutterheim is one of the biggest names in the Dutch and international dance industry. In 1992 he founded ID&T with Irfan van Ewijk and Theo Lelie. In the nineties, they organized mainly hardcore parties with the company’s reputation growing quickly. Over the years, ID&T’s range has grown much wider, with the addition of not just Thunderdome but also concepts like Dirty Dutch, Mysteryland and Sensation.
Besides putting on huge events, Stutterheim is also known for his talent at branding, as was evident at his ADE University lecture on Thursday. He begins quietly, sitting on a stool. Over the course of an hour he grows more animated.
[quote type=”center”]The main lesson for his audience, mostly students: follow your dreams.[/quote]
Of course this is a cliché, but for Stutterheim it’s also a motto that has been determined by his life. He failed high school because he partied too hard and borrowed money from his father to put on his first event. Instead of three thousand people, eleven thousand came.
[quote type=”center”]‘You have to be lucky, but you have to force your luck too. School exams had just ended and house was coming up in a big way, but it was still mainly luck.’[/quote]
‘You don’t have to do it like ID&T to be successful, look at GZG. These people are very inspiring, although their approach is totally different. They want to do it at lower cost, they just want to rave and they’ve done that successfully for ten years.’
Feeling is important. If it feels right to you, it is. As evidenced by the success of the Sensation parties. ‘In the first edition in the ArenA, with seventeen thousand people, we turned a loss of a million guilders (almost half a million euros). Nevertheless, we thought it was so cool that the next day we signed a five-year contract with the stadium. ‘Moments later, Stutterheim is even more adament: ‘There’s no place for bullshit and stupid stories in night life. You get found out immediately and then it’s over for you. Always make sure that you fully support your idea and that it comes from a real feeling.’
Stutterheim: ‘We used to joke to each that we would sell the company for a hundred. A hundred thousand guilders. And then, a few months ago, suddenly someone from America who wanted to give us a hundred. A hundred million dollars. The choice was very difficult. But we didn’t do it. I think that this company can continue for another twenty years, that we may go into the world.’
[quote type=”center”]His last tip to the students: ‘Never work for a boss, always do it yourself. If you have a good idea, go for it. You can always go work for a boss later.’[/quote]
