Bigfish has grown tremendously over the past years to become one of the market leaders in the field of animation films in the Netherlands and Belgium. This growth created a need for someone to further develop the commercial activities. It has been a few months since Sander Groenewege joined Bigfish as Commercial Director. So, time to introduce him to all of you.
Who is Sander? And how did you get into this field?
“Sander is a creative man who can’t illustrate! I love the creative profession. In the past, I had various legal roles, worked as a consultant in the financial sector, and even in the aerospace industry, all very technical. I missed the creative element in my work. Through a friend, I ended up at an animation agency in Amsterdam, and from day one, I found it fantastic. Combining high-level content and creativity. I live in Zeewolde with my wife and 2-year-old daughter, and you can occasionally find me on a racing bike or sailboat.”
How did you end up at Bigfish?
“I ended up at Bigfish because in my previous job at another animation agency, I couldn’t continue to grow. I was ready for the next step, where I could focus on strategy in addition to sales. By chance, I saw the vacancy at Bigfish, and after a few interviews, it turned out to be a perfect match. In the past, I had seen Bigfish as a competitor and was already very impressed with the quality of their animation films.”
What has the recent time been like for you at Bigfish?
“Getting to know the team and the company, of course! I also got acquainted with our clients and talked to them about their needs. In addition, I have already established the first collaborations with new partners and have been busy with our own marketing campaign. I have also worked with my colleague Mayke Boef to further shape the creative sessions we provide. As we are growing rapidly, I have been working with the owners to lay the foundation to welcome even more employees in the future. It has been a very enjoyable and intensive period.”
Creative sessions?
“Yes! We want to collaborate more closely with our clients to achieve even better productions. For this purpose, we have developed very enjoyable co-creation sessions. We use such a session, for example, to create an illustration or animation style that fully aligns with the client’s identity. In these sessions, we truly work together, and you don’t have to be a creative person for that, which is the beauty of it.”
What does the near future hold for Bigfish?
“In addition to the growth at our headquarters in Eindhoven, our ambition in the short term is to expand our team in Amsterdam. We have noticed that many clients from that region have come to us in recent years. This is due to the quality we offer, but also because we are one of the few who have the capacity to produce a large amount of content simultaneously. Luckily, I also live near Amsterdam, so I am often there to serve our clients and collaborate with new colleagues.”
Does Bigfish have plans for the long term as well?
“We want to maintain quality and continue to be at the forefront of the market. Not only in the Netherlands and Belgium, but starting from 2023, we also want to further enter the German market. We already serve quite a few customers through our fully German-equipped website without doing much marketing there. Given the potential of the German market and the current players, we believe that Bigfish has a lot to gain there. Therefore, there will be additional focus on that in the coming years. Next year, we also plan to look for a German sales manager and a project manager. Perhaps in the future, a German branch as well. In any case, there are enough exciting ambitions for me to focus on in my new role as Commercial Director.”
If you would like to contact us again to create an animation (or anything else), or if you simply want to get to know Sander even better, feel free to call him at 06-52301495. He will be happy to assist you, and if a cup of coffee is waiting for him, he’ll even come over.