Amsterdam-based creative director bridging commercial excellence with cultural innovation. With 20+ years leading teams and creating powerful brand experiences, my journalism background drives storytelling that connects. Building narratives across films, installations, and brand ecosystems, using every platform to inspire and connect audiences.
Unmute Audio
Introducing Wouter Westen, a creative director who embraces versatility and excels in a variety of roles. With a wealth of skills at his disposal, he navigates between the domains of installation artistry, art direction and filmmaking. Positioned at the crossroads of film and visual art, he delves into an extensive range of genres, spanning from documentary filmmaking to multimedia installations.
Wout (born in 1973) currently resides in Amsterdam with his wife and two daughters. Following his graduation from the School of Journalism and a period of playing DJ sets in the city's nightlife scene, he dedicated himself to freelance graphic design for several years. This journey ultimately led to the establishment of the AV collective known as Circus Family in 2007. Recognized for its robust and unique graphic style, Wout's collective approach strives to unite various disciplines in the creation of compelling audiovisual experiments, yielding dynamic solutions and experiences.
The creative collective has partnered with an array of clients, including Nike, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Calvin Klein, SXSW Festival, the Van Gogh Museum, and The Smithsonian Institution, to name a few. Their work spans a wide spectrum, encompassing large scale commercial projects, autonomous video installations, and realtime visuals for diverse cultural institutions, multinational corporations, and events.
Selected Clients & Collaborations
Nike, Uber, Polaroid, vanMoof, Netflix, the Smithsonian Institution, the van Gogh Museum, IDFA Festival, SXSW Festival, Sony, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, RedBull, Cityhub, Issey Miyake, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Canon Europe, Viacom, Vodafone, ING Bank, Vlisco, Zoe Karssen, Bataleon Snowboards, EYE Film Museum, Design Pavillion NYC, Wanted Design, NYCxDESIGN, Dutch Culture USA, De School Amsterdam, Bandlab, BrusselsbyLights Festival, Les Rencontres Internationales, Various Artists & Advertising Agencies.
Exhibitions
– TRIPH [4.0] at Brussels by Light Festival, Brussels, Belgium 2022
– Hi, How R U ? 😎 FUTURES @Msheireb, Doha, Qatar 2022
– Hi, How R U ? 😎 Smithsonian Institution, Arts & Industries Building, Washington D.C USA, 2021-2022
– Under Water installation at Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2021
– HARMONY Installation at RAUM, Utrecht, The Netherlands 2019
– Turbulence exhibition at Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2019
– “How did i get here?” Solo Exhibition Circus Family at De School Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2019
– TRIPH at KANEKO “Light” Exhibition, Omaha USA, 2017
– TRIPH at UNEXPECTED FESTIVAL curated by JUSTKIDS, Arkansas USA, 2017
– TRIPH at WANTED DESIGN / NYCxDESIGN New York USA, 2017
– TRIPH at Northside Festival Brooklyn NewYork USA, 2017
– TRIPH at SXSW Festival Art Program Austin Texas USA, 2017 wout@circusfamily.com +31621224513
– Hi, How R U ? 😎 FUTURES @Msheireb, Doha, Qatar 2022
– Hi, How R U ? 😎 Smithsonian Institution, Arts & Industries Building, Washington D.C USA, 2021-2022
– Under Water installation at Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2021
– HARMONY Installation at RAUM, Utrecht, The Netherlands 2019
– Turbulence exhibition at Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2019
– “How did i get here?” Solo Exhibition Circus Family at De School Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2019
– TRIPH at KANEKO “Light” Exhibition, Omaha USA, 2017
– TRIPH at UNEXPECTED FESTIVAL curated by JUSTKIDS, Arkansas USA, 2017
– TRIPH at WANTED DESIGN / NYCxDESIGN New York USA, 2017
– TRIPH at Northside Festival Brooklyn NewYork USA, 2017
– TRIPH at SXSW Festival Art Program Austin Texas USA, 2017 wout@circusfamily.com +31621224513