I was born in Amsterdam in 1962, and lived in New York. I am now in Taiwan. Why? Short answer: I never want to be bored. I moved to the slope of a semi-dormant volcano overlooking the city of Taipei, surrounded by jungle, far away from the urban jungle of NYC and the windmills and canals of my childhood. I love it here.
I graduated film school, worked in film and TV and moved to branding and marketing, which is not that different. Both are about the art of telling stories, and making sure they connect to their audiences. This is what defines me, this is what I am at heart: a creator and storyteller.
my resumeI am an entrepreneur who loves creating new and bold ventures. I am intensely curious and always looking for a reason to deep dive into a topic. Twenty years ago, I founded Look Right, a branding and marketing agency with a unique portfolio of large and small international clients. I have never been bored since.
Look Right's sister agency Take Off creates storytelling strategies and content for businesses on social media. Every business has a story to tell, and there are no boring stories - only boring storytellers.Take Off puts the spark back in LinkedIn and other posting sites.
For the past four years, I have been director of Green Flash, a new green energy company that is first-to-market with renewable diesel (HVO) in Taiwan. It has been challenging, adventurous and ultimately rewarding journey.
I am also the founder and owner of Taiwanese Design, a platform to promote and support the international recognition of Taiwanese creative design around the world.
An international branding and marketing agency in Taiwan with clients in a wide variety of sectors and industries, from creative local startups to global industrial corporations.
Learn MoreTake Off creates complete social media story feeds for its clients. Social media is often the first time people look at a business online. We make sure it is not the last.
Learn MoreWe help Taiwanese cultural organizations, designers and creative startups look professional and international, so that Taiwanese design can reach the global audience it deserves.
Learn MoreMy passion for creative communication has its roots in my previous career as a TV producer and screenwriter in Europe, where I wrote and produced over 100 hours of shows, movies, drama series, comedies and soap operas.
I still write to this day: formats, TV concepts, story universes, screenplays.
I love teaching, sharing knowledge and motivating creative entrepreneurs. Many of my topics are about using branding, marketing and storytelling to build bridges between brands, creators and their target audiences.
I love this unusual, kind, controversial, wonderful, infuriating, heartwarming country. I am always the outsider, yet never feel excluded. I am always welcome. There is no better place to be than Taiwan.
Taiwan deserves more recognition for its unique cultural identity. I think the new generation of designers would be the best ambassadors for Taiwan.
I have been promoting Taiwanese design for over a decade through books, speeches, writing and as a jury member of design awards. My mission is to get Taiwanese design off the island and into the world.
What happens if your director-friend visits from Holland with a camera? You end up on YouTube, that's what. My life in Taipei, exposed by Martijn Hullegie's incisive questioning during our friendly banter, shows my friends and family back in Holland what daily life on this remarkable island is like.
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POV Taiwan is not a blog. It is not a rant or a manifesto. It is just a collection of stories about marketing, branding and the meaning of life. A stranger's perspective on an even stranger world.
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