Creative direction & storytelling for brands, people, and fiction

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With over 15 years of experience spanning in-house leadership, studio co-founding, and independent practice, I’ve developed a distinct approach shaped by narrative rhythm, visual tension, and emotional space.

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Contact

📧 [email protected]

🔗 linkedin.com/in/vanboven

Experience

Founder / Creative Director

bobvb.com, Remote – (Aug 2025 - Present)

• Building and growing a creative ecosystem for work across brand, people, and fiction. The practice is grounded in narrative strategy, creative direction, and bold collaboration.
• Leading and connecting distinct creative spaces by shaping narratives for NGOs (Agency: New Creativity), directing stories for screen, and exploring new forms of expression through collaborations (Studio).
  • Alongside these, bobvb.com serves as a personal hub for working with individuals and teams, offering narrative coaching, creative consulting, and tailored projects.

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Intentional storytelling for brands, people and fiction

With over 15 years of experience spanning in-house leadership, studio co-founding, and independent practice, Bob has developed a distinct approach shaped by narrative rhythm, visual tension, and emotional space—creating work and building tools that engage the senses beyond immediate perception.

bobvb.com

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Volunteer for Branding & Creative Direction

Freelance, Remote – (Oct 2023 - July 2025)

• Developing an independent, not-for-profit creative practice focused on strategic and narrative clarity for NGOs and mission-led organizations.
  • Driving the evolution of New Creativity from a voluntary idea into a foundational space within a growing, sustainable ecosystem spanning creative direction and systems change.
• Leading volunteer-driven collaborations to shape strategic narratives, define brand direction, and guide creative processes. These efforts center on narrative clarity, purpose-driven storytelling, and intentional creative leadership.

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Agency is where change begins. It lives at the intersection of purpose and action—the belief that futures aren’t imagined, but made. Enter New Creativity: a bold commitment to shaping the future of nonprofit organizations, blending storytelling, experience, and innovation to help forward-thinking NGOs* step into their full narrative power.

bobvb.agency

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Career Break

Fulltime Parenting*, Cologne, Germany – (Oct 2022 - Sep 2023)*

• Stepped back from full-time roles to center life around parenting and reflect on the direction, values, and future of my work. Engaged in deep research, self-initiated projects, and strategic reflection to reposition my creative practice through the lens of agency.
  • This period laid the groundwork for New Creativity, an evolving philosophy built around strategic partnerships with NGOs, foundations, and forward-thinking institutions—offering narrative clarity and creative direction in service of bold, mission-led work.

Head of Brand & Creative Director

2nd Best Studio*, Cologne, Germany – (May 2021 - Sep 2022)*