Jan-Paul (Gugi) Van Der Velden Email & Phone Number

Gugi has always been deeply moved and engaged by the power of stories. From the time he started making stopmotion films with his mother's 8mm camera he knew that storytelling and film in particular would become an integral part of his life. He expresses his love for film as director of music videos, documentary films and branded content. In addition his current position as creative director of 'Towel Media' offers ample opportunity to work on creatively and commercially challenging branding projects. --Background--After an international childhood he completed his IB in the Netherlands. After which he decided to veer from his love for filmmaking to study Business at the University of Amsterdam. This experience struck an entrepreneurial chord, leading him to set up several companies.An internship at Vrumona, Heineken's soft drinks manufacturer, distributor and sales organization, gave him his first taste of brandbuilding: The Streetpioneers campagne for Dr Pepper aimed at gaining street credibility in the urban target market. While completing his Master of Science in Business Studies he founded Spryng (2007), supply and development of B2B mobile telecom products. Giving him not only the required business experience but also a crash course in online development and marketing.In 2013 he studied film at the New York Film Academy, after which he began to focus solely on film and branded content projects.In January of 2015 he started as Creative Director at branded video production company Towel Media. In 2019 he and his partners added media and distribution to their portfolio when they founded The Pool.In February of 2018 he completed his first feature length documentary, Big Wata: In Western Africa, a group of determined young men strive to open and promote Sierra Leone's first surfing club despite village politics and the ongoing threat of Ebola.

Listed skills include Entrepreneurship, Online Marketing, B2B, Start Ups, and 9 others.