Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Basak Ozer was introduced to music at the young age of 7 and was classically trained as a pianist until the age of 19. Throughout her life, Basak has had a deep passion for music, performing arts, and shows, which led her to study international cultures, history, art, and political science. She graduated from Koc University with a Bachelor of Arts and pursued her interest in live music by working as an artist liaison at local shows and festivals.
Her hard work and talent in the industry caught the attention of international promoter and booking agent, Nick Hobbs, and she landed her first big gig as a booking agent at Charmenko Music Agency in Istanbul, by his side. She then furthered her education by attending UCLA where she received a music business education and honed her skills by working with Ofer Ziv, the owner of Gate Productions and artist manager for world-renowned musician Omer Faruk Tekbilek.
Basak Ozer pursued her journey in the music industry as a marketing intern working under the wings of Neil Schield at Fairfax Recordings, a major label then owned by Disney. During her time there, she gained invaluable industry knowledge and insight, and her hard work and talent did not go unnoticed. This led her to be hired for her dream job at ffp, one of the leading companies in pyrotechnics and special effects. Some of their notable clients include Rammstein, Lady Gaga, Slipknot, Motley Crue, Green Day, The Weeknd at Coachella, Kanye West, Bjork, KISS, Coldplay, Rihanna or Avenged Sevenfold, to name a few.
Basak Ozer’s dream of working in pyrotechnics was a long time in the making, and she did everything to make it happen, becoming an indispensable asset to the biggest company in this field and the artists she works with.
“Growing up I've been to concerts where pyrotechnics and theatrical effects were a part of the show. I've always been fascinated by how big of an impact they had on live performance and the way artists interacted with the audience. I think the visual show is a major part of the live experience.”
At ffp, Basak Ozer had the privilege of working with Nicolai Sabottka (pyrotechnics specialist, mastermind & founder of ffp), and through his mentorship, her career in special effects had started. She trained under the wings of Katja Born-Sabottka who introduced her to the regulations around the highly specialized pyrotechnics & its permitting world with authorities having jurisdictions around the globe. Basak’s expertise in the industry has been significant and she has had many successful projects under her belt. For example, she was responsible for obtaining pyro permits for Green Day's 2017 US tour, securing over fifty permits from almost every state around the country during her early years with ffp.
More recently, Basak and ffp have been involved in the Kanye West Donda 1 and 2 shows : “For Donda I (Free Larry Hoover Show at the LA Collessium in December 2022), the stage design was a moon shape and we had the task to create this experience where Kanye was performing on the moon under a smokey, turquoise color atmosphere like space. We used all of our smoke and fog machines and additionally rented / bought all available sfx hardware to make this happen in a 2 week notice time and the colored smoke carts enhanced the moon. When smoke and fog is all the sfx you work with, making it exceptional is a greater task than various effects being used ! It had to make an outstanding impact because intense winds can be your worst enemy. Nevertheless we did a great job pulling it off… This was one of my personal favorites ! For the Donda 2 show in Miami at the Marlins Park stadium in Feb 2022, we had a very unique task. Kanye's creatives envisioned the burning down of Kanye's childhood house. In order to make this happen we did a lot of testing to extend the burn period as much as possible as a slow scenic burn. was desired. To permit it we did a burn test on the prop house and of course the base was a material that does not catch fire or consume itself !”
Basak has been a part of ffp since its early days in the US and has seen the company grow from a two-person operation to a larger operation with over twenty technicians and a growing office staff. Working at ffp has been a rewarding experience for Basak and she feels a strong personal investment and attachment to the company.
ffp is a unique company that thrives on being challenged with seemingly impossible ideas and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in the entertainment industry. The team is dedicated to providing top-notch tour and production management services and always strives to have the most talented individuals on their team. This dedication to excellence has resulted in the company winning two Guinness World Records for their work with legendary rock band KISS during their 2020 New Year's Eve show at the iconic Atlantis, The Palm. The performance was live-streamed and watched by millions across the globe.
These first-of-their-kind Guinness World Records include the
highest flame projection in a music concert, with a minimum height of 35 meters, and
the most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert, with a minimum of 66 heads.
Basak Ozer doesn’t hide her pride to be part of the exceptional team at ffp and to have contributed to the company's growth and success as a reference in the field.
Basak Ozer is currently working on two very large acts with outstanding shows scheduled later this year…
“I cannot name the artists at this time, but this summer will bring two new exciting world tours with new flame systems and pyro designs that we cannot wait for the audience to see”
That’s definitely enough to keep us all very excited and we can’t wait for ffp to make some official announcements !
