PlayRight provides financial support to projects and organisations working to improve the position of performing artists. Twice a year, our Commission considers all these applications. The Commission members are all experts from the cultural sector. Here we introduce the members to you!

Christian Martin is a musician, composer and producer. In 1988, he co-founded the publishing and production company Team For Action in Brussels. Today, he is still active as a producer for various artists and as a composer for films, television and advertising. He also still performs as bassist of the Belgian band Sttellla. Since 2019, he has been the president of PlayRight. 

Alain Van Goethem has been working as an actor since 1988. He studied at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in London and Los Angeles. He also started working as an international talent agent for actors in April 2019, establishing his own agency Lucky Star International Talent Agency. Since 2017, he has been vice president of PlayRight.  

Christophe Van Vaerenbergh has been the managing director of PlayRight since 2010. Before that, he was the managing director of the Belgian Bureau for Standardisation. Between 2000 and 2006, he advised several federal ministers on copyright and neighbouring rights policy. As a lawyer, he specialised in intellectual property rights and ICT law. 

Eric Russon is a cultural journalist and author. He started his career at Télé Bruxelles. In 2004 he joined RTBF, on Première, and from 2006 he presented the programme Cinquante degrés nord on Arte Belgique. Today, he collaborates on Jérôme Colin’s programme Entrez sans Frapper and contributes to the newspaper L’Écho and the magazine Moustique. He has written two plays and published two novels: Crispations (Lamiroy, 2014) and Bissextile (Robert Laffont, 2018).  

Patrick Printz is currently an independent consultant in administration and finance at management and booking agency Zig Zag World. Between 1990 and 2018, he was director at Wallonie-Bruxelles Musique, previously secretary and treasurer at Conseil francophone de la Chanson (1995-2014) and managing director of Sowarex (1983-1989). 

Valerie Dobbelaere is the founder of Strike A Score, a creative agency for Screen Composers that both represents Benelux composers and promotes Screen Composers, Film Music Labels & Events on a European Level. She previously coordinated the music projects and film (music) industry activities at Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards for over 10 years. Valerie joined Post Bills, a press and communication agency specialising in PR for film, TV and music projects for 5 years before creating her own agency. 

Jan Hautekiet is a producer, radio producer, musician and author. He spent 40 years working for public broadcaster VRT as a producer, network head and strategic advisor. As a musician, he also has 40 years of experience in session work for Belgian and foreign artists and projects. He holds various board mandates. 

Ilse Schooneknaep has been working as a freelance producer and researcher in the audiovisual sector for more than a decade. She has been responsible for the production of several documentary films and series. She consciously chooses audiovisual work that brings deeply human emotions and vulnerability. Be it fathoming the nuances of life and death, old age or human rights. 

Gilke Vanuytsel has worked as a concert programmer since 2010, first at STUK in Leuven and from 2017 at the Brussels arts centre Beursschouwburg. She has a great affinity with the Brussels pop music scene, especially the varied and diverse genres that echo the sound of the underground. 

Lou Berghmans is a cinematographer and has worked on Marina, Ben X and Salamander, among others. He was co-president and member of SBC (Society of Belgian Cinematographers) and board member of VAF. He is also a member of 2punt8, a team of eight independent cameramen. Until 2012, he was also manager at Checkpoint Charlies for The Scabs, Guy Swinnen and Stash, among others. 

Katia Mahieu is a communications manager in the music sector. Since 2017, she has been working independently for her communications agency Kat’s Eyes, for which she supports music projects. She also gained experience at Sony in marketing and at IHECS in event coordinator. 

Eric Didden has been working as an artist manager for many years. He currently works at Wasted Talent, after nearly 20 years at Gentlemanagement. He co-founded music festival Deep In The Woods in 2010.