I have also directed and co-written a couple of short films. One day I asked on facebook who was keen to shoot a short film with me. To my surprise it resulted in creating a lot of projects with a team we created called ‘Take23’ that got bigger and more varied every year.
A competition in which you have to write, shoot and finalise a short film within 48 hours. During the competition there are 3 ingredients that everyone has to use. In this case they were: A passport as a prop. A cook called ‘Jacques Castelijn’. The sentence was “Pretty cool for the first time.” and our theme was ‘Superheroes’. It is my favourite.
There is a travelling theatre festival called “de Parade”. A lot of big and small tents travelling from city to city entertaining their visitors with theatre, music and food. One day I decided to write a theatre show about an old circus and proposed it to them. To my big surprise we were playing it, in one of the biggest tents at “de Parade”, the year after.
We presented it as a live-documentary about a circus from 1936. Unbeknowst to the audience, the performers would walk out of the film and performed ‘stunts’ on stage. We shot a nine minute film about the fictitious circus “Lestica” with the take23 crew. The audience totally believed it, until we started walking out of the screen. The ‘stunts’ we did, were actually magic tricks disguised as dangerous stunts. I got my first magic kit when I was ten, so that is when I started doing magic. I have been walking around with a deck of cards in my pocket for the last twenty five years.
A story of a dementing grandfather telling the story of his daughter’s wedding to his grandaughter We placed first from among the 6000 entries. We also won best costumes, best writing and best directing. So, take a cup of tea, five minutes of your time and do yourself a favor and watch it.
I like the akwarness of clowns and high school movies. So, why not combine them and have someone jump of the roof on top of that!
I was walking through Amsterdam and suddenly wondered what the criminals were during. So we got together with the Take23 writers and wrote five episodes of two minutes each. Here is all five of them in a row!
With a fish-eye lens scotch-taped to an old video camera, I started filming my skateboarding friends. That mix of skate culture, filmmaking, and a DIY spirit is what first launched my professional career.
After directing more than sixty music videos, I gradually moved into commercials and short films, bringing my own style and approach to each project. Over the past 20+ years, my work has been viewed hundreds of millions of times — from intimate, heartfelt films to large-scale productions with complex post work. Along the way, I’ve directed campaigns for brands like Adidas, Turkish Airlines, Asics, and Hard Rock, and worked with icons including Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Robbie Williams.
At the same time, I’ve been a magician for over 30 years. Magic isn’t just a passion — it runs parallel to my directing career. I performed on Penn & Teller: Fool Us (out in nov 2025) and I direct and perform House of Magic twice a year — a theatrical experience in Amsterdam, where illusion and storytelling collide.
Today, I also bring both worlds together in my keynote From Messi to Magic, where I explore creativity, storytelling, and the art of surprise.
No matter the size of the job — whether it’s a global campaign, a short film, a live show, or a keynote — I try to bring the same mix of craft, curiosity, and love to both the project and the people I work with.
Sarphatipark 117hs 1073CW, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
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