Raised on the picturesque tiny Caribbean island of Curaçao, I only had one true dream growing up on that secluded rock… GET OFF THE ISLAND. Wanting to escape clear blue waters and a loving family may seem crazy to most, however with a passion for the arts and an insatiable appetite for new horizons, a bigger world was calling. Here starts the story of how I became the go-to guy for artistic Prezi business presentations in the USA.
Where it started
With a few stops along the way I eventually made my way to Amsterdam and pursued a Masters in Sports Management. One day a guest professor came to share a presentation detailing the impact of social media on professional athletes. What sounded like your run of the mill presentation turned out to be anything but. The speaker had prepared a presentation using a new innovative tool. It was called Prezi, and was unlike anything I had ever seen. A medium not used to simply present, its movement was dynamic, the zooming mechanics added a new element to storytelling. I felt as though I had been taken on a journey and instantly recognized the potential of the tool.
Boring pitches
A few months later and Master’s degree in hand, I set out on a career in Sports Marketing, working for elite European soccer clubs and cycling teams. Being on the client side of things, I was pitched to over and over again by agencies and vendors using the same standard tools. Nothing seemed to be able to tell a story the same way Prezi could. It was surprising that the organizations who rely so heavily on winning new business through pitching, often did not put serious effort into setting themselves apart. As faith would have it, I was in line for another exciting move.
Mr.Prezident in the America's
In the summer of 2015, I packed up my bags for New York City. While searching for new opportunities I was introduced to Pieter Bosschaart, the co-founder of Mr.Prezident. An agency comprised of experts whose sole mission is to resign boring presentations to history. Amazed to find out that there was a group of people completely dedicated to creating compelling presentation with Prezi. Pieter and I decided to work together and offer their unique storytelling and design services in the Americas. Today, I humbly present myself as the go-to-guy for high quality Prezi presentations for North, Central and South America. In this new position, I have managed to build relationships with some of the world biggest companies and exciting startups by bringing both my passion for art and marketing experience to the table.
This blog entry is the first of what will become a series of weekly entries, where I look forward to presenting stories about the Mr.Prezident team; our work, inspirations and relative design and business cases.
