Stepping out of structured employment allowed distance from established expectations and professional momentum. With daily life centered around my kids, long hours on the bike, writing, and strategic experimentation, reflection gradually turned into structure.
Years
2023–2025
Role
Full-time parenting/
Volunteer for branding & direction
Disciplines
Strategic reflection
Narrative strategy
Creative direction
Credits
Design and direction
Bob van Boven
Thanks
Jessica Sessinou, Mario Possen, Nick Smith, Carmen Díaz de la Rosa, Sandra Blank, Bülent Aktas
♡
Juna & Anima
Project info
After years of operating at speed and scale, time away from formal roles created space to examine patterns across a decade of creative leadership. The focus shifted from production to reflection, from output to orientation.
During this time, early foundations of New Creativity began to take shape. Strategy decks, naming explorations, and visual systems emerged as tools to test a philosophy rooted in purpose, narrative coherence, and adaptability. Alongside this, FUTURESCRIPT, Everydays, and the broader ecosystem developed as working instruments, guiding decisions and shaping future collaborations.
The career break also introduced a different rhythm of responsibility. Fatherhood and distance from institutional structures reshaped perspective on time, value, and creative ambition. This recalibration strengthened conviction around clarity, direction, and sustainable creative practice.
What began as reflection evolved into structure. The pause consolidated a set of principles and methods that now form the foundation of New Creativity, carrying forward everything learned while redefining how creative direction is practiced.
This chapter explored how creative vision operates inside an organization—shaping culture, guiding decisions, and aligning daily practice with long-term intent. Creative direction evolved into a shared language for how the studio thought, worked, and showed up in the world. 2nd Best Studio became a proving ground for purpose-driven creative leadership.
Years
2021–2022
Role
Executive Creative Director
Disciplines
Brand positioning
Narrative strategy
Messaging frameworks
Brand identity and expression
Creative direction
Audience journeys
Visual and verbal systems
New formats and pilotsn
Credits
Brand strategy & creative direction
Bob van Boven
Studio owners
Bülent Aktas, Marcel Aniol
Branding and expression (art & copy)
Bob van Boven
Webdesign and development
Bob van Boven
With
Jessica Lichtenberg, Devrim Aktas
Thanks
Carmen Díaz de la Rosa, Nick Smith, Gary Payn
Project info
2nd Best Studio required more than a strong identity. It called for a strategic foundation that could hold ambition, experimentation, and growth at the same time. The work focused on translating the studio’s values into a system that informed both creative output and internal rhythm.
As Executive Creative Director/Head of Studio, I developed a unified strategic vision that embedded purpose into creative operations. This included defining positioning, shaping narrative direction, and building a brand system that supported a wide range of work—from cultural projects to NGO collaborations—while remaining coherent and recognizable.
Beyond brand development, the role centered on enabling creative excellence at scale. I led and mentored the creative team, established frameworks for collaboration, and guided projects from concept to delivery across disciplines. Client work, internal initiatives, and self-initiated projects all fed into the same directional logic: clear intent, strong storytelling, and consistency across expression.
The outcome was a studio that operated with alignment and confidence. Creative work became both expressive and strategic, while the underlying systems ensured adaptability. The chapter demonstrated how creative direction can function as infrastructure—supporting growth without diluting identity.
This role introduced scale, pace, and operational complexity. Leading creative direction for film and motion within a fast-moving organization, required alignment across strategy, storytelling, and multiple departments. Narrative work needed to perform across platforms, teams, and business objectives—without losing coherence or depth.
Years
2020–2021
Role
Creative Director Film & Motion
Disciplines
Narrative strategy
Creative direction
Messaging frameworks
Campaign concepts
Interactive storytelling
Art direction and look & feel
Credits
Greator
Alexander Müller (CEO), Sven Ripper (CMO)
Gedankentanken Pictures
Bülent Aktas (CEO)
With
Marcel Aniol, Carmen Díaz de la Rosa, Nick Smith, Gary Payn, Nina Berzbach, Jessica Lichtenberg, Devrim Aktas
Thanks
Kerstin Müller, Daniel Velkovski, Timm Kloevekorn, Christian Balke, Dennis L. Wilson, Stefan Frädrich
Project info
At Greator, creative direction operated inside a high-velocity environment with diverse stakeholders and constant output demands. The challenge was to ensure that film and motion content functioned as more than isolated assets, becoming part of a larger narrative system that supported brand growth and audience trust.
As Creative Director Film & Motion, I led the strategic and creative direction for all branded moving-image content. This included defining narrative frameworks, guiding concept development, and overseeing execution across campaigns, products, social channels, and live events. Creative decisions were shaped in close collaboration with senior brand, marketing, product, and event leadership, as well as executive stakeholders.
The role required orchestration as much as authorship. I led multidisciplinary teams and external partners, aligning creative ambition with operational reality. Concepts were designed to scale, narratives were built to travel across formats, and execution was calibrated to balance clarity, emotion, and performance.
This chapter reinforced the importance of systems thinking in creative work. It showed how direction, when clearly articulated, allows creativity to move fast without fragmenting—turning complexity into coherence and volume into meaning.
At global scale, creative direction became a system of alignment. The work focused on connecting long-term brand ambition to execution across markets, teams, and formats. Clarity of direction enabled consistency while allowing creative expression to adapt to diverse contexts.
Years
2016–2020
Role
Global Lead Employer Brand Design Film
Disciplines
Narrative strategy
Messaging frameworks
Campaign concepts
Multi-platform content narratives
Creative direction, film & motion
Platform direction
Credits
Global Head Employer Brand Strategy
Nanci Hogenboom-van het Hof
Leadership Team
Steve Fogarty, Kerri Arman
With
Jennifer Schäufelin, André Reyes Prosdocimi, Katia Stephanou, Sarah Sellars, Sandra Blank, Pranav Chadha, Nicole Hunt Harvey, Verena Stark, Michael Lejman
Thanks
Stewart Angus, Michael Stopps, Laura Ruprecht, Kadie Casey, Yonel Ilieva, Shaba Mohseni, Thorsten Konrad, Nadjim Tsouli, Ruud de Groot
Project info
At adidas, creative work existed inside one of the world’s most recognized brand ecosystems. The responsibility extended beyond individual campaigns to shaping experiences that aligned with global brand principles while resonating across markets, cultures, and audiences.
As Global Lead Employer Brand Design for Film & Experience, I led the development of on-brand film and experiential content from concept to global rollout. Work was informed by market data and audience insight, translating strategic objectives into narratives that supported the full employer brand journey. Creative concepts were developed with longevity in mind, designed to be activated across regions while remaining adaptable to local context.
The role required close collaboration with brand communication, brand design, corporate communications, and senior leadership, including executive stakeholders. I led internal teams and external creative partners, ensuring consistency in quality, tone, and intent across a wide range of touchpoints.
This chapter sharpened an understanding of governance as a creative condition. It demonstrated how strong systems can enable clarity and scale when direction is precise, and how storytelling can humanize large organizations without diluting their identity. The experience reinforced the value of structure as a platform for meaning, rather than a constraint on creativity.
Mamvi marked the beginning of independent authorship. This chapter was defined by initiative, experimentation, and the responsibility of building something from conviction rather than assignment. Creative direction was inseparable from entrepreneurship.
Years
2011–2016
Role
Co-founder/Creative Director
Disciplines
Brand positioning & expression
Narrative strategy
Creative direction
Campaign concepts
Interactive storytelling
Art direction and look & feel
Credits
Founding partner
Jessica Sessinou
With
Mario Possen, Rob Truijen
PRESIIDENTS (by Mamvi)
Concept & creative direction
Bob van Boven
Concept partners
Leon de Jager, Paul van Boven
Branding (identity & expression)
Bob van Boven
With
Mario Possen, Rob Truijen, Remy Kooi
Thanks
Alain Dortants, Kees van den Berg, Richard de Maaré, Laurien Verstraten
Project info
Co-founding Mamvi meant constructing a studio from first principles. Positioning, visual identity, tone of voice, client relationships, and operational structure were shaped simultaneously. Every decision carried weight because there was no established framework to inherit, only belief, taste, and ambition.
As Co-founder and Creative Director, I defined the studio’s narrative foundation and led its creative output across branding, film, and digital projects. Client work required balancing vision with viability, translating strategic thinking into expressive systems that could perform in real-world contexts. Projects spanned multiple industries, each demanding clarity of direction while reinforcing the studio’s own identity.
The experience exposed the full spectrum of creative leadership, from concept development and execution to client dialogue, financial responsibility, and team collaboration. It introduced the ongoing tension between creative conviction and commercial reality, a dynamic that later informed more structured leadership roles.
Mamvi established enduring patterns: independence of thought, belief in narrative as a strategic instrument, and a commitment to building frameworks rather than following trends. It laid the early architectural foundations of a practice that would later evolve into a more defined ecosystem.
2010–2025
Past Futures is a collection of selected projects, collaborations, and creative explorations from across different periods, disciplines, and contexts. The work continues to resonate beyond its original context, informing new ideas, influencing future directions, and revealing the threads that run throughout an evolving creative practice.
Zero Emissions World
Next-Gen Crowdfunding
ANC
The Agency of New Creativity
SEC2ND
2nd Best Studio
ReContent
A thought by 2nd Best Studio
Welthungerhilfe
Zero Hunger
Sallva
Klotz sucht den Superstar
Greator
Celebrate Change
Greator x Supergelb
Greator Place
Greator
The Key
Gedankentanken
Gib deine Gedanken eine Stimme
Greator
Business Coach
Stefan Frädrich
Anleitungs fürs Leben
Greator
Greator Festival Online
Greator Coach
Make Change Happen
Greator
Greator Business
Adidas
Be Tomorrow
Adidas
Global High Potential Program
Adidas
Meet Natalie
Adidas
European Hackathon Series
Adidas
Here To Create
Adidas
Zaragoza: Paloma
Adidas
Inside Three Stripes
Adidas
TA One
Adidas
Breaking the Glass
Adidas
Dubai Emerging
Adidas
Global Early Careers / Future Talent
Adidas
Runtastic
Adidas
Calling All Runners (Berlin Marathon)
Adidas
Eric Liedtke: Digital SVP
Adidas
adidas Football 2020
Adidas
Reebok Boston
Adidas
Talent Experience
Adidas
Global Onboarding
Elevation Events
Soenda 2016 Lineup
Maison Blanche Dael
Heerlijk Vertrouwd
Ellen Truijen
Spring/Summer 2016
Elevation Events
Smeerboel 2015 Festival
Castle of Love
COL 2015
Elevation Events
Soenda 2015 Festival
PVH Corp.
Calvin Klein Accessories
Gevestigde Orde
This is the room
Elevation Events
Soenda Indoor
Coffeelovers
Roermond
Maison Blanche Dael
Maastricht Parternships
Elevation Events
Smeerboel 2014
Elevation Events
Soenda 2014 Festival
Castle of Love
We Live (2014)
Castle of Love
COL 2014 Lineup
Shoebox
by Mamvi
Oneyear
by Mamvi
Jan Boelo x AFW 2013
S/S 2013
Puresang/ Moon Agency
DEPARTURES
PVH Corp.
Tommy Hilfiger Tailored
Spack! Event GmbH
Spack! 2013 Festival
Vinir
by Mamvi
Castle of Love
Lost & Found (COL 2013)
Castle of Love
Early Bird 2013 Teaser
Ellen Truijen
Daddy Cool
Mamvi
A Studio
Amsterdam Open Air
AOA 2013: Carried Away
Mamvi
by Mamvi
Never Alone
by Mamvi
Ellen Truijen
Dandelion
Castle of Love
Young Blood (COL 2012)
Billy the Kit
Castle of Love Festival
Tommy Hilfiger
Introducing Tailored
Ellen Truijen
I am Ellen Truijen
Castle of Love
Fool Moon Festival
Tommy Hilfiger
Amsterdam
PRESIIDENTS
Not Much To Show