ABOUT ME
photo by Inigo Garayo
As far as I can remember I always had a passion for storytelling. I was born in 1971 and watched way too much television in my childhood, zapping from channel to channel, watching every sitcom, loving the black and white features that were broadcast on Saturday afternoons, like Billy Wilders "The Apartment" and "Some Like it Hot". It soon hit me: I wanted to become a filmmaker. So, fortunately I was accepted at the Dutch Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam where I graduated as a director and editor in 1994. After that I spent a year at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in Mexico City to study documentary filmmaking. I still speak fairly decent Spanish albeit with a heavy Mexican accent. If I could ever go back there to make a film or series, it would be a dream come true.
Back in the Netherlands I spent the first years of my career directing reality television series following policemen around and filming at the ER before getting my break at writing and directing drama with the teenage hit series Costa! from director/producer Johan Nijenhuis. After doing three seasons of the legal drama series "Keyzer en the Boer Advocaten" I created the hit series Penoza, about mob widow Carmen who takes over the criminal organization of her assassinated husband. It was remade in seven countries, such as the United States ("Red Widow"), Sweden ("Gåsmamman") and India ("Aarya", nominated for the international Emmy Awards 2021). I also wrote a novel with the same title, but it never got past the first edition. It did end up as a Trivial Pursuit question though, so for me personally I still consider it a great success.
Together with Maarten Lebens I wrote the television movie "The Strongest Man in Holland", that won the Prix D' Europe for best television drama and was also nominated for the International Emmy Award. For my less acclaimed achievements you can check my full filmography on the IMDB link below.
My most recent work is the comedy series "Dirty Lines" for Netflix about the sex-lines industry in the eighties and the political miniseries "Het Jaar van Fortuyn" for the Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros about the turbulent parliamentary elections of 2002, both nominated for best drama series at the Dutch Film Festival.
I have been (co-)chairman of the Dutch Screenwriters Guild (Netwerk Scenarioschrijvers) for six years until 2023. Also father of two wonderful daughters and living in Amsterdam.