She Started From the Bottom, Now She’s Here: Creative Director Debo
One of the reasons why Drake’s song “Started from the Bottom” excited fans and became such an instant hit upon its release is because mostly everyone loves to hear a good success story. The lyrics ‘Started from the bottom, now we’re here’ inspire hope for the underdog and let listeners know that it doesn’t matter where you came from, you can make it as far as you want to go. The same is true for the real life story of Deborah Magnan, who’s more fondly known as ‘Debo.’
Today Debo is the creative director behind an illustrious list of nightclubs and high profile events and parties, such as Light Nightclub in Vegas, the first ever nightclub created by Cirque Du Soleil, and Mandalay Bay’s Daylight Beach Club, as well as for food and beverage companies, such as The Sugar Factory.
Debo really began gaining attention back in 2003 when she was hired on as the creative director for the international party F*** Me I’m Famous, which takes place in Ibiza, Monaco, Paris, Miami, and Las Vegas. Started in Ibiza, the F*** Me I’m Famous party, which was founded by Grammy Award winning French DJ David Guetta and his former wife Cathy, quickly became a number one destination for party goers across the globe.
Debo designed the entire merchandise collection for the F*** Me I’m Famous party, which included more than 1,000 different products. From the iconic giant neon door to the lollipops they’d give away to the costumes worn by the performers, plus the onscreen visuals that would play as the artists performed, Debo did it all. So how did she get there?
Prior to becoming the sought after creative director she is today, Debo worked as the waitress at the legendary Paris nightclub Les Bains, which was ran by the Guetta couple at the time.
“Step by step I made my way up,” recalls Debo. “I grew up being a Walt Disney fan who loved music, advertising, candy and dreamed about making everybody happy… I was lucky to meet Cathy and David [Guetta] who gave me the structure to make my dream come true.”
After opening Mini Club nightclub in Paris, Debo went on to start Mademoiselle Production. Working side by side Cathy and David Guetta, Debo found herself in charge of all of Guetta’s events in the early 2000’s, and ultimately, the lead creative behind the F*** Me I’m Famous party.
Debo explains, “FMIF went from a party to an international lifestyle. The party had a residency at Pacha Ibiza and toured all over the world for 10 years. We opened five stores in Ibiza, made some collaborative branding with Coca cola, Vueling, Renaud, Diesel and so many other brands… FMIF became international… DJ David Guetta became giant…we changed the story! We leveled up the word Party.”
Debo would remain the creative director for the famous FMIF party for the next decade, which pulled in millions of dollars in revenue. As the woman in charge of Guetta Events (alongside the Guetta couple), Debo managed numerous other projects, such as the massive ‘Unighted’ concert series at the Stade de France, which included guest performers such as the Black Eyed Peas, Afrojack, Kelly Rowland, and more.
While Debo has proven herself to be a uniquely talented creative when it comes to putting on massive productions that wow audiences, one of the things that has made her so rare is her capacity to create a strong brand, and her work with David Guetta is a fantastic example. Not only did she create the collaboration between David Guetta and the Coca-Cola energy drink, Burn, but she also organized the still talked about event where Guetta DJ’d on the Sky Shuttle to Ibiza, the first time in history that a DJ performed aboard an aircraft.
“I love looking at people dancing below a flying balloon ballerina on a million dollar light dance floor…I love leveling up the party scene and being a part of the world wide party and lifestyle brand F***Me I’M Famous,” Debo admits. “Sometimes people need a little push to remember how special they are…and this push is my goal. That’s why I love my job!”
In 2013, Debo relocated to the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas, Nevada. There she was tapped as the creative director for the Light Group, the company behind some of the strip’s most famous clubs, including Light at Mandalay Bay by Cirque du Soleil, and Mandalay Bay’s Daylight Beach Club, 1 OAK, The Bank Bellagio, City Club and more. Coming on board with the Light Group, Debo quickly went to work as the creative director on Mandalay Bay’s Daylight day and night pool club, which hosts one of the biggest stages in Vegas designed.
“They wanted Ibiza in Vegas,” recalls Debo.
From leading the marketing to designing the branding, merchandise and the outfits the performers wore, as well as casting the talent for the shows, Debo definitely delivered, and in doing so, she helped to make Daylight one of the hippest places to party in Vegas.
In the midst of her work with the Light Group, she also founded the creative consulting agency Deboland, through with she’s worked with some of the most prestigious clients across numerous industries, including Warner Bros., Virgin, Vans, MGM Grand, Rubik’s Cube, Moët & Chandon and more.
She says, “We build a brand or a world from a to z. From the logo to the design to the outfit of the staff and the smell of the goodies that you will bring home. My job is to give you a wow effect anywhere you look, anything you touch, and anywhere you go. Welcome to Deboland.”
With a love for making people happy and some good friends, not to mention an incredible range of marketing and visionary creative skills, there’s no question that Debo made it from the proverbial bottom to the top of the list; and with an astonishingly unique story to boot!
