Erik Kessels (1966) was born in Roermond – close to the border of Belgium. He grew up in a small village. When he found out that the most creative job in town was window dresser, that’s what he wanted to become. Kessels went to Sint Lucas in Boxtel to study window dressing, decorating and advertising. There he found out that advertising was more interesting, so he started as ad illustrator at Ogilvy & Mather Eindhoven, while in the evenings attending the Academy of Arts. After Ogilvy, Kessels worked at Kuipers & Schouten and Chiat/Day London, with creative partner Johan Kramer. In 1996 the agency KesselsKramer was founded in Amsterdam. Today it is renowned all over the world. Next to his job as advertiser, Kessels loves photography; he is collector, curator, publisher and magazine editor.
As a kid, what were your most creative moments?
As a kid I was pretty much drawing all the time, but I was never thinking: “Hey, I have a creative moment right now”. This is something you should never ‘name’ yourself.
Which creative effort has given you the most satisfaction?
The most satisfaction I get when over a period of time you’re able to create and tell a story with a client or a certain project. This can only happen when all the circumstances are right and when there’s a mutual trust.
What fascinates you?
I feel inspired by a lot of different things, mostly these things are about investigating the less ordinary. This you’ll find in many different disciplines.
Who is your favourite creator?
Dave Eggers, Charles Bukowski, Steve Reich, Aphex Twin, Tygers of Pantang, AC/DC, Motörhead, Ulrich Seidl, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Haneke, Christian Boltanski, Marlene Dumas, Tibor Kahlman, George Lois, Helmut Krone and many more. Names of people who’s work come back to me and inspire me more than regular.
When did you decide, I want to work in advertising?
In the beginning I worked a lot as an illustrator, which after a certain period I found very lonely working at. In an advertising agency I found people from different backgrounds working together and enjoyed this. Ogilvy & Mather had an office in Eindhoven at that time and offered me the first job.
What’s your most important lesson in advertising?
Life’s too short to spent with assholes
What’s the most exciting ad project you ever worked on?
I think this will be the long lasting campaign for the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel. With a raise in overnights from 60.000 to 145.000 in 10 years of campaigning.
What’s your favourite place in Amsterdam?
Lunch: Koffiehuis ‘De Hoek’ Prinsengracht
Restaurant: ‘Le Hollandais’ Amsteldijk
Market: Albert Cuyp
Café: ‘De Eland’, Elandsgracht
Shop: Parallaxe, Pieter Langendijk straat
Park: Sarphatiepark
What would you like to change in Amsterdam?
I would like to see an increase in tolerance, this is something where Amsterdam once was famous for, but which is slowly disappearing. The city has everything in itself to gain this back again.
