Hervé moved to Paris from Dijon at the end of the 80s to study at the École des Cadres (now EDC Paris Business School), then spent the 90s working for powerhouse advertising agency BDDP / TBWA as an art director. A decade on, in 2001, he took over a struggling arthouse cinema in the 11th, renamed it Cinéalternative, and dedicated the programme to showcasing innovative shorts. The connections and expertise he developed there led a few years later to setting up a production company Mr Hyde, specialised in animated films for advertising and collaborating closely with Hermès for many years. In 2010, Hervé moved into an old shop on a corner in a grungy part of the 18th where he decided to launch a new passion project Lord of Barbès, producing a small batch gin inspired by the exotic perfumes of his newly adopted quarter.
