Dive
deep
enough
and anything becomes clear
Timeline
It's all luck, but that doesn't make it random.
One day my boss said: “congrats, you’re not a junior anymore”. He pointed out how my life had changed. I had a partner now. And I had become a college professor, teaching design and communications on my days off from work. I had even become a board member of an improv school in Brussels. And a consultant for consultants. I had instigated digital courses for my non-digital colleagues at our office. And helped set up our agency’s first TikTok team. I gave workshops for schools visiting our office. I mentored several interns and even a junior team. Together with Manoah I managed even to get a creative print ad made! My life has indeed turned into some sort of movie! A B-movie. For now.
👑 How far can you push a regular school project?
I was asked to coach a two-months-bachelors-project for a real client who wasn’t very keen on working with our students at first. So: we started an agency and made the national news.
Project: Social Farm for AP Hogeschool 2021
🦄 Can future marketing managers become artists?
Usually students get tutorials. I built them a virtual art campus.
New Photoshop learning method for AP Hogeschool 2020
⚰️ Is death reversible?
We showed Belgians that even the last page can be turned.
Print ad for RebornToBeAlive – Publicis 2020
😷 Opening in lockdown?
A student address inspired by what’s not possible right now.
Belgian Ad School – BASTA 2020
⏲ Is Instagram the key to solving food waste?
What if food pics become expiration date reminders?
Social activation for the UNWFP – Young Lions Live 2020
🎧 Can you cancel any noise while studying?
Sony helps students with a resit study at Pukkelpop.
Festival activation for Sony – Publicis 2020
⚡️ Is a coach coachable?
Ben Hartwig is a doctor, a geneticist, a trainer, and improviser. I help with his brand & train his interns to take my ideas further.
Full rebranding of Neuroblitz – Freelance 2020
🕰 “Teaching is debugging old versions of yourself.”
But how does that work when students can only email you?
Covid-proof-coaching-method for AP Hogeschool 2020
🍗 Can you outsmart the Holiday commercials?
Supermarkets spend millions on Holiday sentiment. But could it be, that a big part of the battle takes place elsewhere?
Holiday campaign idea for Carrefour – Publicis 2019
🎭
Did my teacher just become my client?
In 2018 I studied at ImproBubble: Brussel’s premium improv school. A year later, at age 27, I became a board member.
How? Click, and I’ll tell you.
🌵
Applied arts are tough. 93% is rejection.
Now, how do you say that gently?
Inspirational talk & booklet – AP Hogeschool 2019
🍞 Can a cook-off replace a mentorship program?
I wrote a new recipe for our alumni kickoff. And a speech.
Event for Belgian Ad School – BASTA 2019
The trials & errors of juniorship
For various reasons, our startup didn't make it. I returned to Belgium and teamed up with an old classmate. We freelanced for several months. I took the extra time to hone my design, illustration, art direction and writing crafts. I brushed up every case in my portfolio, even the old ones.
I landed an internship at Happiness (FCB). My internship turned into a job. After about a year I switched to Boondoggle. And then Digitas; because a friendly colleague I had met at Duval Guillaume had become CD, and he hired me. He taught me about business, and its inner workings and politics. He mentored me further. And freed up budget so I could get a partner. This partner was Manoah Iannello, and together we would write advertising history. That was, and still is the plan.
🍊 Did you know Orange is a Top Employer?
They would never brag. So we, hired an actor.
Video, webcopy, … – Publicis 2018
👚 Radioproof fashion?
SKM’s clothes aren’t just pretty, they’re practical too.
Radio for SKM – Boondoggle 2017
🏷 Networking 2.0?
These stickers help you see what someone is about.
Belgian Ad School – BASTA 2017-…
📱 Is our online behavior maybe a little bit funny?
Double data. You know … for likes and stuff.
Radio for JIM Mobile – Happiness 2016
🍔 How do you react when people think you’re dead?
Even if Burger King buys Quick, Quick will never disappear.
Stunt(s) for Quick – Happiness 2016
🎉 Can Tomorrowland continue after summer?
What if their aftermovie kept going and spamming people?
Joke-gone-too-far for TML – YoungDogs competition 2017
🐧 Too many choices?
This robot helps you choose (Vedett).
POS for Vedett – YoungDogs competition 2016
💰
±168 Skittles in a $1,3 pack. So 1S = $0,0077.
Now tell me, how many Skittles is say … your education worth?
Webshop concept 2014
The post graduate that saved me
“You’re not in advertising to make friends” Is what my boss said in his goodbye speech for a colleague they had just fired. It made a deep impression on me. Outside, the world was changing. Mortierbrigade was losing relevance. And I had picked up the habit of reading business books. This gave me so many questions, and no answer seemed to satisfy me. “Maybe I should resume my Master’s? After all, this initial internship was part of a bigger Master’s program …” While I was in the process of making the right choice I failed my Master’s and lost my job at the one agency that gave me a chance. So I decided it was time for a post-graduate: the recently founded Belgian Advertising School looked perfect. And they were kind enough to accept me.
This turned out to be a foundational year in my life. I would learn strategy, tech, digital marketing, behavioral economics, ideation, finance, scrum, ... from the best in the industry (because this post-grad seemed to hire everybody). I would practice teamwork. And work on real pitches for real clients every week. We would run our own agency. And I scored a 6 month ‘Creative & Behavioural’ internship mentored by Tom De Bruyne in Amsterdam.
Better yet. Upon graduation I would be selected by a world class startup program, and travel all over Europe. Our startup would be chosen, patented, funded and on its way to conquer London. What could possibly go wrong?
💊 Can pills cure bad wifi?
No. But they can cure medicine inequality.
Fundraising for Aids Fonds – Sue Amsterdam 2015
💸 Occupying Wall Street using
Adwords?
Back in 2014 you could! It’s how I tried to win my dream job.
Digital protest for Occupy – Wieden+Kennedy LDN 2014
🍴 How do you pause a
tv chef, while cooking?
Imagine begging Jeroen Meus to wait for you. And he listens!
Voice commands for VRT Digital – Belgian Ad School 2014
First internship and the birth of hubris
The ad world is a tough place to break into, even for unpaid interns. None of the agencies we emailed would take us. Except one. The legendary — and notoriously choosy – Mortierbrigade. Hired on the spot. But, if we wouldn't deliver, we'd be out that same week. That was the deal.
Then, my teammate dropped out, and I became a SOLO copywriter. Challenging, without a writer’s background. And the internship hadn’t even begun! When I arrived I found out that the few available spots to sit were taken by other intern teams, so I set up camp in the lunch area, moving all my stuff when the others took their lunch break. The briefs I got, varied from ‘finding pictures for the employees’ to ‘writing 2 lines Google ad copy’. Not at all what they taught me in school.
Terrified to mess it up in this agency full of champions, I gave them all I had: my sole dedication, and my time. Arriving as soon as the shutters went up, leaving with the last train home. Often working 72 hours straight and crashing in the MB Hotel. I absorbed everything they would give me. And in turn, they rewarded me with respect, even friendship, better briefs and eventually ... a job offer.
🔅 How do you show an internship without work?
Life lessons learned at Mortierbrigade—and other places.
Typographic posters – UC Sint-Lucas Antwerp 2013
💭 Skates or asphalt: which one is greater?
A question so curious, we used it launch the new Radio 1.
TV commercials for Radio 1 – Mortierbrigade 2014
💉 Does a celebrity make for a good guinea pig?
We experimented on Lieven Scheire while recording
radio commercials for Humo – Mortierbrigade 2014
The art school years. Where it started ...
I was always captivated by the human mind. After 12 years of classic (maths & science) education, I was all set to go study psychology or neurobiology at the university of Ghent, but I ended up choosing an artistic college instead. Advertising. In 4 short years I had to build up my drawing, painting, conceptual thinking, typography, photography and presentation skills from scratch. I was the youngest student in my class, and rather shy. This meant I often let all my fellow students go first in reviews. But the consequence of that was, that all the obvious ideas were taken by the time it was my turn. This forced me to find ideas no one would have thought of ... even if that initially meant sacrificing on relevance.
🍭 Can a music album have medicinal qualities?
Auditive narcotics prescribed by real doctors.
Design for Dr. Lektroluv – UC Sint-Lucas Antwerp 2012
💪 Do ‘protein’ or ‘energy’ make you think of eggs?
An egg brand, inspired by protein shakes & energy drinks.
Campaign concept for VLAM – UC Sint-Lucas Antwerp 2012
💝 Is Merci
the perfect gift for every occasion?
Helping Merci ‘unlock 4 new markets’, by removing the logo.
Stunt for Merci – UC Sint-Lucas Antwerp 2011
🚽 Can a restroom be the solution to dog poo?
Keeping the streets clean with ... canine porter potties!
Public service campaign – UC Sint-Lucas Antwerp 2011