Dresden Leitner has spent more than 15 years working at the intersection of music, fashion, brands, art, sport and contemporary culture. As co-director of Love Is The Message, a creative communications agency specialising in culture-led projects, he has helped shape campaigns and initiatives for clients including Diageo, Stone Island, AVA Festival, Broadwick Live, Drumsheds, KOKO and Peroni.
Operating across communications, production and creative strategy, Dresden is known for championing communities, subcultures and authentic storytelling, connecting brands and audiences through projects rooted in genuine cultural engagement.
Based between London and Glasgow, Dresden continues to develop work that sits at the forefront of culture, creativity and impact.
You’ve worked across music, fashion, brands, art, sport, and culture for over 15 years. How did you first get started in music and cultural communications, and what initially drew you to this world?
I always knew I was going to do something in music, I was obsessed with music and subcultures - as a teenager, I did them all. Growing up in London I was lucky, one day I could be a grime kid watching MC battles in the park, and the next day in Camden headed to some random pub for a gig of a band I’d never heard of. Music inspired me, but the movements around them did too.
I studied Events Management at uni in Manchester, and was running club nights there. Then I met the super-talented artist GAIKA who gave me my first paid job at his label (shout out!) After that, I was offered a job working down in London part time with clients like Outlook, Dimensions, Red Bull Music - the gamechangers at the time. I worked my way up the ranks there for 4 years - which was the most pivotal of my life!
You co-direct Love Is The Message, an agency focused on culture-led projects. What does “culture-led” actually mean to you in practice?
The term culture is over-used. Sometimes I use it to give the easiest explanation to what we do - but when I talk about what we do - I prefer to say comms for impact. For me, comms for impact - means working with people, movements, campaigns, brands who are treading their own path, innovators, visionaries, a bit fearless sometimes, maybe risky, those passionate heads!
If you look at some of our most interesting campaigns - LOS PIKES for Stone Island (biker crews in Medellin, Colombia) Jail Time Records, AVA Festival (electronic music scene in Northern Ireland) and recently Glasgow Plays Ball (alternative football scenes in Scotland) - it’s always been about bringing through real scenes, stories, real people.
For me, creating impact in culture is bringing together the right collaborators and understanding a culture from the inside out - rather than trying to buy a piece of it.
It also means following our gut to an extent. Some of the extremely cool projects we work on make 0 money, but I know it will make a difference in how we are perceived and maybe it’s really fun! I love a passion project. I’m also very creative, so I love coming up with concepts - So sometimes we do those projects that are culturally extremely cool, but financially make no sense.
You’ve worked with clients and projects including Johnnie Walker, Stone Island, AVA Festival, Drumsheds, KOKO, and Peroni. What have you learned about building long-term relationships within the cultural industries?
Being a bit of an OG, I’m now lucky to consider a lot of my clients' and collaborators as friends - with long working relationships. I think as a small and independent agency / working directly with people - you have to be honest - and so trust is developed. There is no filter of 50 levels of agency heads to hide behind. People appreciate being able to have a direct line and real answers.
Another important one - I always try to book and research new talent, upcoming friends of friends, as they grow they always remember who gave them their first jobs, advice, helped bring them through. So that’s why we have such an amazing network, because these people are now flying and a part of it. We have been there through people’s careers. I love that.
JW X NTS
Networking can feel intimidating, especially for people trying to break into music and culture spaces. What are your biggest networking tips for emerging creatives and industry professionals?
Hang out with people! Go to their events, gigs, a pint - whatever it is! Make an effort. Don’t be afraid to ask - but do it in the right way. I get people to reach out all the time, and I try to give them some sound advice, even if it’s a few words of email.
Also - Stop thinking of networking as going to networking events - networking can be going to a gig, festival, product launch, going to the pub after work, going to a client event, joining an online workshop - it’s all networking. A lot of opportunities come from right place right time.
For people who want to work in cultural communications, brand partnerships, or creative production, what skills do you think are most important today?
Be flexible - and open to learning and changing. Things change constantly in the creative industries. Learn from young people / next generation - be open minded.
Add strings to your bow. For me and my team - most of us have worked behind the scenes in festivals, large scale events, fashion shoots etc, on a production or organisational front too, and that helps - being pragmatic and able to understand BTS from a production sense, that has been a key element to how we do things differently. And being able to communicate with different people within their roles.
What advice would you give to artists, DJs, creatives, or collectives trying to approach brands without compromising their identity or community values?
Make sure you’ve done your research. Sometimes when someone approaches me- I feel they’ve done no research into what my client is about, and that is an immediate red flag. Research previous projects, reference.
What advice would you give to someone who feels like they don’t have access to the “right” networks or industry circles?
Look for an organization who can help you do that. For young people, there are some amazing organizations who help bring people together - Roundhouse, Urban Development, Brighter Sound, people like these all over the UK - who all run courses / provide opportunities for young creatives. If you’re not so young, look for like-minded people online and reaching out to these groups.
How do you unwind or reset after a difficult or stressful day?
Boxing - keeps me level headed and concentrated. And going to the pub.
Outside of work, what inspires you creatively at the moment?
I take inspiration from everywhere, my surroundings and people - I’m spoilt for choice. At the moment I’m inspired by the city I’m living in - Glasgow - so that led me to work on GLASGOW PLAYS BALL - a new project tied into the World Cup celebrating Modern Scottish identity. This was one of the passion projects I spoke about - but coming up with an idea then recruiting a team of people to bring it to life is SO satisfying.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Probably George Michael. Or reggaeton.