About Me

Writing the ‘About Me’ page is very hard. How do you define yourself, how do you define how you would like people to see you. My best way of telling you would be the information I have listed on the various profile pages, of which LinkedIn probably offers the most substantial one. Read below for a extended version of my LinkedIn profile.

Work

In this profile, only relevant work experience will be mentioned. So it is listing jobs from 2006 on, various earlier jobs, even though they have certainly helped form my professional attitude.

Currently: Independent Media and Entertainment Entrepreneur
Together with my partner Berend van der Laan I have started the company Van der Laan & Morskate Game Media, a company focusing on creative new concepts related to new media. We are currently working on the Revol7 Urban Gaming Club, to be opened in Amsterdam. More information will be released on www.vdlm.nl shortly.

2006-2007 Marketing Manager Netgamez B.V.
This period, while already working with my current partner, sees me as the Marketing Manager of one of the leading Benelux gaming event organisers. While also working as an events manager, most of my work went into acquisition and marketing for the events.

2005-2006 The Game Syndicate
During the second year of my studies in Rotterdam, I started working for the Game Syndicate, the then leading gaming cafe company of the Benelux. This experience is relevant because of my current goal of opening a gaming club, the work I did for the Game Syndicate has shown me the potential of the market and of its demographic. 

Education

After an Atheneum education on de Werkplaats, Bilthoven, which I finished in 2003, I moved to Rotterdam to start International Business Adminstration. While this was not the course I would be taking for a long time I grew into the business side of things and decided to focus on the marketing side of things on the Hogeschool van Rotterdam, studying Commercial Economics. When Netgamez B.V. opened its office in Amsterdam in 2006, I had to start commuting a lot, resulting in a move to Amsterdam.

I am currently in the proces of finishing the Commercial Economics  course at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, resulting in a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration if I remember correctly. My minor during the third year was Business Consultancy, a direction that is most interesting. I am not planning to do a masters after finishing.

Leisure

Though I started out playing field hockey in my early years, I am currently more of a personal focus guy. Enjoying working out in the gym and snowboarding. Even though gaming has become more than a hobby, I still like to play a videogame a few times a week.