The Essential List: Gijs Determeijer
Gijs Determeijer is one of four partners at Amsterdam-based production company HALAL, overseeing new business and sales, as well as the photography department.
Originally from a production background, he's also one of HALAL's founders. He's played an important part in developing the company to embrace work across fiction film, documentary and commercials
With a love for fine wine, fine art and cauliflower tacos, get to know Gijs with his (very Dutch) Essential List.
Travel
o Place of birth: Hoorn (a city in the north of Holland, about 45-minutes from Amsterdam)
o Hometown: Amsterdam
o Staycation: Joshua Tree, off the grid please
o Vacation: Morocco. Five days there feels like three weeks (in a good way)
o Place of work: HALAL
o Place of workout: Trees around the city, for climbing. Alternatively doing hoops at ‘Het Gymlokaal’
o Mode of transport: Super Motor Moped
Culture
(A Dutch special, this time!)
o Artist: Janine van Oene is my favourite painter, I bought her first ever painting and now she is taking the world by storm. The Dutch King just treated himself to two pieces!
Floor van het Nederend is a great illustrator
And check out Patty Morgan, it is a website where you can buy art from (up and coming) Dutch artists
o Musician: Sevdaliza and Indian Askin are two Dutch artists I like a lot
o Commercials director: Paul Geusebroek
o Film director: Sam de Jong, currently busy finishing his second feature
o Photographer: Lotte van Raalte
o Film: Prince, our first feature film, directed by Sam de Jong, co-produced with Vice
o Series: The Mind of the Universe is an international science documentary series and open source platform about the rapid evolution of knowledge. You can watch full interviews online and are allowed to use it in your own media - open source, groundbreaking!
o Commercial: The Art of Kissing for Micropia. Making couples very uncomfortable in cinemas near you…
o Music Video: Orion by Rogier van der Zwaag (make sure you check out the making of…)
o Book: ‘Young Love’ by Karen Rosetzsky
o Newspaper (off or online): De Correspondent (read their mission)
o Magazine: Fantastic Man
o Podcast: Bob. It’s in Dutch and tells the story of the secret lover of an older lady with dementia. It’s coming out this month, I can’t wait!
o Miscellaneous Art: Rafael Rozendaal makes the best internet art around!
Food and Drink
o Restaurant: Choux, currently the best spot for food and natural wines in Amsterdam
o Cheap bite: Surinamese ‘broodje’ from Tjin’s
o Working lunch: Little Collins
o Dish: Tacos at COBA, try the one with cauliflower
o Snack: Broodje Kroket (head to the Vegan Junk Food Bar if you’re not a meat lover)
o Guilty Pleasure: DMT tripping OMG…
o Bar: Binnenvisser is the place to be right now
o Tipple: Old Jenever. Drink it at Wynand Fockink after work, it’s a 17th century bar at Dam Square, actually a cool place in a touristy spot
o Soft Tipple: Oedipus Beer, brewed in Amsterdam, they also do concerts at the brewery
o Miscellaneous food: Go to Skatecafé!
o Miscellaneous Beverage: Natural orange wine gets you high without a hangover
THE AMSTERDAM TIP: SOCIETY SEXYLAND, a club owned by 365 members, they all organise one night of the year!
Kit
o Phone: iPhone 7plus - I look like a granddad calling with an iPad
o Computer: Macbook Pro
o TV: Netflix & Popcorn (sorry…)
o Headphones: iPhone
o Camera: Yashica T4
o Soundsystem: SONOS
o Pen / pencil: No
o Where you document an idea: iPhone notes
o Watch: No
o App: Raisin (to discover places that serve natural wine, they’re all good places!) and Foursquare
o Website: www.halal.amsterdam
o Blog: Patta
o Digital work tool: Basecamp
o Analogue work tool: Standing work desk, super nerdy but life changing
o Grooming: Evo Crop Strutters is the only thing that can tame my afro
o Miscellaneous Kit Essential: Clothes by Koen Tossijn, only the essentials and made with so much love and craft!
