Joan Biekman (NL)

Joan Biekman, born in the inner city of The Hague of The Netherlands. She currently works as a grant consult at The Performing Arts Fund NL on the urban program. For over thirteen years she has been a contributor behind the scenes in the Dutch hip-hop, R&B and urban creatives scene, especially in The Hague. She has organized several hiphop and urban network meet ups and even won the Popradar pop prize in 2020 for 'Best Hague Initiative' for Meet The Urban Pro’s in collaboration with PAARD. Joan is also the founder of the platform and streetwear brand Urban Chicks With Brains and organizer of the networking, meeting and inspiration events Inspire To Move (Women) Up. Out of great love for hiphop culture and a great commitment to youth participation, she has worked her way up as a professional within the art and culture sector. Her jump start working in the music industry was at one of the biggest Dutch hiphop and R&B radiostations Juize.FM, later on as an editor in chief for Partypeeps2000.com, and radio DJ at Hot-O-Twenty and Stanvaste Radio. In 2020 she launched her consultancy agency Urban Creatives With Brains to expand her knowledge in the field of diversity, hip-hop and urban culture and youth participation beyond The Hague. The year 2021 and 2022 were all about elavating and devoloping, so Joan started the initiative of The Black Hague Experience to collaborate and promote entrepreneurs from African and Caribean descent. Plus she became a boardmember of the Foundation Hiphop In Je Smoel and Foundation Epitome Entertainment all based in Rotterdam.