"The Netherlands is one of the best places to start a tech company," says serial entrepreneur . According to her, this has to do with the good infrastructure, the talent present and the direct way of communication in The Netherlands. So it's no wonder that Holland is at the forefront of media technology. More than enough reason for Media Perspectives and Sound and Vision to organize the Cross Media Café - Holland's Finest and let the top people have their say.
It is important to continue to stimulate Dutch talent, says Techleap. They recently launched a new website, with tools and information for startups and entrepreneurs who want to scale up internationally. Wibe van de Vijver, Director of Markets at Techleap: "We want startups to grow faster. Here in the Netherlands there is only a small market, so you have to make sure startups think of global expansion from day one".
NEP Netherlands and Ex Machina - high quality productions
NEP The Netherlands is a global player with productions in more than 65 countries. They make the largest television and internet registrations possible, such as the Oscars and the Olympic Games. CTO Peter Bruggink is proud of how NEP provides the entire workflow from creation to management and global distribution.
An extension of this service is Ex Machina Group. They develop interactive multiscreen solutions for more engagement during TV programs, events and livestreams. Their portfolio includes, for example, the Second Screen app from The Voice.
Go Spooky and MediaMonks - creativity and technology
Social first is the strategy at GoSpooky. In 2016 they started as a marketing agency with a focus on Snapchat, but their ambition is to become The Leading Social Media Company, says co-founder Tim van der Wiel. GoSpooky helps clients like Coca-Cola, Amazon and JBL with storytelling on social platforms. They see Augmented Reality as a powerful tool to immerse people in a brand. This is reflected in the campaign Out of Home for Malibu. They launched an interactive AR game on Snapchat for when you are waiting for bus or subway.
The Hilversum-based MediaMonks also focuses on the combination of creativity and technology. The creative digital production company has grown in 1,5 years from 1500 to 3000 employees and has offices in world cities like New York and Shanghai. The Corona crisis accelerates digitalization and virtualization according to Remco Vroom, Chief Growth Officer EMEA MediaMonks. This year, together with NEP, they launched a platform for virtual live events.
Prepr and smartocto - tools voor more impact
"Publishing content alone is not enough, that's where it starts," says Jouko Huisman, CEO Prepr. Prepr delivers smart content management solutions for media companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. The platform is used by almost all national radio stations. Prepr has tools that help you to really connect with your target audience and increase your impact. For example, optimization through A/B testing and personalized notifications for website visitors.
Smartocto is a tool to improve the online strategy of news editors. The company makes extensive analyses about what happens to your content. These algorithms then calculate what you can do best to increase your impact.
Media Distillery and Studio Automated - video analysis
Media Distillery and Studio Automated are not affected by the Corona crisis. Media Distillery is at the forefront in the use of artificial intelligence to analyze videos. They are involved in Deep Content Understanding for global TV and media companies, from facial recognition to subject detection.
Studio Automated, a spin-off of TNO, is also involved in video analysis. The technology of Studio Automated can detect people and objects and determine real-time which image should be broadcast. The company was launched in the corona crisis, but has been successful from day one. Partly due to the fact that no one is allowed to go to sporting events anymore, but mainly due to the scalability. Together with partners, Studio Automated manages and delivers more than 50,000 live events per year all over the world.
Sudox and 3DUniversum - digital experiences of a higher level
Sudox helps with the design and development of attractive user interfaces and interactive data visualizations. In an assignment for VPRO Tegenlicht they developed an interface for the archive of the future. Something completely different that we can also do in the Netherlands is to create and detect synthetic media.
3DUniversum has a broad portfolio in the deployment of 3D computer vision technology. They have deep fake generation software with which they can create realistic videos. Sezer Karaoglu shows in a live demonstration a deep fake in which Prime Minister Mark Rutte and President Trump have a conversation that never happened. In addition to creating synthetic media, 3DUniversum has software for detecting AI-manufactured profile photos.
The next step
After the digital transformation comes the intelligence transformation, according to , CIO Mount Holland. Data and algorithms will be added to the entire workflow. To be able to continuously innovate, innovation must be at the heart of an organization. It must be reflected in the structures, processes and tools of an organisation.
We conclude with a nice quote from Hylke: "The most scarce resource in the 21st century is attention, this is the main motivation for engagement. And engagement is created with technology and creativity."
Holland's Finest was organized by Media Perspectives, MediaMatters and The Institute for Sound and Vision. The event was made possible with the support of the RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and Creative Holland.