How Julian is conquering the cultural sector with business knowledge
Julian Müller began his studies in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in economics, which he completed six years later with a master's degree in business administration. Since then, he has found his place in the heart of Paderborn as Project Manager at Wohlsein GmbH and now looks back on his beginnings behind the bar in the former nightclub.
Julian has been dealing with figures, finance and risk management not only since his bachelor's degree. Before that, the 29-year-old had already completed an apprenticeship as a bank clerk. Away from investment advice and customer acquisition, he realised that he was particularly interested in business management processes. ‘I was fascinated by the various aspects of management and corporate governance,’ he reflects today. ‘I spent 90 per cent of my time at university in the Audimax,’ Julian recalls of the basic subjects at the beginning of his studies and the hours spent cramming methods in maths and statistics - ’it wasn't a walk in the park.’ Nevertheless, he quickly recognised where his strengths lay and focused on sustainability management in his Master's degree in Business Administration. The flexible study programme enabled him to develop an individual profile, from which he still benefits today. After all, sustainability management is also indispensable in the cultural sector and this is precisely where Julian applies his expertise.
Starting out behind the bar
The Anröchter native was already working behind the bar at the former Wohlsein nightclub at Westerntor during his studies, gaining his first professional experience. ‘I quickly worked my way up from a mini-jobber to shift manager and then to manager,’ he says of his beginnings. And so the former economics student already had his first foot in the cultural sector. ‘I've been swimming in this cosmos since 2019 and have experienced the entire development first-hand,’ says Julian. Over the years, the former nightclub has become a full-service agency that organises everything from content design, marketing and implementation to infrastructure planning and billing. And to ensure that everything runs smoothly, there's Julian. He has been an indispensable project manager since the beginning of 2023.
The branch of industry in cultural life
Since then, he has spent his working day either in the team's office in Paderborn's Friedrichsstraße or accompanying an event - and this is no longer just regional. Julian compares his working environment to the vibrant and lively start-up scene - because there are no entrenched structures or ‘dull job titles and hierarchical levels’ at Wohlsein. ‘We all know that we've worked together to get to where we are today,’ Julian admits proudly, because ’you won't find typical job titles like those on LinkedIn here.’ This is precisely why Wahlpaderborner started to take on the project planning level on his own while he was still a student. When he graduated in 2023 and started working full-time, he took on more and more tasks and responsibilities. He gained a lot of knowledge about team leadership and assertiveness from his studies. ‘That's very important in my position, as I manage a team of over 30 mini-jobbers.’ In addition, Julian repeatedly encounters interfaces with the industry, particularly when completing projects, for example when he invoices customers or carries out acquisition in advance - ‘so I'm working in an industry within the cultural sector.’
Picnic concerts, festivals and other artists
The most formative event in Julian's professional career was during the corona pandemic, when he and his team launched a completely new format with the ‘Picnic Concerts’ in the Schloss- und Auenpark in Schloss Neuhaus. This was the first time that the then student really immersed himself in the event as project manager and, together with his colleagues, ensured over 1,000 enthusiastic visitors and sold-out tickets. ‘It was overwhelming because nothing was going on in our social lives and then we got this event off the ground,’ he recalls. At the same time, Julian describes a realisation he made at this point: ‘I realised that I can do this, that I'm passionate about it and that I want to keep doing it.’ No sooner said than done: since then, the alumnus has already realised one or two events with Team Wohlsein. Julian takes care of the initial brainstorming, the concrete planning, accompanies the realisation and also looks after topics such as accounting or budget planning. ‘My job is not a classic 9 to 5 and I particularly love that,’ he also reports on long working days late into the night - but that is cultural life and makes it so unique, even for him as a business graduate. The Tausendquell Festival is also part of the team's event programme. The one-day electronica festival in Tausendquell Park in Paderborn broke its 3,000 visitor mark in 2023. The alumnus was responsible for infrastructure planning and booking. Another highlight for Julian was the international headliners who were on site, although the booking team primarily focussed on regional artists. In spring 2023, he also immersed himself in areas such as technical planning and security planning. Here, the Wohlsein team secured the German comedian Torsten Sträter for the OWL Arena in Halle, which was packed with around 6,000 people.
Interested in a look behind the scenes? Julian will take you with him!
How many working hours does it take to organise an event?
‘I would estimate that it takes around 500 hours to finalise the bill.’
What three challenges typically occur during event planning?
‘Someone turns up late. It rains. Something is always missing.’
What trends and changes can be observed in the scene?
‘One major change is that the topic of sustainability is being taken up more and more by saving resources or avoiding waste. Anyone who has travelled to festivals will have noticed this.’
What do you need for your job?
‘I would say that you need good stress management, because things always go differently than planned in this industry. Then you have to stay cool, rethink and restructure.’
Do you want that too?
Discover the diversity of economics in our Bachelor's degree programmes. Each degree programme usually lasts six semesters and prepares you for a career start or a postgraduate Master's degree.
More information
- to the Bachelor's degree programme in Economics
- to the Master's degree programme in Business Administration
Julian's work in the event industry
