About me

I believe…

I believe…

I believe…

… in building brands by acts, not ads.

…moonshot goals are just as crucial as grabbing low hanging fruit.

…life is messy – and that that's okay.


I try to…

I try to…

keep getting goose bumps from this amazing thing called life.

play the piano.

raise two incredible children.


I work…

I work…

as creative director and/or as strategist for brands & agencies. Freelance, interim or full time.

on personal projects when time allows and inspiration finds me. See below.

independently or with art-director Jarr Geerligs or designer Nienke Kersten.


I dream…

I dream…

Of being able to apply more creativity at scale for climate solutions.

of making art.

of a tiny wooden house in the woods.

No A.I. was used while writing this. You could tell, right?

I am other (things)

Some made, some shelved, some saved for a rainy day. Check out extra curricular activities, big dreams and weird ambitions below.

Orange flame

The Dutch have an orange flag for moments of joy. But what about a unifying symbol for moments of sadness? Concept: The Orange Flame was developed in the aftermath of the downing of MH17.

The Dutch have an orange flag for moments of joy. But what about a unifying symbol for moments of sadness? Concept The Orange Flame was developed in the aftermath of the downing of MH17.

Agroforestry

Agroforestry

Am trying to convince a supermarket chain to become the first supermarket to have their own food forest

I am trying to convince the coolest supermarket in the Netherlands to become the first supermarket to have their own food forest

Standup @ Toomler

Standup @ Toomler

The highpoint of the roughly 120 readings, lectures and public speaking gigs I've undertaken was in Toomler. Maybe Lowlands. Maybe Crossing border.

Digitalisme

To promote my book On/OFF, I published a podcast running for 17 episodes on Digitalisme featuring experts on various elements of digital tech and its consequences for society.

The offline temple

The offline
temple

What if we would have temples for offline breaks? In 2018, I pitched a new sort of temple to the Amsterdam municipality and to Westergasfabriek, where your smartphone would be your ticket into a temple of luscious green wonder and quiet.

Plastic River Dragon

Plastic River Dragon

I tried to connect Ai Wei Wei's Studio to The Ocean Cleanup by introducing emotionally resonating storytelling based on characters. We called it: "Dawn of the plastic river dragons". Wei Wei was on board. A big dream cherished. But we'll make it work some day.

"Korting Kijken"

One of the first TV commercials I concepted & directed was on spec: Korting Kijken. A webcam based game that would give you discounts based on how long you were glued to the screen.

Dear Anton Corbijn,

When my debut novel "Everything smells like chocolate" about a failing musician was republished I asked Anton Corbijn for a cover photo for the mid price edition. I wrote a cheeky letter because humor breaks barriers and there may be no photographer more important for musicians than Anton Corbijn. It worked.

Sid vs. Hellofresh

I once told Hellofresh to sod off by writing a rant in 45 mins. It was read 550K+ times, and led to various newspapers and tv shows, including our late night show Zondag Met Lubach picking up on my initiative and chastising this very invasive company.

AWS's Green Wall

Could I get AWS to help out with the logistics of the Geat Green Wall of Africa? Nope, at least not yet.

A scifi called ADAM

While studying at the Dutch film academy, I wrote & directed this short film and sold it to NBC Universal.

Scan the scanners!

Supporting the election campaign for the municipality of Amsterdam, I helped develop a campaign with activist Ancilla Tilia, Geenstijl and other creatives by scanning the parking-scan cars of Amsterdam. We reached national coverage, and even got 2% of the vote. Sadly, it was 181 votes (!) short of obtaining a seat in the council.  Argh, we said. And then we drank a bottle of rum.

My first brand film

Brand film #1

Brand film #1

Invited by the great people of True Ideas, I made my first ever brand film for Sparta 14 years ago, pitching it as a 21st century version of a Bert Haanstra documentary. Still amazed by the quality of the auditive landscape made by Michiel de Boer

Let's write.

©? No, use anything as long as you make it better — SJV

Let's write.

©? No, use anything as long as you make it better — SJV

Let's write.

©? No, use anything as long as you make it better — SJV