We got an opportunity to interview Dutch award-winning Entrepreneur Joëlle Dinnage, “inspirational businesswoman” and International Art Dealer. She first showed her business skills at the age of thirteen when she successfully started selling Art and has since continued an ambitious road to success.
In 2010 Joëlle started her first business and launched online art gallery ‘The Funky Art Gallery’ focused on the Urban and Graffiti art. In short she has a splendid past and great future ahead. In our interview we tried to cover all aspects of her life and her secret to success. You will definitely find it interesting.
Pro Media Mag: Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Joëlle Dinnage: Hello! I am an award-winning entrepreneur, international art dealer and art fair director. I started successfully selling art at the age of 13, and graduated from the Art Academy in the Netherlands where I won my first Entrepreneur Award broadcasted on TV at the age of 19. After gaining a lot of business experience in London. I launched my first art business at the age of 27, which quickly became the Google page 1 ranking for ‘Cool Art’ in the UK and US. In 2011 I Co-Founded “The Global Art Agency”. This soon expanded from its London base to become one of the ‘fastest growing international art platforms’ with large events across Europe, Asia and the US – winning several awards amongst being shortlisted in the top 30 ‘Grow sector’ of the Virgin VOOM awards with our pitch to Richard Branson.
Alongside being an entrepreneur I am a dedicated philanthropist. I travelled to Tanzania to help the orphanage of ‘Bwejuu’. And support orphanage ‘Save Blessing Child Home’ in Kathmandu. In 2015 my company raised nearly $10,000 together with ‘Act Against Ebola’ for Doctors without Borders.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into business?
Joëlle Dinnage: Amy Winehouse’s death was a huge motivation. I sold-out a limited edition artwork I created ‘the curse of 27’ – I was 27 at the time myself and in a dark period in my life I had two choices, either keep spiraling down and end-up in the same club or flick the switch and show what I was made of. And that was my motivation to start my first business. Plus the fact that I had to piss some people off ‘success is the best revenge’.
Pro Media Mag : What was the inspiration behind starting ‘The Funky Art Gallery’ and then Global Art Agency?
Joëlle Dinnage: Why selling my own art, when I could sell the artworks of others, that was the key incentive for starting TFAG. When it became such a success in such a short time people got in touch with me to work together. When I met the right person Natal Vallve a Barcelona Entrepreneur sharing the same dream and passion for the arts, we founded the Global Art Agency. Now in it’s 5th year we’ve become a huge success, and this is only the beginning. We are working on many other things, and since recently I also started in real-estate investments and property development.
Pro Media Mag : Why you went for art and not any other field of life to deal in?
Joëlle Dinnage: Ever since I was little I was very creative, not only for being arty, but creative thinking too. When I look back I was a mini entrepreneur at the age of 6 when I got home from school with a pocket full of money selling sweeties on the playground that I taken from my home cupboard. My mum was flipping and made me return all the money haha. At the age of 13 I was selling CD’s to even the teachers at my school. This went on, I had the taste for success at a young age, and since I was ‘creative’ my teachers directed me to apply for one of the Netherlands most renowned Art Academy. After several interviews and exams I got accepted and 4yrs later I graduated in full swing with an extra diploma for tripling stock-holders investments in my final-year business project, winning my first Entrepreneur award which got broadcasted on TV.
Pro Media Mag : Your exceptional performance in business also brought opportunity for you to meet Queen Elizabeth II. What will you rate as your biggest achievement in career so far?
Joëlle Dinnage: I’ve won the ‘Stevies Award’ for Entrepreneur of the year 2015, and became a finalist for the ‘Women of the Future’ 2016 awards sponsored by the Financial Times. These are some highlights for me so far, but I know that my biggest achievement will come very soon, am working on something spectacular, in my eyes anyway.
Pro Media Mag : You also performed as curator. Our readers would like to know more about it?
Joëlle Dinnage: I am a Curator for some of the largest International Art Fairs in the world, from Tokyo to Miami. Furthermore I was asked to Curate the Florence Biennial and I Curated for the Playboy Club London – that was super cool! I can now say that I worked for Playboy and people assume I’ve either been a Playboy bunny or a centerfold hahah – funnily enough it was only art related business.
Pro Media Mag : You have been involved in charitable social activities as well. What motivates you to help others?
Joëlle Dinnage: To me putting a smile on someone’s face is the best thing in life. Kids in need, orphans, children with illnesses, and those who are poor, I thrive to become a full-time philanthropist one day and it will be all that I do, because helping others to me is the most rewarding thing anyone can do.
Pro Media Mag : What is your advice for those who want to become a successful entrepreneur like you?
Joëlle Dinnage: Keep believing, never give up, focus, stay strong and just do what you love to do and turn that into a business.
Pro Media Mag: Are you active on social media? What’s the best way to follow you online?
Joëlle Dinnage: You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelledinnage
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoelleDinnageOfficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joelledinnage
