#WFH Diaries: Sylvain Ventre of Willie Beamen

As coronavirus lockdowns persist around the globe, Muse is checking in with creative people to see how they’re faring. Below, we catch up with Sylvain Ventre, co-founder of Paris-based agency Willie Beamen.

Give us a one-sentence bio of yourself.

I am one of Willie Beamen’s co-founders.

Where are you living right now, and who’s with you?

In Basque country (the Southwest of France), in a family house. When I’m lucky, horses and sheep are my next-door neighbors. 🙂

What’s your work situation like at the moment?

New organization, new routines. We’re trying to keep our team creative, even if it’s a really slow workflow at the moment.

Describe your socializing strategy.

WhatsApp is on fire!

What are you reading?

At the moment, a novel by Frédéric Beigbeder: L’Homme qui pleure de rire (The Man Who Weeps with Laughter). It’s a social satire full of self-derision, quite good for a lockdown.

What are you watching?

I’ve enjoyed Unorthodox on Netflix, and I’m also watching oldie movies like Zach Braff’s Garden State, a masterpiece.

What are you listening to?

The Shins, the Strokes, Synapson and the last episode of our podcast, “Le corps et l’esprit” (“The body and the Spirit”).

How are you staying fit?

Making up for lost time: training in the garden, stretching, trying to get more flexible by exploring yoga positions—there’s a long way to go, haha!

Have you taken up a hobby?

Clipping the hedges (quite rewarding!).

Any tips for getting necessities?

We’re getting front-door pickup baskets of local fruit and vegetables to help local organic farmers, and trying to be efficient and safe when going on high-risk missions to the local supermarket. Then we follow a meticulous routine of cleaning everything, leaving stuff in quarantine, etc.

An awkward moment since all this started.

My sister just gave birth to Soren, a baby boy. It was quite unusual to meet my nephew for the first time via WhatsApp.

Best work email you got since all this started.

I imagine it will be the last one I receive during lockdown, just before things go back to normal.

An aha! moment since all this started.

I suddenly realize, after a month of lockdown, that we can get used to anything and are flexible enough to adapt to any situation.

What’s your theory on how this is going to play out?

Difficult to foresee, honestly. Maybe this tragedy will help us to focus on essential values in life: solidarity, meaningful relationships, differentiating between appearance and reality. Maybe it will bring a sense of togetherness to our communities. I hope so, anyway. But it might turn out differently, who knows? One thing is sure: There’ll be a “before” and an “after.”