Creative Duo Nick van Wagenberg & Nevil van Outheusden: 'Make work you want to show your mother'

As we enter the last few days to enter this year’s Talent Award, we caught up with last year’s winners; creative duo Nick van Wagenberg and Nevil van Outheusden. Find out what winning the award meant to them, how it shaped their professional careers and their advice for if you’re still thinking about applying.

As winners of the Talent Award last year, what did winning this award mean to you?

We know the struggle of every young creative/team. You come up with great ideas but you just don’t have a portfolio with produced work to prove your skills. An ADCN award is a real pat on the back, it helps you to become more confident. Some of the greatest people in the industry liked your work, that means something.

Was there something in particular that encouraged you to apply for the award?

We loved the fact that not all cases have to be produced or have to be real. You can show work that you as a creative would like to make, without any compromises from a client or agency. You can show your full potential.

Looking back on it a year later, how did you feel at the time? Did you have any inclination that you’d win or was it a complete surprise?

It was a big surprise. We always looked up to ADCN and winning a lamp. It felt and still feels, like the biggest honour in the Dutch advertising industry.

As a creative duo, did winning this award help to cement this partnership?

After we graduated we decided to move forward as a creative team, so we had already been working together for some time. Sharing this great moment definitely proved that we made the right decision back then.

Do you have any advice for young creatives thinking about entering the award this year?

We’ll just quote one of the biggest brands ever; just do it. Even if you have doubts, we had them as well. Select the projects you are proud of, the ones that make you nervous and excited. Show the jury work you want to create, not work you’re creating because you have to. Make these ideas super simple to understand and visually appealing.

Since then, how has your professional journey as a duo progressed?

We can’t promise you job offers after winning the Young Talent Award, but from one creative to another: It could happen. Three months after winning the magic ‘green’ light bulb we decided to start a new adventure at 180Kingsday.

How are you finding working as a duo in self-isolation? Are you used to working together whilst being physically apart?

It’s quite strange but we have the feeling that we work more efficiently right now. Every day we start a Google Meet with the two of us and we keep this call for the entire day. We don’t talk every minute, but we know we can and that’s important. On a regular day, we work together on a presentation and argue as much as we would do in the office. There’s only one big difference, there’s always a nice and quiet brainstorm place available in our home offices.

On your mission as creatives, what is your main goal?

Make work you want to show to your mother - it sounds like a strange goal but it helps you, or at least us, to make the right decisions. Are you currently working on something you don’t want to show to your friends and family? Then you know it’s not good, it’s something you don’t really believe in. Long story short, we want to create work that we’re proud of. Work that we want to show to people because it’s f*cking great.

Which of your accomplishments to date are you proudest of?

During this Corona pandemic, we’ve created a piece of work we’re proud of. It was part of a global open brief to the creative industry by the United Nations. This project really showed the possibilities of production during a lockdown. We created a series of prints that reminded people to stay home. No stock, little time. This meant that our sleeping-rooms turned into photo studios and we had to search for items in our own homes. The prints are called: Follow Your Prescription.

Name one thing each that recently sparked your imaginations?

Nick: Now that we’re not allowed to do a lot of things, I enjoy the time outside. Being outside sparks my imagination every time again. No matter what I’m doing, even the shortest walks, a bike ride or time spent on the beach helps me.

Nevil: Not so much something that sparks my imagination, but I’m currently really into Gordon Ramsey’s cooking shows on YouTube. The angry tv-chef turned into a sweet, gentle teacher. He even teaches you how to wash your hands in the kitchen. His channel is filled with great dinner inspiration.

Do you have a particular kind of music genre/Spotify playlist that always gets you in the zone?

Nick: I recently discovered a Spotify playlist called: Nostalgia killer - vol 1. Especially during lockdown, it’s easy to lose focus or find the energy to keep working when all the distractions are close by. At these moments I just play a few songs from this playlist to get me back on track.

Nevil: NTR Tiny desk Concerts are without a doubt the best things to listen during a day of work. If you feel down, look for the concert of Sting and Shaggy, it’s great.

What kind of brief/project would you drop everything for?

For sure the ones that allow you to shoot pearl white beaches and crystal clear water. A big travel company desperate to show their destinations would be great. We’ll just wait until this whole Corona-thing disappears and fly across the world to create epic movies. We’ll visit beautiful places and get paid for it. Currently, we keep writing tropical beaches into our scripts but it hasn’t worked out so far.

What do you think defines the Dutch creative community?

The Dutch creative community is one that doesn’t stop at the Dutch nationality. We love the fact that everybody wants to work with different cultures and nationalities. Working together, sharing perspectives, it really benefits the creative work. It makes it more real, less advertising. And we all know that’s the best kind of advertisement.