People! Good day, good evening and good night wherever you're connecting from in this wonderful
world. Welcome to the Sunside Kingdom Show, the place where we highlight individuals with roots
and or associations from the sunny side of the Dutch Kingdom. These accomplished persons are
true role models and examples of what can be achieved when we apply hard work, perseverance
and deep focus. I'm your host John Sandefur, aka Jam Sandefur and let's get into today's episode.
People! Welcome to the Sunside Kingdom Show. Mr. Cosmos, thank you very much for joining us here
today in our studio slash office slash multitask in space for the Sunside Kingdom Show. Mr. Cosmos
has been an amazing, I can say friend and associate in the early days and I've seen this guy
grown on his journey in these last couple years and been doing some amazing things.
Well, it started first just right here in the city, expanded into the rest of the Netherlands
and now he's slowly taking over bigger parts of Europe. When you put it like that, but it's
the God on his truth, bro. That's true, that's true, that's true. So welcome to the show.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks for having me first of all. My name is Derek Cosmos.
I was born in Aruba. I lived a few years in Kruis or a few months in Jamaica. I lived here,
I'm living here in the Netherlands for about 15 years or more or less. And I'm originally from
St. Nicholas, chocolate city. And yeah, I've been living here for the last 15 years.
It's been amazing learning a lot, still learning. Yeah. So just one of those guys from St. Nicholas
on here in the Netherlands trying to do something good. Yeah. The knowledge and the creativity.
So Derek, how would you describe your, I would say hobby turned passion turned part-time profession?
How would I describe that? That's something difficult to describe for me because
I never- Just in your own words. So what's your profession? What's my profession right now?
A bit of everything. Like how do you see in the Netherlands? In Scarpe met Wijfpoelter.
I started as a photographer taking pictures, me and you, taking pictures of sneakers
and taking pictures of my wife back in the days for her sneakers, for my sneakers,
et cetera, et cetera. And slowly I got into CrossFit and then
got into CrossFit. And then by just taking pictures and loving taking pictures, just
experimenting with your camera, just trying new stuff and doing a lot of research. And I
started doing a lot more than that. At the moment we are running a, doing the media and the marketing
from several CrossFit events in Europe, like you just said. And right now we have the first
beginners competition, which is a CrossFit license event in the Netherlands and in Benelux in Europe,
the first one. So what exactly does that mean? We are licensed by CrossFit HQ. Okay. We are able to
use that name CrossFit. And for those that don't fully, they are not emerging the whole CrossFit
scene because yeah, I dabbled in it briefly, but couldn't hang with you fanatics. So I exited
quite quickly. What exactly does that mean? What is CrossFit HQ? So with the knowledge that I have,
CrossFit has always been there. It never had a name. It never had a patent. So it's, they always,
actually all American football training, people do American football training, they're doing CrossFit.
Football has been doing CrossFit. Baseball has been doing CrossFit. It's functional training,
functional fitness. And they, what CrossFit did, they put a name, they put a brand and they calling
it CrossFit. But it did experiment a lot more with the sport and it's a way to test your fitness level.
So that is CrossFit. But if you want more details, I would advise your listeners to Google it and YouTube it.
Yeah. So what we do is we're just doing the media. Doing the media of those particular events. Yes,
exactly. So let's maybe go back, rewind a bit more. So you're just a guy for the media.
You're just a guy from St. Nicholas. Describe what it was like growing up in St. Nicholas in Aruba
and sort of maybe from when to when, what was the period that you lived there?
So when growing up in St. Nicholas was really nice. It's community. Everyone knew each other.
Even though I had some bad guys in the neighborhood, they know who's your mother. Don't come.
They're doing the bad things. They will tell you, you're not supposed to be here. So they would have.
So the OGs, the OGs looking out and making sure that the good guys, the smart guys, the smart young bucks.
Yeah. Do something with the talent. Okay. Okay. So growing up, I did a lot of things. I played baseball.
I played basketball. I played volleyball, a little bit of football. There was a period of time that I was trying to be a DJ.
So I had my denim, I had my CDs back in the days. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 100 CDs flipping those backs. I had a couple of those.
That was like 144 because that's a division by four. Yeah. Yeah. You got to do the math on that one. Yeah. Yeah. It was case logic.
What were the bags? I think it's logic. Yeah. Something like that. So I had a lot of CDs.
So then I got my computer. So I got my computer and I started selling CDs
because that was those hard days with Napster was on and not everyone had that
internet not everybody didn't know about Napster. Yeah yeah I was one of those
early pioneers too I dabbled in that as well. So I helped a lot with that all the
guys in playing basketball or whatever in the neighborhood you know they wanted
the newest tunes so I used to download or just buy the original CD and record it
for them yeah yeah and make some money buy more CDs. Nowadays that's not allowed.
So but growing up in St. Nicholas was really nice I learned a lot from parties
to sports. So it sounds like you was a pretty active guy growing up
yeah always involved in sports then and then then music parties are always
active so not... I was all over all over so yeah where there was I was in
athletic too at time. So athletics yeah so you what in particular? 100-200 and 5k.
Okay that's that that requires very different skills right the 100-200 is
similar but the 5k is a whole other. Yeah but I used to love the 5k the 5k was not
enough for me okay the 100 and 200 was I really used to love those two but the 5k
was just like I could do 5k I can do 10k yeah yeah that was in my thing yeah try
to couple of times but the 5k is enough yeah yeah yeah yeah all right so so that
that yeah that also gives me a little bit more perspective on on how the
connection later with the CrossFit would then would would would ignite a certain
fire in you yeah yeah yeah and you know if you go back into those days you
should have this guy this guy maybe you you heard about him this guy called his
name is Mike Loss he's a DJ on the island he's he's he's the David
Rodigan on the island so he had these he had a boss and he had speakers
in the box yeah so before the party he used to pass around all the schools with
the mic and the party announcements and stuff like that so he was a portable
radio station then yeah like like what whether you tune in and locked into him
or not you're gonna hear him he was social media before we had social media
on the island so I learned a lot from those guys they were doing some amazing
marketing and and with the tools that they had yeah and all of these things
in common in handy right now with what I do yeah without doing without without
going to the university for this so so if we fast-forward now from Aruba and
then before you got to the Netherlands there's a bit of there's a bit of
interesting story in between there or not yeah yeah so there was a time I
wasn't doing much so my father told me a unit to do something which it life so
ranker so and because I was always messing up with computers and stuff like
that and my father told me look you want to you have to do something I arranged
already course for you to do yeah Microsoft Atlas so you come to come to
Atlas so that's an official degree for you to repair computers that's it I see
I see so I did that and when cursor I went and did a curse course and I
finished the course so then when I went back to Ruben I worked there in a
computer computer store for a while and then afterwards during that period I saw
a lot of my friends there was coming to coming from the Netherlands yeah
vacation or some of them finished school so how old are you now at that point
21 21 something 22 yeah so they coming back from the Netherlands and and I
seen these guys and they got degree that all this stupid guy go have a degree
he working with the bank now he only finished and beyond I mean Marvel and he
went to the Netherlands like I'm like what these guys in doing so so if he
could do that I could do that too so I was just thinking about it so I started
started to do some research but I put on pause so then I meet up with these
people and because right beside the computer place I used to work this half
this Jamaican restaurant mm-hmm so I met this guy called Daniel Wilson Daniel
Wilson yes or Daniel Wilson so he he was the ambassador from Jamaica in the whole
Caribbean oh snap yeah so so he just he was visiting the restaurant no no he was
the owner from the rest he was the owner of the restaurant but he was living in
Aruba yes okay yeah interesting so most of the time when you want a vision to go
on in the Caribbean to apply by by Trinidad's but ambassador and Trinidad
yeah for you to go all the places because he was living Aruba he could do
it for the ABC islands because he had a Dutch passport and a Jamaican passport
okay so when I was living there we had soul beach for those people I'm listening
to then no most people in the Caribbean over soul beach so I'll be still
happening right if I'm not mistaken yes so I did a couple of soul beach with him
he asked me hey listen because I was helping him back in the days with some
stuff with marketing you know we helped him with a Facebook and stuff like that
to help him with party peeps to organize a party peeps for his restaurant those
little things high fives you know those yeah we created so basically the very
early beginning days of social media you helped them set up all those profiles
etc yeah and then for simple things and I wasn't even getting paid in the
beginning yeah so he would just say like hey you will get like two food a day
yeah yeah so I wasn't helping him to get money I would just help me as a friend
yeah so but every time so beach would come on on the island well regular
Caribbean thing many times many times many times when we first started off
yeah a lot of these things aren't really paid no but it is experience yes it is
experience yeah so then every time so beach came on the island experience and
building relationships yeah exactly so every time so beach came on the island
and there was a reggae concert or whatever a hip-hop artist common island
mm-hmm I had a job mm-hmm so then you had a paid job okay you see so he was
helping me with whatever I had to do yeah he would make sure I would be in
the payroll yeah so I wasn't getting nothing to help him with a restaurant
yeah but whenever I had a concert of whenever I had a party or whatever he
would just put in the payroll yeah and so basically like like when when there
was those additional opportunities that that there was an additional flow of
cash coming in then he would make sure that you would get a cut from that
because of the loyalty and everything else that was already happening before
exactly those those some key lessons there are those some key lessons there
yeah and then the nice part of all of this is that we never said okay I you
help me and I'll help you back it was happening naturally natural yeah and
sometimes like in business you have to you have to say it yeah yes yeah but it
was such a nice thing that I didn't have to tell him a so I'm doing all this
thing for you am I getting something mm-hmm so again it's an investment yeah
so right now I'm very happy I mean when you're 20 21 is a different thing than
when you 35 plus so exactly like at that age you could more afford to just kind
of just go with the flow etc you you still figuring out what you want to do
in life or where you want to go you see in friends coming back according to you
that's stupid guy got a degree now with a big job like that doesn't make no sense
like I could do that shit yeah so there's still a lot figuring out and
along the way you're making connections building relationships and and and
seeing where things go yes exactly so then so how did soul beach connect to
jamrock no so it's a goddess lady what it is called it she's the original boss
lady anybody in the music industry in Jamaica know her as Sharon Burke she
runs the solid agency so she used to come that that particular year Sean Paul
came to the island when Sean Paul was hot yeah Sean Paul came to the island 2002
three one I think three three so Sean Paul came on the island was so this
country Sean Paul was on fire yeah and they they had a big show so she came
with with Sean Paul and the show was massive the show was massive so and that
was the same year I think or the year before after that I met Kevin Hart okay
yeah we didn't have no cell phones that was that was what so plain Kevin Hart yeah
for the kids that just know this modern Kevin Hart you gotta go look up Kevin
Hart before you became Kevin Hart so plain Kevin Hart yeah yeah I mean it's a
funny movie it's stupid as hell but it's cool still so so we met we met Kevin
Hart we mentioned Paul we had so I had to I met in the highway I I saw the last
time Fujis was together oh on the island oh the food is a lot of people don't know
this and you may maybe maybe you the first one could say this the Fujis the
Fujis reunion was on a ruba I I actually remember hearing about this yes yes yes
that was a pretty big deal yes yes yes but Lauren Hill wasn't really feeling it
like all this yeah she did perform but it wasn't really really thanks to Wyclef
and Prass it was like wow because Wyclef I mean Prass came on the stage and
really you know put the hype on the mic and and and but Lauren Hill was in the
long hill back in the days yeah yeah yeah I even met Eve oh yeah she was an island
what are you calling Rough Riders again the pit bull the I forget I can't remember
the name no but she had a she had a nickname though so then so what was
happening the Danny Danny I call him Danny so he was expanding his restaurant
so he told me hey I'm going to Jamaica I'm gonna buy some things I'm gonna make
some I need new partners I need to be there to talk to these people that you
see if we could get a better price and deal I'm gonna send a container from
Jamaica to Aruba with some new new new stuff and new stuff merchandise yeah so
we basically set up a new location and we went to Jamaica and there is where I
met Sharon Burke again so Sharon saw that was on the island is Jamaica and
she told me hey come cross so I went there there is where I met Wyclef sorry
Wyclef elephant man elephant man Movado and shit Movado that that's that's early
early move on before yeah yeah yeah because this is what 2004 or 5 yeah
something like that because I'm a vado they don't pop until like no 6 or 7 yeah
but he was singing a lot on the ground yeah yeah and bounty killer to bounty
killer bounty a bounty killer actually Sharon was knew that I was a big fan of
bounty kill because I met her in Aruba she asked me which is your favorite
the reggae dancehall artist I said bounty killer and then she was like yeah okay
if you come to make her I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna make sure you
meet bounty killer so bounty she called he was by the studio by solid agency she
called bounty killer we are right now yeah I have a big fan who I'm once a
meter and he was by car wash oh shit and back in those days he was driving the
the Rover the white one so remember his car but by the car wash that's him talk
to him and yeah some nice memories nice memories and there is where we had I
think those is also some of the things that we connected on early in the days
when we when we first started talking the dancehall music I was deep deep in
into dancehall music bounty killer was also one of my top top guys elephant
man yeah we later on Movado came out by this time you already a bit more grown
so it's a bit of a different dynamic than when there's a teenage version of
you listening to any time we hungry again they might go see we yeah yeah yeah
no but it was a nice nice experience so basically when Sharon Burke was seeing
all the what I was doing with soul beach so she told me like a direct look I need
someone like you to help me with some parties in Jamaica and free to travel
with me oh so I did a couple of months traveling with her in Jamaica and then
we went to Europe then you went to Europe to some parties but only with
Bounty Killer and some other artists to some concerts and that was it then is
when I spoke to I met this guy if you know if you know the reggae music you
know him probably which is his name is David Rodigan
okay so Sharon maybe let me let me come back with a question then so just a
quick observation actually what started with meeting someone connected helping
out with them setting up social media accounts and getting some food in
return so what what are we talking jerk chicken jerk chicken jerk chicken I know
that was one of your favorites not anymore because Derek Derek will explain
the vegan life in a short bit most likely but that's that's another thing
we had in common before but those days are over I'll still eat my jerk chicken
my jerk so started with helping out just for some jerk chicken which led into you
collaborating more and more and and helping him on different projects and
parties going to one of the biggest events on Aruba the soul beach where this
this this happens every year right pretty much once a year and and and and
some of the biggest artists in the world come to soul beach Aruba so that then
connected you to a whole other atmosphere from being the guy at home
playing and scratching on Denims to now being connected to these big names and
that in turn led to again through the restaurant situation led to you going
to Jamaica where connections that you met that soul beach also started to
introduce you to the bigger music industry within Jamaica which then led
to you being on tour with some of your dance hall idols so it all started with
just helping out a cool dude for some jerk chicken in return to actually being
on tour with your idols yes that's that's some real-life shit there guys
that's a real-life lessons there so continue I'm going to Europe I wish I
wish we had social media on our phones like right right now back in the days
because I think I would have 100k followers most of these things I never
get a chance to to take pictures and because I wasn't really into to taking
pictures back in the days and I regret it right now because I have no proof of
all of none of these things I mean you got the memories I got the memories I
got them and who do you have to prove to do no no no no but I have I have a
couple of pictures but yeah you know yeah so long ago yeah yeah yeah I
remember seeing one with Damien Marley yeah yeah actually that's like 2005 is
right that that's really like Jamrock Damien yeah yeah yeah so yeah yeah so
um I did a couple of tours with them and so where all you guys went in Europe we
went to Switzerland we went to Germany we went to Belgium we went to a few
stops in the Netherlands if you ever been to a real concert in the Netherlands
you will know that sometimes just on a Tuesday night or Thursday night they will
have a reggae artist pop up and that's how what you were doing so the good
thing was that I was speaking English Spanish and Dutch yeah and I had a
Dutch passport so I could go anywhere anywhere like just like that yeah the
Jamaican artists then we got a lot of trouble and we got a lot of arrangement
with visas etc yeah yeah so she was really happy with me and but then I
think we was I can't remember which one which concert it was but I met this this
guy called David Rodigan you know the name wants us all familiar but I'm not
sure so they were all gone is is is the the the English man that's what I call it
for fell in love with reggae music so so if you if you Dutch and you live in and
then you live your parents love reggae music is more probably because of him
because he started promoting reggae music yeah on on BBC long time ago yeah
and and I met him and he told me do what you love and love what you do but don't
forget to have always have other things that keep experimenting and don't keep
only on one part yeah so the whole time I was thinking about it when I was going
back a little bit so like okay what should I do I'm making good money like
I made good money on this tour and then I went back home I started I connect I
call I send a mail to mail MSN messenger so I'm chatting to a good friend of mine
and I told her like a so what do I need to do to get to go back to school so she
told me like actually it's pretty easy so she sent me a couple of links she even
send boss for me okay with with all those introductions from from schools
from MBO etc etc so thinking about the situation I was and I was like no I'm
not I'm not gonna go school and and get depth yeah yeah so I did the baby I love
letting you stay not like we hear the baby I love letting yeah so so in in
English that would translate to that you you go to school for a couple hours in
the week and then the rest of the week you're working right yeah so I was
going to school once a week and for about six to eight hours and then four
times a week I was working with a company that is certified for that
degree yeah for network administration that would be the name I think yes so
so ICT network administration yeah and and I think there's also like a really
really interesting deep lesson here because many of us coming from the
Caribbean as I would say especially the Dutch Caribbean I'm not a hundred percent
sure of how it exactly flows with those from the English Caribbean but many of us
coming from the Dutch Caribbean we we leave home at 17 18 19 and we move to
the Netherlands and we begin to study but immediately we we receive a
scholarship to study and then we're full-time students and this scholarship
is in in most cases it's it's a loan a loan that you would have to pay back at
the end of the at the end of the road and what I'm hearing here is because how
old were you when when when you were thinking to start back school 23 24 24
24 so there's already six years of like real adult life experience that took
place before making that decision to go back to school right so you also look at
things very differently at that point the 17 18 year olds they parents just
tell you hey you got to go to school sign here they give you like this very
brief explanation of what it means and you sign and you go and it isn't until
you start hitting 24 25 and and and and and really start looking at those
statements that you like dude what the hell do I owe here for this school is
this degree even worth all of that so yeah I was a victim of one of those
traps and it's and it's definitely something that I want to highlight and
and uncover and talk more about that's that's that's another reason why I find
your story to be interesting because you saw persons that you grew up with they
did the standard move which is you emigrate from the Caribbean from the
Dutch Caribbean come to the Netherlands you study you take on a lot of depth
then potentially you either return back to the islands or you start working in
the Netherlands or elsewhere but that depth remains and that's something that
you have to pay and and deal with before you can actually like really move on
with your life and for us at least in our age bracket and I can imagine that
is gonna be even trickier now for those that are about 10 years younger than us
so let's say those that are born in the mid 90s to early 2000 yeah because we're
going through these whole corona times and and and we're knocking on the door
of WW3 not the WWF but and not the WWE but the WW3 so you figure out what that
means it's gonna be a very turmoil and different situation so like in my day it
was we after 2008 coming off the financial crisis by the time we hit
around 2012 ish you weren't you weren't really able to get a proper mortgage
with so much student debt yeah and and and just to clarify things I for those
that are that are right now students going through the whole process or any
upcoming students that are about to to move up it's it's something that you
have to very carefully consider and and really seek to get help and and proper
financial understanding of what that means because it will have a big effect
on on your life on your future yeah so you already made a grown decision at 24
not going to go into any student debt in order to get this education so let's
fast-forward education what three four years two years two years okay because
what was happening because on the island when I was working for this computer
place I decided to invest on myself so after the course I did in the in
crucial the a plus Comtia a plus and right after that I did the M plus the
Comtia M plus so there was a network behavior yeah so when I moved to the
Netherlands with these two degrees they it basically cuts because the network
behavior operating was four years okay so I caught it in how you cut it in half
because you already got certain certificates in Aruba so that allowed
you to not Aruba official because the schools and the easy to planning yeah
the courses the lessons they that you're getting is based on a plus and based on
the M plus okay so they give you a small the the the exam is a small basic from
the a plus and M plus okay so with having those those two degrees the like
there was like okay you don't be you get in for these two fuck yeah so shit was
was selling in English again exception yeah exemption exemption so so because
you did well you got those certificates which which dealt with certain subject
matters that you would also be doing in in in college so then they exempt you
from from different courses and that allowed you to take something that would
have taken four years and and and slice it down to two years yes yeah yeah so
that was like heaven for me yeah that is the I'm very very happy I didn't did
didn't do no no no student loan because I've seen a lot of friends that's with
with trouble right now yeah we're still the non so but I got I guess it was one
of the best decisions ever yeah nice man so so now we're in
graduating and then and then you started working in that field right so as a ICT
yes so system network network administrator network administrator
okay yeah so maybe describe a little bit about what what that job entails mmm I
could be different things so be a network administrator is like it depends
on how your day goes and it depends on where you're working because I've worked
at different places and it did and it depends on your job description because
they can it's very broad yeah the network administration and you don't
know what type of job you're gonna get yeah so when I was working by the
community over so that's the government of ain't over for all of our English
guys out there yeah so when I was working at that community I was pretty
much the third line when for example your computer's not working they will
you will take the phone you will call someone was try to help you and if they
cannot help you they will send someone to your desk and they will try to fix it
if that's not a problem then they will send me good then meets a something else
is wrong okay yeah that could be one of the options and the second option is
that there's a network failure something is not working you have networking you
have you're basically doing everything that has to do with network so you can
have a lot of different computers in any any any office and all them connecting
you're sharing files and all those things so basically the whole day you
just troubleshooting problems that yes or having or you're taking thinking on
innovations to make it more faster and more efficient efficient for the clients
okay okay so that and and this is a job that you currently still do to some
degree right more or less okay more or less I'm not really doing it the same
thing because I am doing less right now because of my company yeah I decided to
take something more relaxing a nine-to-five because when you're a
network administrator oh if stuff goes down middle of the night you might have
to be on call etc yes yeah sometimes need a drive and most most of the jobs
right now with us as a network on its administration you are either the whole
day behind a computer and remotely solving problems or you know you drive
into the location two locations and I didn't want that okay I did it a couple
of years and I didn't want that anymore so essentially what you're doing now is
it's still more or less in in the corner of network administration but it more
the administration part okay down more the administration than the than the
network so to be more specific I at the moment I'm working at Philips healthcare
and we have a lot to do with ICT sorry with MRI scanners x-rays yeah stuff like
that so they all use computers yeah just to be to keep it simple yeah yeah yeah
so in interesting so again I'm just kind of puzzling this these these pieces
together so the guy that was very interested in in being active sports
activities well I met your dad at some point and I could see where that that
also comes from yeah I didn't say that I didn't say nothing but I could tell you
some things if you want to if you want to just briefly mention but yeah so so
coming to being being this active guy active guy that was also interested in
in dabbling with with computers at some point dad says hey you got to you you
got to pull your socks up and and figure it figure this out so got got like the
first degrees and then because it's it's part of the interest the computers is
part of the interest but being active is part of the interest the entertainment
side is part of the interest so all these different interests it was just
juggling juggling eventually then education wise you chose a path of the
computers but then sort of the entertainment part sneak back up around
2013 2014 with with with the camera and taking those early pictures of the
sneakers yeah so maybe let's take it from from that moment on now from to
when I start taking pictures when you start taking pictures and how and how
that really really started to evolve some of the highlights of when you first
started taking pictures so it it happened like this so I think we was
looking to sneakers I was I was always buying sneakers but when I moved to the
Netherlands I had a chance to get those really fresh yes yes the exclusive ones
yeah what you have on the islands what everybody has those and yeah if you had
connections and friends and family living in the States they could have
you're gonna sit tell them they send them over of when your convocation brings
some fresh person so basically I started to buy sneakers and started posting on
my Instagram and slowly we I again some followers and people telling me like a
listen we don't get those pairs in the US can you buy them they do this do they
still have them can you buy them for me and I'll send you the money you ship it
for me so I did it a couple of times and I make money out of it and because it's
a big business there yeah yeah the sneaker reselling is crazy so I did some
reselling I started taking pictures for myself because I was basically if I
wanted to buy a new pair and I got a message a this is coming out in a few
days can you buy two for me and I was a okay I would buy two for you I would
double up the price and I will buy one for myself and then yeah send him seven
send him the sneakers so I would pretty much get a sneaker for free yeah so I
was was was taking pictures then no sorry I didn't take no pictures down yet
then I we had the basketball thing rock the rim and you take up you took a
picture from me a couple of pictures from the 11 lows yeah so on cards the
concourse yeah yeah yeah so for the kids that don't know a Jordan 11 con cards
lows look them up space jumps the original space jump not a really brown
special so you took those pictures and then and then I really like the quality
from the picture so I was like okay so what type of camera you I mean can I do
the Derek expression then yeah you know this is calm Derek right yeah yeah this
is common but get Derek in in a hype zone you get hype Derek it is like that
camera taking that what yeah yeah yeah so then then the research started so
yeah which cameras should I buy which lamps should I buy I remember getting
quite a few phone calls yeah in the beginning and then at some point you
were like yeah I'm gonna do a course I like yeah go ahead do the course man and
you seem like you're interested in that stuff go ahead the funny thing is I
never did a course no no never no never never never I swear you did no no no no
so you didn't do any of the photography courses no no I did I did I think right
before the corona I did a studio photography okay studio course from
yeah that's time you already taking pictures for years yeah but then so
there's a lot of research spoke to a lot of people and Instagram is a big help
back then Instagram was totally different I made a lot of good friends
and then Charlie to a lot of people acts accent sending DMs so from what
dancers using what camera using and I made a couple of mistakes buying the
wrong camera buying the wrong lenses because people with no knowledge would
tell you in the camera stores like no you don't need that you you don't you
don't need that lens it's too professional for you not directly but
yeah yeah indirectly yeah that's basically what it comes down to yeah so
I then look I bought the D 3300 and with a 50 millimeters 1.8 okay so that was
the first camera so I was taking a lot of pictures with it a lot of pictures
and then I started doing crossword so basically you remember that first
introduction yeah yeah yeah yeah so I was pretty much bored and I I gained a
lot of weight and then I think I was introduced I think by Claire herself
Claire and my gay they went to to introduction class by Paul Hose and I
remember signing up for my first crossfit training and I fainted and I
vomited so then took me like two weeks to recover shit yeah yeah I had been all
over I had a kind of a similar experience and that's that's so I
basically read like fuck that because that that that first trainer
Jeremy Jeremy yeah yeah so Jeremy at that point there was like what 20 21
1918 18 19 like like super super fit guys super fanatic yeah he went on to
become he was a couple of times I think the problem not sticking the fittest
man from from the Netherlands yeah so that that's basically the top title
that you can get that's a crossfit athlete fun from your country from your
country and he went also a couple of times to the CrossFit Games yeah which
is the Olympics from CrossFit you can compare it to that yeah so so well I'm
not really plug in CrossFit but there's a couple documentaries on Netflix where
you can see this stuff right yeah it's it's pretty fun and interesting to
watch but yeah that first time that one of my first experiences was with that
was with Jeremy so being this young guy not not fully understanding that not
everyone is coming there to train to eventually compete in the CrossFit
Olympics I was just trying to be in shape don't try and kill me on the first
day yeah so yeah with my busy schedule I said fuck that and I gave up hey but you
continued yeah yeah yeah so I continued then so around that time Jeremy had
just signed he did a low lens which at that time was the biggest events CrossFit
events in the Netherlands the low lens and I think he he got right after that
he got a contract on OrangeFit so he got a contract for OrangeFit and then he he
needed pictures but right before he asked me to take pictures the owner rest
in peace Jan Heng he saw my my social media and he told me hey daddy I need a
couple of pictures for my my social media I need to do something can you help
me this this weekend I got us we have a small event can you take some pictures
so I was like hmm yeah sure why not I never did CrossFit I never took pictures
from CrossFit yeah and he he liked the pictures after that so after that he
told me can you do this more often I'm like okay and he told me like how much
do you want and then then two weeks later we had a meeting he said no we
spoke business and that was my first photography meeting yeah a month after I
was taking pictures from Jeremy mm-hmm his sponsor OrangeFit a lot of time
just started they didn't have no content they saw the pictures because I was
tagging Jeremy and Jeremy Jeremy was tagging me mm-hmm so they asked me
hey can we get more of those pictures so we sit down we call then we call yeah
and we had a meeting and and we spoke business but it was all I wasn't making
a lot of money with it back back in the days because there was only two of us
really doing this in the Netherlands yeah one of them is social is social name
is barbell photography his name is cutting he's a very smart guy and very
technical with photography so he was the only one really doing it fanatic like me
yeah the other guys and they have some hobbyist taking pictures so there
wasn't really doing a lot of stuff like how we both of you was doing so then I
decided to not do something about this so that story I told you about that guy
on the island passing with a with a van and shouting a the party going to be
next week blah blah blah blah I got ideas from him yeah so I went to all
the cross it boxes in the area because if you go on crossing.com you will find
out all the affiliates I ran by them I told them look I'm going to come take
pictures from your box during classes minimum two hours you are allowed to use
maximum you just your box or your social media five pictures with my logo the
rest of the pictures your your your people the community is allowed to use
it there's the the supporters allowed to use the pictures but you're not allowed
to use the pictures on your website nothing on your socials Instagram and
Facebook yeah there was happy you know Dutch people it's really what I'm needs
yeah yeah so what was happening they gained a lot of followers right after I
shared the album with them because I shared I used to share the album on
Facebook yeah and everybody should talk the box hmm they supposed and talk the
box yeah and the way it was getting a lot of people was asking those people
hey what type of sport is that yeah yeah and then the the the people use
explain them like hey this is crossfit blah blah and they used to come and do a
trial so what was happening there was getting clients yeah and then is when
the boxes asked me hey what do you charge per hour or can we get all those
pictures because I need to update my website yeah I need to do some
marketing for my Facebook and Instagram and back I think back in those days you
couldn't really promote on Instagram but you could have promote on Facebook yeah
so they wanted to do that but I was doing the promotion for powerhouse so
all of these gyms in the area of ain't over was seen powerhouse pictures
pictures pictures like oh promotion mm-hmm so I just got those ideas and then
and I use them and I execute it yeah after after like I did it for two months
I visit all the boxes in the area after those two months I think I was booked
like every weekend every weekend so you definitely you definitely went out there
and started to introduce yourself to these to these boxes started to promote
what you do in your skills as a so we maybe didn't touch that as much then in
the conversation but as a Caribbean man up until that point the job that you did
the the previous well your main work up until that point was more focused on
having interactions with I wouldn't say customers but having interactions with
colleagues that you're supporting on the network inside but this is now a whole
different dynamic where you have to go out and meet and sell to people that you
don't know that also don't know you that aren't aware of your skill set of what
you have to offer what's your added value so how was that whole experience
like for you it was for me it was pretty much natural because I had to do with
sports yeah I had to do with the language crossfit sports it was it was
because at that point then maybe to give a little bit more context you are already
like seriously into CrossFit for about a year before you took those pictures for
Jeremy yeah yeah yeah so I was so he was already a part of that community for
some time so I did a lot of YouTube again a lot of information I got really
into the sport and maybe to give a bit more context as well because the
CrossFit started what was it like two three years after you were already busy
that you already busy with the photography taking pictures of the
sneakers etc because you really honed your craft and learn how to work with
the camera and lighting and different creative techniques taking pictures of
sneakers for fun yeah yeah yeah yeah so I was doing the sneaker part like two
years two three years yeah so I learned to take pictures let's call it portraits
yeah but then when you do sports and indoor you have to do with have to deal
with light you have to deal with fast movements and understanding the sport
yeah so those three together is the mix it's really really difficult to take the
perfect picture yeah but again again the beauty in the story is that you spend
time honing the craft of photography in something completely separate where at
least you learn how to work with the camera properly then you spend time just
personally working out in the sport and becoming part of the community and
really truly understand in the sport yes and again that passion for really
and truly needing to understand the sport comes from the young guy that was
into all these different sports so he showed back up then sharing all of those
pictures on Instagram also had a bit of the entertainment aspect and and the
social media showcasing stuff to the world which would sort of touch back on
that entertainment journey that you are on for some time yeah so then when the
step came to make pictures in CrossFit which had to do with these three
different dynamics that you just mentioned can you name them again so
lighting lights yeah light so because it's indoor and movements movement yeah
understanding the sports yeah so essentially the light you already had some
experience with but you needed to up that craft and then the movement was
really the part that was the most new that needed to get figured out yeah yeah
but if I have to be honest all three are to figure that out yeah I'll show you of
them because it's totally different to take pictures outside in a sunny day
mm-hmm you don't have to worry about your ISO and inside the gym constantly
changing it's not changing it's it's you have to have a really good camera and a
really good lens yeah and like because everything else just looks like shit
because if you have a cheap camera yeah you will have all the the quality of the
picture will not be good yeah I don't want to go I don't want to be too
romantic about it yeah but and go all to end all to all into the technical parts
but the quality of the picture would not be good so that's when I needed to
figure out so what do I need so again I was new I didn't want to to to spend the
money on gear so I made a deal I mean deal with devil so it was a pretty good
deal back back in the day so I told the box owner listen if you want more better
quality pictures you need to buy me a new camera new lens so he was like okay
how much how much how much would it be okay good he bought it done done so then
he did not and the quality of the pictures got better yeah I was in
confidence enough to start doing those tours and going visit all those other
boxes yeah to to see to to make my money to buy new gear or better quality
pictures yeah forgot better quality pictures then and that's a rabbit hole
once you start getting into photography and buying gear oh my god look at us
maybe maybe maybe for the for the yeah we just took a selfie John took a selfie
no so um it's it's an uh let me call it a dot during that period it was an
expensive and expensive hobby mm-hmm and it is very expensive yeah so my camera
that is for a man right now that is the a92 yeah which cost brand new five
thousand euros yeah and it's expensive and I have two of those bodies I
actually have three bodies right right now but it's an expensive hobby if you
want to call it if it's just a hobby it's an expensive hobby so but so that's
why it didn't remain a hobby exactly so when when I started to do in those
tours and getting all these clients and talking to them and they would because
you have to look at it this way nobody knew who I was yeah nobody it wasn't
something it was something totally new for people to come take pictures at your
box yeah at your box closet box I mean at a time how long were these boxes
even one year and exist one year yeah yeah most of those entrepreneurs were
still trying to figure out what's the formula for growing across exactly
because the one thing I learned from these tours let me just call it a tour a
photography tour most of these gym owners are not really social they weren't
managing the social media they weren't answering the call because most of these
gym owners are owners and they are coaches and head coaches oh yeah so
they're wearing a lot of different caps yeah exactly so when you call them and
tell him hey I want to come take pictures there was like how much is how
much is it how much you touch for free oh okay good yeah cuz as soon as you if
the first thing was like yes gonna cost you xxx they're like no sorry can't do
bye yeah so you basically got in each and every door with with with the
initial free meal exactly and no website yeah just socials Instagram and Facebook
and so I was going to these gyms and then making contact talk to them and
like I said like after two months all these gyms starting to ask me like a we
have we organizing our second year existing and the business existing two
years now we need pictures we are organizing a small party we're doing
some workouts what will it cost okay good I'm doing something good hey I'm
Derek we are doing a website update we would like for you to take some new
pictures but we would like of also like to buy the pictures that you took the
free pictures the yeah so and and it started to upgrade yeah upgrade
upgrade it started becoming more more popular than I started getting DMs on
all the photographers hmm how do you do this yeah what is the business and for
me it was all natural it was all natural all natural yeah because dude you you
went on tour with bounty killer arrange and shit all over Europe before you
locked in the degree so this this this is natural you just go to places you
talk to people you show value you bring value and shit happens yeah so it was
all natural for me but again I have to thank the past because all these things
what I did in the past what really helped me right now but it was really
scary because again nobody knew who I was and I think that was really the the
thing because I would step into these gyms I'm like can I help you and I would
say I'm the photographer oh really and to this day I still get you still get
that and and most of the time I understand what that look is yeah yeah
and most of the time when I deliver the content mm-hmm it's all good yeah yeah
yeah then then then then it gets flipped yeah so so for the kids that are are the
younger ones etc like sometimes you'll get the look because definitely being
in let's just say Europe in in in a country that it is familiar but yet
there's also a foreign element people aren't always expecting us to come in
and deal with things on a certain professionalism level and sometimes that
can be pretty annoying the feeling of it but the feeling of it is something that
you just have to sort of put aside put in the work show the value and then
everything changes and and those feelings start to become more normalized
and you will keep getting those feelings but you need to keep professional and
and and also understand that because this this is something that personally
I've just been sort of playing with in my own mind sometimes that so something
that I also like to something that I also like to think about is yeah from
their perspective they're also media sort of also plays a role in this where
where we are many times we are shown in not the best lights when when there's
when there's one of our Caribbean guys hit in the news nine times out of ten is
for something negative and not positive yeah this is also one of the main
reasons why I felt the need and the importance to have this show to have
this podcast to showcase our Caribbean role models these amazing talents and
show all that that that we have in store and and and knowing that it is possible
and and even though you get those looks and feelings at certain times that you
just need to put that to the side focus on the goal focus on what you're there
to do get the job done show the added value and usually everything starts to
change from that point and and and the treatment also starts to improve etc
yeah and and sometimes you need to be lucky also to get the right customer
that like like I have to say like it took me a while to get where I am right
now and pure because I could say maybe I should say luck mm-hmm because like one
of our biggest customers right now is very very very happy with what we are
doing but I don't think a lot of our customers would really take that chance
with us yeah and right now some of them would love to work with us yeah but and
those people like that customer is like he reminds me of my old friend Danny
yeah yeah yeah so he's one of those guys taking under the wing yeah yeah yeah but
at the same time giving you room and yeah and I mean now you're a grown man
so you got the professionalism is on a whole other level yes exactly yeah so it
takes time and patience but so Derek let's jump to maybe a couple of the
highlights of of of the wad photography career up until now and then segue into
some of the transition that's happening and and maybe a little bit of outlook on
the future okay so hmm what's happening first the highlights the highlights
highlights so what what what are some of the biggest moments that you experience
with what photography what biggest moments okay I can say that I'm the
first a Ruben Caribbean photographer that has his pictures on CrossFit that
CrossFit is using so that's CrossFit HQ in the United States purchase your
pictures to use on their media channels yeah that was back in the days you could
upload your pictures if they like it yeah buy it $300 per picture
but they don't do that no more so and I said I because of I was trying a lot of
pictures yeah taking pictures and uploading them every day yeah and if they
like it we got an email hey we would like to pictures of purchases picture
yeah $300 paid out Tom so that's how I buy a lot of gear I bought a lot of gear
that's one thanks CrossFit HQ thank you thank you thank you much gracias so
that was one one more is I am the first photographer again Dutch Ruben
Creusel from the Caribbean that photographer that did the photography of
a open announcement so once it's a the open announcement give a brief
explanation of what that is because that's leading to the CrossFit Games
which is like the CrossFit Olympics so um once a year mm-hmm they all the gyms
around the world all the cross gym's they you're you me are allowed to sign
up for the open so they have back in this you saw used to be five five weeks
behind each other every week you have a new workout yeah so you do the workout
and you after those five weeks you will get a category which is score you will
see your name and that's how we do you so give the title to the fittest yeah
man or woman per country or for in the world so the announcement was I think in
2018 in the Netherlands so they did three announcement one in Paris one in
the Netherlands one in the States yeah and I was taking pictures of the one in
the Netherlands so you were the only photographer they only put oh wow so I
did I did those pictures and then you had last year was a big deal the biggest
deal the biggest deal I the creme de la creme not really that's not the creme
but that is not the goal until this point yeah up until this point so last
year last year I I sign my soul to the universe okay okay explain so cross at
HQ Samy a contract to take pictures for them so oh shit yeah so cross at HQ
Samy a contract so I'm at the moment I'm a contracted photographer in Europe for
CrossFit HQ oh I was about to give you a damn boops of that whole mic situation
flies out yeah so yeah congrats man thank you thank you thank you so when
that happened it was really like oh my god I had to go so true so much
procedures and and and signed the papers and stuff like that and then actually
right before that we got our biggest client to which is what we are doing
right now what you mentioned and previously we are managing about seven
social media accounts okay seven social media accounts seven events I believe
six from those events they have each every year they have two events per year
so in total 14 events every year 13 sorry yeah 13 events and we are doing
the marketing we are doing the social media we are doing the branding we are
doing pretty much everything so that essentially is what photography is
transitioning into something else that is more than just photography media
management social media management exactly exactly creation so we have the
moment we have my wife my gay managers and doing is doing at the moment the
marketing for the socials and we have an easier which is different I told you
previously I sent me a message MSM messenger a king semi-wag full circle
shit again I love it she she is gonna since January since this year she's
gonna be helping us with the copywriting because she's an English teacher she's a
Jamaican actually oh wow yeah she's an English teacher I think I think at the
other say in Amsterdam okay and she's she's she's gonna help us with that
because we started with her this year the Dutch showdown which is going to be
the fourth and the fifth the finals the body edition and mass what is gonna be
for the first time a cross license event which we push push or or negotiated no
no we with the with owner of an event we had to really push it telling a we need
to do this because if you're not a cross gym or a license event you cannot use a
word cross which you cannot use yeah that is cross with yeah so we push and
push and push and they finally say okay we're gonna do it nice so we are now
since this year a cross it license event the first one in Benelux the first one
so we we are doing we're doing big things as my guys back in SM would say
we are back in the days beat Street big things for big people nice man nice nice
thanks thanks so looking looking into that crystal ball of the future well
before we look into that crystal ball right let's let's just go back let's go
back let's say 20 plus years ago the 18 year old Eric the one before your dad
told you it's time to mom before your dad told you it's time to to focus and
get your ish together the 18 year old you looking back what what would you tell
that guy what advice would you give him because he was thinking about his future
and about what he's gonna do with himself etc what advice would you look
back and give that guy you know like my my parents they there was really
flexible with me mm-hmm but at the same time they used to tell me and give me
advice like you should really do this you should really do that but there was
really flexible with me and I think I I should have listened to much more to my
father pops you hearing that we got a cut off this little clip yeah yeah no
telling that no no no I never told him that no never told him that no but you
know you know the thing is that if you look in that look my father is back in
the days like again it has to do with sports my father had a gym in Curacao
yeah and it was named body business so he was doing he's an engineer my father
is an engineer for those people and that live in Curacao the listening my father
is used to be the detective Francis and what what is this they're doing a lot of
things with overhauling from boats and electrical on the island and yeah slide
all of those things yeah so my father was a detective there and and for years
and on the side he was doing he had a gym because he didn't want to train at
other gyms and he believed that it should be nice and neat you should be
rules and yeah ghetto yeah yeah so you weren't allowed to come on the gym with
slippers you was you you had to bring your own towel if you didn't bring a
towel they had to pay for a towel yeah yeah which was I think 50 cents or 25
cents yeah you had to pay for the towel for it being nice and things like that
so you know like I was helping him in the gym with bit of everything when I
was living there yeah and the same time he used to tell me hey come let me go
be a higher for meeting but about bodybuilding yeah I used to go with him
but I wasn't really paying attention yeah yeah so that's why I told him you
don't know how lucky he is so you got got learned to pay a big good attention
because now you're getting some serious life nuggets yeah so if I had been more
attention maybe like was following him more the way I was with back in the days
with Danny yeah I could have learned so much for him yeah in the world from
sports maybe I could have do something to make gym even bigger yeah but he
didn't want to do it so after a while he sold the gym and then he stopped it but
then he built another gym just for himself because the gym was too big too
much people was coming etc etc but he he was pretty much he was also the I think
the president from bodybuilding for me on something from bodybuilding yeah and
he went to a couple thing to Arnold classics to George so he was really into
sports into that yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah so I mean in that in that
sense there's also that connection there it's in the blood yeah yeah really
connected into the sports world you found your own thing yeah yeah he was in
the bodybuilding you more on the CrossFit side yeah yeah so awesome so the
advice that you would give your 18 year old self is listen to dad more yeah yeah
yeah and maybe maybe be because you know at that time you're young and all you
all you want to do is you don't you're not you're not thinking business-wise
yeah and I didn't know what how much it would benefit me being at those meetings
or just listening to him what are how to do things yeah so how to negotiate yeah
yeah yeah yeah I'll just be part of the business because just imagine a family
member of yours has a business yeah and actually that is free stash yeah free
free internship yes and yeah yeah there's a lot of life lessons and not
get that you can get from being around family members that that that have a
business I mean you can also get that from those working but obviously as as
as an entrepreneur having our entrepreneurial aspirations there's
there's so tremendous value in being able to connect with someone that that
that you know in love and that doing this yeah that's doing it everything
yes you know if you go work for someone they're not gonna share everything to
you yeah like they will share it but at certain point they could think that oh
he will leave me and go work for himself or he will go work for someone else etc
etc and and at least in the islands and yeah so but I would say like my father I
should have listened more to him if he listened to this podcast solid advice
solid advice yeah so so for those because I mean I grew up with pretty
much without my dad so it wasn't really the type of situation that I would
listen to as much but for those that grew up with a good father take that
damn advice or to your mother to know if your mother yeah yeah yeah yeah to your
mother to your mother to yeah definitely I definitely my 18 year old self should
have listened to a tad bit more of my mom's advice I would say that yeah so
that's the 18 year old you advice and then looking into the crystal ball of
the future any plans that you want to share or any ambitions or any any thoughts
in general um we are what photography is my company name and for those who don't
know is WOD photography work out of the day work out the CrossFit terminology
yes exactly thanks for the explanation so we are not photography we're not only
doing a photography at the moment we're doing much more we are doing social
media management we are doing the marketing we are doing the we're doing a
bit of everything we are recruiting photographers photographers we are doing
everything that if you go on a KLM page just imagine each and every post from
KLM someone is doing that someone is thinking about it so we are doing all of
those things so we are upgrading our company and we are still trying to
figure out what name I'm gonna name it because that's the most difficult part
we have a couple of names but we are busy with that and hopefully hopefully we
will find out and release the date release the name before June okay so
that's that's the big thing that we are looking forward to for this year and
for the future and for those at home wanting to find you online what are the
social handles the websites so you can tell them live and direct in the camera
WOD photography that is our socials I think you could put also put it also
below oh yeah yeah we'll have to put it yeah so that is my Instagram and my
Facebook and they can also find me on WW what photography dot-com which
Antonia media made for me so plug plug plug this podcast is sponsored by
Antonia media oh for those that don't know that's my company by the way yeah
man so mr. customers thank you very very much for joining us on the Sunside
Kingdom show and it's it's always interesting to see in these
conversations how new gems and new specs come to light and and and and and it
shows me also yourself in a new perspective and and actually connecting
all those dots in your journey like in all the conversations we had in the past
and I never quite saw it in that way so this dynamic also sort of gives a whole
different perspective on that maybe for you it also released some new nuggets of
how it all connected in the end yeah yeah no that's because telling a story
like this is totally different yeah but thinking about it is like thinking and
talking about it and someone asked me all these questions it's like makes you
realize that oh wow actually happy like that yeah and yeah something's just
happening naturally and that's how the universe works so exactly all right
thanks again bro and for those that you at home at home or on the road viewing
this on the iPhone etc thanks a lot for tuning in to this full episode of
Sunside Kingdom show I would like you to hit that subscribe button drop a like
and also comment down below comment down below perhaps asking some additional
questions that that that that I may be missed out on that I should have asked or
also give us some tips and tricks some tips to who we can also invite on to the
show because we're looking for Dutch Caribbean role models whether they're
living in the Netherlands or based in in in the Caribbean we want to know more
about these individuals and showcase and highlight their journeys so that we can
share the positive side of the sunny side of the kingdom so thanks again for
tuning in and I'll see you in the next one peace