Consuming Culture and Challenging Clichés with Christophe Caurret

Christophe Caurret is music creative director at Publicis France and director of art and stories, Prodigious' creative department, since September 2021. Christophe began his career in the business affairs office at Virgin Records after obtaining a master's degree in law. In 1999, he joined BETC ad agency as music creative director, working for major brands including Evian, Lacoste, Air France and YSL. 

Christophe has been involved in the production of several records and helped set up the General Pop department. Also very active in the music industry, he was artistic director of the ‘Panik’ evenings at the Élysée Montmartre, a music event dedicated to the electro scene, launched a music label ‘Pop Records’ under licence from Universal and is still the manager of the artist ‘Yuksek’.

As creative director for music at Publicis France, he works with all the agency creative directors and is committed to strengthening expertise in musical creativity. Under his leadership, Prodigious has received numerous awards in the sound category at the Clio Awards, Grand Prix Stratégies and Prix de la création musicale CSDEM, and most recently a golden record single for the collaboration between the artist JUL and Oasis brand.

Christophe, tell me a little bit about your upbringing and how it affected your choice of career, if at all. Were you always drawn to creativity?

Christophe> From a young age, I’ve always been curious. Around the age of 10, I became fascinated with role-playing games like 'Dungeons & Dragons,' which sparked a broader passion for gaming and IT.

This was followed by a deep love for cinema, where I attended more than four screenings per week, and then, around the age of 14, I developed a strong connection with music. Looking back, I realise I’ve always been drawn to 'pop culture.' Although my entry into communications happened by chance, it feels like a natural fit for my career.

You took on Law in university, how did you make the jump from that to music? Was it difficult?

Christophe> Throughout my studies, and starting from the age of 15 or 16, I was always eager to get involved in music.

First, I played guitar in a 'noisy pop' band with friends, then I became a DJ at parties, and eventually, I organised rave parties in the ‘90s. It was during this time that I began wondering if I could combine my passion for music with my law studies, and that’s exactly what I set out to achieve.

The connection between music and my studies developed naturally. Above all, I was searching for a career that would allow me to share my passion with as many people as possible.

And today, does your background in law help your creative process? How?

Christophe> Of course! Every experience helps us grow, or at least I hope it does. My law studies, for example, taught me discipline and organisation.

Contrary to popular belief, creativity also requires a certain level of rigour – especially when it comes to defending creative ideas. And, I believe it’s important to challenge clichés, don’t you think? Why can’t a lawyer be creative?

You spent the first few years of your career at Virgin Records. What were the biggest learnings from these early years of your career that still ring true?

Christophe> This experience reinforced my desire to work in the music sector. This era within Virgin Records was particularly great because it coincided the explosion of the "French touch", with many groups like Daft Punk or Air being signed.

It was at this moment that I discovered the collective energy that emerged within an internationally focused organisation and the joy of teamwork. This is clearly what I wanted to do, and I’ve continued doing so, first at the another agency and now at Publicis Groupe.

What was the first project that you believe levelled up your career and why?

Christophe> Definitely the Air France ad film 'Le Passage,' directed by Michel Gondry. I arrived at my previous company in July 1999, and we began production on this project soon after.

The film, released in October, became a worldwide success, especially with its soundtrack, 'Asleep from Day' by The Chemical Brothers. It was one of the first instances, if not the very first, where an international French brand used music that wasn’t already a mainstream hit.

This reinforced our desire to push artists who were not just 'hitmakers' and it shaped our approach going forward.

Where do you draw your inspiration? Has this changed over the years?

Christophe> Culture has definitely changed my life trajectory, and I am naïve enough to believe that culture can make people better, which means I need to be constantly fed by culture. 

While music remains a priority both professionally and personally, I’m still passionate about gaming, cinema, and, more recently, food culture. I’m particularly fascinated by the bridges being made across different disciplines within the audio-visual industry in recent years.

And what about your creative voice? How has it developed over the years and in what direction?

Christophe> As I said, I have always had a permanent thirst for culture. Musical trends, for example, are often “mirrors” of our society at a given moment. I think that communication to our audiences through film and commercials must absolutely be nourished by a social and cultural environment.

I think that today, looking back, all my passions combined have a certain logic in my career and that makes me happy.

You stood at the root of collaborations between huge artists and brands - when it comes to this, what challenges can arise and what did you love most about this type of job?

Christophe> The worlds of music and advertising/communication have always coexisted together even if more and more synergies have developed between artists and brands in recent years when it comes to their creative campaigns and production work. The real challenge lies in building a win-win relationship where everyone has an equal interest.

Another key challenge is ensuring the partnership feels organic. The brand and the artist must come together around values. A great example of this was a project we developed with the Marcel agency, partnering the artist Jul with Oasis beverages. This collaboration involved a music video, an exclusive song, and a limited edition can. The video became a gold record, amassing 15 million streams, and the project earned numerous creative awards.

This success reinforced the value of creating genuine, mutually beneficial partnerships.

Now, you're CD of music for the group in France and MD for Prodigious' sound department - what does one day in the job look like? What do you love about it?

Christophe> I love that no two days are the same. I spend a lot of time with my teams, doing my best to support them in their missions. Together, we work on building a strong group dynamic and, much like a sports team, we’re always setting new challenges for ourselves. One constant, though – my day almost always begins and ends with music!

And what do you believe should change in your part of the industry? How do you, or how would you like to, use your position of influence to be a catalyst for this change?

Christophe> I think that the communication sector, like the entire audio-visual industry, is faced with technological developments such as AI or the evolution of media and I usually believe that we must live with the times and therefore understand these changes, constantly adapting while always giving pride of place to creativity. I don't claim to be an agent of change, but I think that curiosity allows us to adapt in a more natural way.

What is the most exciting thing on the horizon right now for you and Prodigious?

Christophe> The past year has been a year rich in creative recognition in the international sphere, whether for the Publicis Groupe or for Prodigious, and I must admit that this motivates me to develop even more synergies with market players in the international sphere.