JAKE of all trades, master of some.
The life of a freelancer... Teaching, coaching, editing, creating marketing strategies or managing a team. Below you can read all about what's Jake up to these days!
TEACHING & COACHING
Boom Chicago Academy Instructor
Since 2021 Jake has been teaching at the Boom Chicago Academy in Amsterdam. The Boom Academy provides improv comedy classes for adult enthusiasts, under the artistic direction of Stacey Smith. His experience ranges from introduction and taster classes to scene work-, character-, shortform games- and hosting-focused classes. Jake’s teaching style is active and bold. He likes to provide specific compliments and direct feedback in order to reach his student's full potential.
InterActing Head Trainer
InterActing is a non-profit theatre school for young people on the Autism spectrum. These classes focus on dealing with the unexpected, making social connections and having fun together!
In 2021 Jake was asked by instructor Biddy Kemery to translate her during classes. In 2022 he stepped in as Head Trainer. His tasks include creating the artistic direction of the program's curriculum, teaching and team management as the program keeps growing. It now provides classes, workshops and summer school programs in three cities in the Netherlands. Several special needs schools are collaborating with the program and workshops for parents and caretakers are giving them new insights on how to interact with their children. In 2023 the InterActing House Team was formed, a show team that performs on a regular basis for diverse audiences. Lastly, in 2024 Dutch comedian Henry van Loon became ambassador of InterActing, harnessing much media attention. Because of this over-all growth, Jake has been expanding the training team he manages, which currently consists of 17 teachers and assistants.
Workshop
BEING EXTRA with Jake
“BEING EXTRA with Jake” is a workshop, created to get you out of your improv comfort zone. You will harness having an over-the-top stage presence, find the use of gimmicks in your character work and explore the power of over-acting. Big emotions, big reactions, big delivery! And who better to help you get there than an international tour de force, performing for audiences of up to 10,000: Jake!
This workshop is designed for experienced improvisors:
- For shy players taking up space and making bold choices can be daunting. We will work on giving you the tools to be bigger on stage!
- For more confident players this workshop is a workout in heightening stakes, building extravagant characters and perfecting scene energies.
Other Workshops and Coaching
Jake has taught several (corporate) improv workshops for companies such as L’Oreal, Hogeschool Rotterdam (University), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Wunderman Thompson. These group workshops provide useful knowledge on team spirit, being agreeable and building creative ideas together as seen through the lens of improvised comedy. He also creates tailored workshops: f.e. Social Media for Artists (Amsterdam Fringe Festival - How2Fringe workshops), and Inclusive Hosting (for MEZRAB). Whenever he's asked and able to find a free moment, Jake coaches semi-professional improv teams, getting them show-ready (A Welcome Distraction, Delusion Pyramid)!
CREATING CONTENT
Social Media Content
Reels, TikTok's, Shorts. Short form video content is EVERYWHERE and inescapable. Jake loves to create content through the lens of his client. He has the pleasure of being 'chef video' for the marketing department at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival and he has made content for The Diverse (Agency), Hoax LeBeau, Heisa Jynx, Fernando Troya and others. Click below to scroll through the video content of some of his collaborators!
Aftermovies
Aftermovies require musicality and visual engagement! Jake loves to give the viewer a sense of what it was like, had they been there. He makes them feel part of the experience. Jake edited aftermovies for cultural events and festivals, such as Amsterdam Fringe Festival and the Amsterdamse Popprijs. Credits for the videographers are mentioned in the caption of the videos.
Teasers
Always fun to tease your viewer... What do you show and what do you choose to hide? Here you can see some trailers, edited by Jake.
Video Portraits
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many does a video count? With a video portrait, you get the true essence of a person. Jake has edited a variety of portraits, all catered to the wishes of the person or the project it was made for.
MANAGING SOCIAL PLATFORMS
Editing content is one task, but there are many more that need to be fulfilled for it to reach the right people. Branding requires planning, scripting, filming, editing, posting and engaging on multiple platforms. Jake had the absolute pleasure of managing all social platforms from drag dj Hoax LeBeau for a bit over a year. He made the queen more visible in the online space with a fierce yet funny tone.
In 2025, he was social media manager for 'Haarlem breekt de stilte' (a campaign against sexual violence), taking a more serious approach to using social media.
MARKETING & TICKETING
Jake works as a marketeer and ticketing manager for the Amsterdam Fringe Festival. Within this position he is involved in the creation of the festival's campaign, he builds the website on which all programmed performances are featured, edits (close to) all video content the festival shares, teaches a Social Media workshop to new and upcoming makers and co-manages the festival's social accounts. Within the ticketing department, he oversees and manages all ticketing tasks. During the span of six months, he has the pleasure of working closely with a passionate group of creatives, producing a yearly festival that features around 55 makers, 250 performances in 25 locations throughout the city of Amsterdam. It's hard but extremely rewarding work.
Apart for Fringe, Jake also works as a marketeer for Fernando Troya, founder of A Pelo Productions. Troya is a maker/choreographer/dancer who creates work, touching on themes that are close to Jake's own experiences.
MODELING
Jake has done modeling for commercial brands like Philips, Gorillas, DryRobe, Kreatos, AD, Boni and more. Apart from that he enjoys experimenting with more artistic concepts, in collaboration with likeminded photographers.
