Nothing - Commercial Creativity EN

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Vanessa Smit, Account Director
Vanessa Smit /Account Director (1980)
I was an avid ballet dancer in my younger years, convinced I was going to be the next Alexandra Radius. I was part of a dance company in Zeeland and loved to perform. However, training 5 days a week, torturing myself with those 'spitzen' I felt that such a career would last no longer than a decade. Finishing high school in Amsterdam, I knew I had to make a decision and when I turned 18 I reluctantly moved to Breda to study International Tourism Management.
It took me one week to figure out that I didn't want to work so that someone else could go on holiday. So I applied for a Leisure Management study. As a graduate student specialising in Media & Marketing I looked for a placement and ended up in the strategy department of an international advertising agency in Amsterdam.
There I realized creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, and that I needn't be a prima ballerina to work with creative people.
After graduating in 2003, I was spoiled forever and couldn't think of a better job than mine. And it didn't involve pointy shoes, which was a bonus. I worked both in account- and strategy positions at several agencies, before starting at Nothing.

Vanessa Smit