Amsterdam Creative Capital (part II)
Strategic location
English is the common language among business people in the Amsterdam Area. To Lazarus, being a “poor speaker of Dutch” is not an impediment. Lazarus, “You don’t have to adapt to a national scene here, like elsewhere. People are willing to accept you.” According to Alex Melvin, co-founder and Managing Partner of 180 Amsterdam, it does help to also have Dutch speaking management. Melvin, “We have a senior manager who speaks Dutch. He just knows things.”
The Irishman worked as European planning director at Wieden & Kennedy, an American advertising company famous for Nike campaigns, before he founded 180 Amsterdam ten years ago. Melvin runs campaigns for names like Adidas, Motorola and BMW. When it comes to the Amsterdam Area, he claims to be strategically located to source business. Melvin, “We work with post-production companies in Germany, which feels like just around the corner from here.”
Creative Capital of Europe, chain effect
Commitment is the most important. Melvin, “I believe you need to have a principal from within your company which you take with you when you open up office.” Paul Lavoie, co-founder of the successful Canadian agency TAXI, could not agree with him more. Lavoie was on a Fact-Finding Trip himself last year, cycling through the streets of Amsterdam, when he decided to move.
Lavoie personally set up TAXI’s European office in the Amsterdam Area. TAXI took over a local partner and opened up here early 2009. According to Lavoie Amsterdam is a strong brand in the creative world, drawing multinationals to have their campaigns especially done here. Lavoie, “The DNA is to create the creative capital of Europe. If we keep on doing good work we’ll cause a chain effect.”
- Tell a friend
