‘When bankers get together they discuss art. When artists come together they discuss money.’
– Oscar Wilde
25 years of working at the intersection of culture and commerce have taught me one thing: new initiatives only flourish with the right dedication, attention, and patience.
As a project director, I take worries off your plate, craft solid strategies, simplify complexity, and engage your stakeholders step by step.
I build on the strengths of your team and complement it with my trusted network of specialists.
What will we create together?
Joris Hofmans
Project Director at the intersection of
Culture & Commerce
Artists and cultural institutions
Art and culture have intrinsic value.
To unlock that value, you need the right partners.
When financial and cultural interests are aligned, productions deliver value for everyone involved.
(Semi)public sector & foundations
Enabling culture is an art in itself.
As a funder or public body, you’re more than a policymaker with a bag of money; you’re a long-term shareholder in society’s success.
To play that role well, you need to understand what’s happening and how to involve your stakeholders step by step.
By working from shared principles and distributed ownership, initiatives get the energy they need.
MOBILE
(Semi)public sector & foundations
Enabling culture is an art in itself.
As a funder or public body, you’re more than a policymaker with a bag of money; you’re a long-term shareholder in society’s success.
To play that role well, you need to understand what’s happening and how to involve your stakeholders step by step.
By working from shared principles and distributed ownership, initiatives get the energy they need.
Festivals and events
The era of top-down entertainment is over.
Today, it’s about understanding your audience’s values, rituals, and expressions — and designing your offer around them.
It starts with an experienced team, a strong network in the cultural ecosystem, and an instinct for the stories that will resonate.
Where it ends is what we create together.
Brands and organizations
Consumers and employees don’t want brands that sway with every trend. They want to know what you stand for — and what your culture is.
Once you’ve defined that, you can express it through meaningful partnerships with exceptional creators.
Those may come from within your community — or just beyond it.
MOBILE
Brands and organizations
Consumers and employees don’t want brands that sway with every trend. They want to know what you stand for and what your culture is.
Once you’ve defined that, you can express it through meaningful partnerships with exceptional creators.
Those may come from within your community or just beyond it.
Real estate developers and owners
Developers and owners know: to earn trust for your location, your social plan needs more than flashy promises — it has to be truly doable.
Placemaking used to be the go-to approach, but its temporary nature often leads to wasted value.
The key: develop culture with the neighborhood and gradually transfer ownership.
Guiding principles
At the start of each project, we define the guiding principles that reflect your organization’s culture and approach. These set the tone and keep everyone aligned.
Here are mine:
1. Put the community first
Culture will eat strategy for breakfast. So start with what the community wants and does, and then add value.
2. Do it together
Involve your stakeholders in everything you create. This way, ownership is secured and you never have to “sell” anything again.
3. Offline before online
Culture lives in the real world, so everything we do is offline.
After that, picture or it didn’t happen 😉
4. Clear language
Whether it’s a strategy, pitch, or partnership: clear language is inviting, and comprehensibility is a form of respect.
5. Simplify
Complicated doesn’t work. So refine everything until it can be understood in a single sentence or even a single word.
6.Start now, go slow
Don’t over-plan. Don’t rush. Just begin. When you honor that, you’ll see: slow is fast.
7.Focus the energy
80% of output comes from 20% of input. Let’s stay focused on the right things.
8.Enjoy the ride
If it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable. Joy leads to lasting results.
9.Say no
Creativity is about making choices. What you say no to is just as important as what you say yes to.
10.Don’t be an asshole
Honestly, this should be principle #1. But I wanted to see if you’d read this far 😉
Services
You can book me for both project execution and strategic consulting.
We’ll determine together what’s needed.
Project direction
Together, we identify the challenge, the team, and your guiding principles.
I’ll supplement the team with my network of specialists and direct the operation — while keeping ownership with your core team as much as possible.
Strategic advice
I’ll ask the tough questions until your strategy becomes clear, motivating, and executable.
Under my direction, the team also develops positioning, business concepts, and storytelling.
Partnerships
Your organization has value that money can’t buy.
I connect you with the best partners to tell your story.
Curation
The Netherlands is full of extraordinary creators — and I know where to find them.
Walks on the wild side
A good strategy fits on a coaster.
Let’s go into nature, one-on-one, and work it out. Click here.
‘Joris knows how to open a special door in my brain through which beautiful ideas want to come out.’
‘Joris listens well, gives everyone in the process space and secretly adds rich ideas himself.’
‘We went to pitch in Singapore, and Joris was just wearing one cowboy boot.’
‘Joris understands better than anyone how to deal with confidentiality surrounding intellectual property.’
‘Joris understands like no other how to handle confidentiality surrounding intellectual property. He’s the best filter, simplifier, and thinker to have at your side. He helps you refine rough proposals into clear approaches.’
‘In various projects and creative processes, I have had the pleasure of experiencing how Joris organizes rough ideas into concrete plans with a glossy finish.’
‘Joris combines creative and business acumen, simplifies complex matters and immediately translates them into scalable ideas.’
Process
Every project is different, but the steps often look the same.
At the start, we scaffold the process — and then: launch & learn.
Team
I work with a close group of specialists I trust completely
Design
Stijn Groenemeijer
Sustainability
Blyde PR
Experiential Design
Marije Hobo
Community building
Luc Manders
Social media strategy
Andreas Basile
Social Content
Marijn van Leeuwen
Film
Roos de Jong
Brand development
Ralph Booms
Teams & leadership
Maaike Buijsman
Creative Production
Chris Braam
Brand strategy
Nana Prins
Commerce
Marianne Bal
Seniority
Alet Klarenbeek
Concept development
Sjoerd van Schooten
Creative provocation
Marcel Kampman
Theatre affairs
Casper Oorthuys
Spatial Design
Alrik Koudenburg
Neighbourhood Activation
Sara Smets
Research
Giorgia Amatemaggio
Events
Bart Veen
JoorsTruly | 06-14776432 | Goudsbloemstraat 3-1 | 1015 JJ Amsterdam | Algemene Voorwaarden | VAT NL003883734B29 | KVK 83851011