Funding is awarded through Musicboard Berlin GmbH upon recommendation of an independent jury of Berlin-based pop experts and in consultation with the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Jury members are usually appointed for a period of three years. The following jury is currently appointed to the Scholarschips and Residencies programme:
AIDA BAGHERNEJAD
Aida Baghernejad is a freelance cultural journalist, podcaster and presenter. She writes in German and English for regional, national and international publications about pop and food culture. Her work has earned her the 2021 »International Music Journalism Award« for Music Journalist of the Year, among others. She is the founder of the podcast »Pasta & Politik« in cooperation with Edition F, co-host of the podcast »55 Voices for Democracy« produced by Thomas Mann House and the Los Angeles Review of Books, and writer and host on Spotify Studios’ podcast »Man lernt nie aus«. She lives mostly in Berlin, sometimes in London, and mostly on the Internet.
JI-HUN KIM
Ji-Hun Kim is an editor, journalist, lecturer and music producer. He studied musicology and philosophy. He was editor at De:Bug for many years and is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Das Filter. As a freelance author, columnist and journalist, he works for Monopol and Der Freitag, among others. He has received teaching assignments from Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Bonn. He was responsible for the concept and content of the multiple award-winning book »Electronic Beats«. Ji-Hun Kim lives with his family in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
KATJA LUCKER
Born in Northern Germany, Katja Lucker has been active in the Berlin music scene since 1990. After working as a cultural manager for the Kesselhaus, Karneval der Kulturen, RUHR.2010 and the Berliner Festspiele, amongst others, she was appointed in 2012 to establish the Musicboard Berlin as a state-owned funding institution for pop music. As Managing Director of the Musicboard, she has been Festival Director of the Pop-Kultur Festival since 2015 and is responsible for the organisation of the Fête de la Musique in Berlin since 2018.
THIEN NGUYEN
Thien Nguyen is a label owner, international DJ, music and film producer. Together with his long-time business partner, he organises the open-air series Hallo Montag, which provides a musical platform for young artists. His work as a remixer, as a music producer and composer brought him several awards and various nominations. As a DJ, he has been flying around the world for almost two decades, playing in all the well-known clubs and festivals. Since 2019, Thien Nguyen has additionally focused on working as an executive producer for musical film projects of ARTE Concert, among others.
PAMELA OWUSU-BRENYAH
Pamela Owusu-Brenyah is the founder and director of AFRO x POP, a platform for Afro-Diasporic & African artists and music. A music consultant since 2017, her work includes freelance A&R at AFROFORCE1, Universal Music’s newly launched label that focuses on the African music market and artists*. Her passion for and knowledge of Afropop music started with her 3-year stay in Ghana. In Accra, she was one of the few female DJs behind the 1’s & 2’s and witnessed the rise of popular African music first hand.
MISLA TESFAMARIAM
After working for Highsnobiety and studying business administration in Amsterdam, Misla Tesfamariam followed an invitation to Los Angeles, where she worked with Childish Gambino on his second album »because the internet«. She brought her experience to Guerilla Entertainment, for example, where she looked after Namika, DAT ADAM and Xatar, among others. Since 2018, the artist manager is independent again and looks after Alli Neumann in the management. Together they founded the label JAGA Recordings in 2021, which is distributed by Four Music.
