This year the information magazine ‘The Enterpriser’ entered into its fifth year of publication. It is a fine opportunity to actualize the profiles of remarkable, colourful, businesslike or prominent entrepreneurs, politicians or managers of former publications. We return to November 2004. We return to Robbert Hagens.

A Brand New Challenge Using the Same Tricks

“Strangely enough the illustrations in the brochure of the Audi A3 Sport back are all made with the same trick in the studio. This is not really challenging.” This is what Robbert Hagens exposed to your editor at the end of 2004 during the test drive for the column ‘Match the car’. It was in this period that he examined his own career in the same way. “If the creative process definitely leads to the same tricks, it is time for a new challenge. This happened to be 1We - One World Experience.”

“I wanted to portray this beautiful Audi between the drive, the folly and the liveliness of Rotterdam. This fits the car,” Hagens tells. “During the ride to the centre of the city behind the wheel I talked to myself a lot. Verily, every entrepreneur takes the time to thoroughly reflect about his life from time to time. ‘Who am I? What do I want? What does the future have to offer me?”

Automatic Pilot

In the period of the test drive Hagens was an entrepreneur for almost 25 years. As a photographer he owned three private companies; amongst these were advertising photos, video television productions and digital printing. “Of course it was a wonderful undertaking time,” reports Hagens. “Because of the growth of my company I had to find a new location. I became one of the pioneers in the new business area De Hoef in Amersfoort. In the summer of the year our building was in the middle of waving fields of grain. My company grew towards six enthusiastic employees. In the meantime the gap between the creative processes widened as I was the Manager. Furthermore the daily challenge made place for the automatic pilot. I predicted my career until my pension. This was nothing for me as my original ideas were different. My plan at first was to travel around the world and record stimulating and interesting things. It could be compared to making photo reportages for the National Geographic Channel.”

Distance

The year 2005 was the turning point for Hagens. “Outside the automatic pilot I also occupied my mind with other people. I concluded that I worked for companies that only had one goal in mind. It was referring to only keeping the consumer happy. I felt this had to change. I took the time to reflect on my personal life as opposed to my professional technical discipline. I distanced myself from my company and released my plans for a new cross medial concept together with Jan Douwe Kroeske during the timeframe of one year. In this period the real Hagens was born. I came up with the concept of 1We – One World Experience needed to result into a refreshingly new method of development cooperation. 1We- One World Experience saw the light. In this year of transition I sold all three of my private companies. This was a step that in turn confronted me with feelings of mourning for almost a year.

Development

More than two years ago Hagens reconstructed the former bakery behind his house to a secretariat. This was to generate revenue where he still occupied himself on a ‘modest’ scale with audiovisual productions through his company BrainWaveStudios. The lion’s share of his time was what he spent with his international new style development organization where the television part of 1We and the development part One World Experience completed and strengthened each other. It is an organization in which entrepreneurs and private persons cooperate in many ways in projects for countries requiring development.

Talent

The targets are socially involved enterprising and developing the talent of people in disadvantaged areas. It really is a powerful initiative where the development cooperation receives a new and powerful injection. 1We – One World Experience in the meantime has six Ambassadors. They carry out the message 1We stands for: another way of thinking to reach new initiatives towards development cooperation. The Ambassadors are Albertine van Vliet-Kuiper, the Mayor of the city of Amersfoort, Manager of the Berghotel Amersfoort Harold Warmelink and Fazila Sciberras, President of the European Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry (EEIG) for Malta and The Netherlands.

Hagens can look back at two intense, challenging and creative years. “In ten years I hope that this organization covers the world and that we maintain at least fifty projects thanks to maybe a thousand companies.” 1We in the view of Hagens has a long and creative future.

Source: The Enterpriser / Text Arjan Klaver / Photography Sjaak Ramakers (January 2008)