Team
Everything connects in the business HQ. This is where the BMC directors sit. Supported by the board of trustees and supervisory board, this is where projects are conceptualised, events planned and day-to-day business optimised.
Olaf „Gemse“ Kretschmar
(He/ Him)
CEO & Chairman
Olaf Kretschmar has joined the music business after studying philosophy and marketing in the early 90s and “co-invented the club culture in Berlin” (Berliner Zeitung April 2007). In 2007 he co-founded the Berlin Music Commission eG (BMC). Since 2008 he has been the Cluster Manager and since 2011 the CEO of the Berlin Music Commission. Later on, in 2009, Olaf Kretschmar was the initiator of the Berlin Music Week and a year later Chairman of the organizing committee of the Berlin Music Week. From 2010 to 2012, he also organized the campaign “Music Berlin 2020”, whose primary objective was the preparation and establishment of the Musicboard Berlin. In 2014 he established together with many colleagues of the BMC the so called competence center – music industry, is co-founder of the listen to berlin: Awards 2015 and the music business conference Most Wanted: Music 2014, for which he is still General Director today. In addition to his work on BMC’s board of directors, he is also involved in the “Jazzbeirat” Berlin, in the presidium of the “Landesmusikrat” and is chairman of “BV Pop”.
Jana Scheffert (on parental leave)
(She/ Her)
Head of Finance & Operations
Jana Scheffert is Head of Finance & Operations and advisor of the Management Board at Berlin Music Commission. She is also responsible for member communications and supports BMC‘s projects in the fields of communication, administration and event. Jana is living in Berlin since the late 90s and took part in several music, politics and media related projects. The BMC as central connector between various players in the Berlin music and creative industry, enabled her to get to know the various facets of networking and to help shape the development of the local music business. This in connection with her fascination for the diversity of Berlin and its music scene makes her a great partner for the BMC.
Layla Mueller
(She/ Her)
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Layla Mueller is the executive assistant to the CEO Olaf Kretschmar.
The fashion designer and daughter of a Broadway musical actress and a stage manager, Layla was born with a flair for interpreting innovative possibilities in the context of the creative industries. In addition to her studies in fashion design, her career in the fashion industry began with first jobs in New York and then Helsinki, where as production assistant for the first Helsinki Fashion Week she acquired a wide range of skills in the areas of interdisciplinary design and event management. Back in Berlin, she became known for her talent to combine technology, music and fashion in a unique and interactive way. Layla created a Fashiontech collection which caused a sensation, and founded her own sustainable jewellery label. At the same time, her passion for the creative industries led her to become event manager for the wearable tech conference Wear It Innovation Summit, speaker relations manager at Most Wanted: Music and project manager/ consultant at studio MM04.
Always by her side: her poodle Bodhi.
Tim Joppien
(He/ Him)
Project Manager
Tim Joppien is responsible for MW:M Live and for international projects and supports the office with organisational and operational tasks and the planning and realisation of events.
Tim previously worked in the area of booking & management, as an assistant at Fritz Unsigned and has been involved in the organisation of various festivals on a voluntary basis for several years.
Berit Levita
(She/ Her)
Project Manager
Berit Levita has been working at the Berlin Music Commission since 2018 in the areas of communications and events. In 2021, she also supported the music conference Most Wanted: Music as Communications Manager. She completed her Master’s degree in Musicology 2021 at Humboldt University in Berlin, where she also previously completed her Bachelor’s degree in Music and Media Studies. Her main research interest is in the field of Popular Music Studies with a focus on electronic and experimental music. In parallel, she has been working in various jobs in the field of music and culture in Berlin since 2017. Among others, she worked as Music, Web & Agenda Editor at the electronic music radio station BLN.FM and is part of the production team of the CTM Festival.
Alicia Pfeifer
(She/ Her)
Communication Manager
After a bachelor’s degree in European Ethnology and Cultural Studies and an internship as a tour production assistant in a Berlin booking agency, Alicia took over the management for a concert club. Here she discovered her passion for music, creativity and organization. She is currently studying communication management in her master’s degree, is responsible for the communication of the Berlin Music Commission and organizes the working group sustainability.
Bodhi
Feel Good Manager
Yes, Bodhi and Layla share the same hair stylist! Bodhi is a male mini poodle in puberty. At first shy, he opens up really quickly to new acquaintances and is a lively, active, fun-loving companion. Poodles don’t loose fur, so don’t worry if you have allergies.