"Being queer is completely normal!"

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Julia Rosenzweig

Queer at work: An interview with Nicole

 

"Being queer is completely normal!"

Senior Artist Manager Nicole was born in Germany and has Portuguese roots. At SAM - Starwatch Artist Management, she stands for a diverse portfolio including members of the LGBT+ community. In the interview, Nicole talks about her job, her passion project, and her personal story.

Hi Nicole, it's great to have you here and that you are part of the Queer at Work series! Can you give us an insight into what you do at ProSiebenSat.1 and why you wanted to be part of this interview series? 

Absolutely! I'm Nicole and I have been working at SAM Starwatch Artist Management since September last year. As a Senior Artist Manager, I am responsible for creators and influencers. Next to "Germany's Next Topmodel - by Heidi Klum" and "The Voice of Germany", our main focus is on building an influencer pool to bring in and support amazing and diverse personalities. 

I think it's great that ProSiebenSat.1 has this interview series, as it allows employees to show that being queer is completely normal. I am excited to contribute to this with my interview and share my personal story!

Frau im beigen Hemd und blauer Mütze steht frontal zur Kamera und lächelt

When building the new influencer pool, you also want to integrate the LGBT+ scene. What is your vision for this, and why is the project personally so important to you?

Yes, it truly is a passion project of mine. In the vast world of social media, I interact with many different and amazing personalities on a daily basis. It is absolutely important to me that people from the LGBT+ scene can also contribute. People are so diverse and unique, and we want to actively integrate this diversity into our management at SAM.

One advantage is that, being queer myself, I have a direct connection to our faces from the queer community. I am extremely excited about every person from the community that we can build up and accompany on their exciting journey!

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Has your sexual orientation ever affected your career?

No, not at all. I am happy to say that I have always had positive experiences with my employers and have never had to explicitly come out. When I started at ProSiebenSat.1, for example, my wedding with my wife was imminent, and I just handled it with complete transparency. In the end, it didn't matter at all because I am Nicole, and the rest is irrelevant. I think that's fantastic!

In my past, I worked in the public sector for over four years. There, I had colleagues who were afraid to be open about their sexuality in the workplace. That really broke my heart.

 
 

What advice would you give to someone who might be afraid to take this step?

I believe that everyone has their own pace, and nobody should feel pressured. So, my advice to that person would always be: Take your time, and if you feel it's the right thing to do, go for it. And once you've made that decision, stand up for yourself and your decision because that's simply who you are!

 
 
 

You mentioned that you never had to come out in your professional career. Would you like to share what it was like for you personally?

I have to admit that I was a bit afraid of coming out to my family, as I was raised very Catholic. When I finally told them, rather spontaneously, it was quite a shock, especially for my mom. My dad reacted the best, saying, "Great, another woman in the family." Now, everyone loves my wife.

 

 

Do you feel the acceptance of queer persons has increased in recent years?

In my opinion, society and the working environment have taken a significant step in the right direction. For example, the "Charta der Vielfalt" can be found in job advertisements, and there is an increased focus on diversity. As a result, employees feel accepted and simply normal. From my point of view, the fact that so many diverse people are participating in the CSD also shows that acceptance continues to grow. And on a personal note, it is wonderful to finally be able to marry your partner, especially given the current circumstances.

 
 

Thank you for this very personal insight, Nicole! We have one final question that we ask all our interview partners: Is there anything your colleagues don't know about you yet?

Actually, yes (laughs)! My mother chose my first name "Nicole" because she loved the Eurovision song "Ein bisschen Frieden" so much. The singer Nicole won the Eurovision Song Contest with this song in the year I was born.

 

The interview was conducted by Jessica Steffens.

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