The stories we tell matter. The lives we build through our digital connections and experiences are shaping the here and now. All new interactive forms of storytelling will impact your world.
Portrait photography by Robin Alysha Clemens
Nienke Huitenga is an award-winning immersive designer and strategist. In her work she blends media strategy, digital concepts and immersive experiences. She designed media strategies for transmedial stories like Human Birdwings and The Modular Body (directed by Floris Kaayk), which reached an audience of millions. In 2016 The Modular Body was awarded the first ever Gouden Kalf for best interactive work (a Dutch equivalent to the Oscars). She is a co-founder of Hackastory, a startup fostering innovation in journalism. In 2019 she finished her first virtual reality production ROZSYPNE, an interactive VR-story about an old lady trying to persevere daily life in the Eastern-Ukrainian warzone, with the MH17-crash at her doorstep. She co-directed it with Lisa Weeda and produced it with Studio ZZZAP. In 2019 she also participated in the last Sandberg@Mediapark talent incubator where she created together with hacker James Bryan Graves an immersive discussion experience - guided by an algorithm - for finding consensus in dealing with the tough questions we currently face worldwide. They call it WINWIN, a Consensus Algorithm.
▲ During IDFA DocLab Kent Bye interviewed Nienke and her co-director Lisa Weeda about ROZSYPNE (English)
▲ Listen to this interview with Nienke on NPO radio 1 about her work as a creative strategist (Dutch)
Nienke has worked for
VICE NL, Submarine Channel, SeriousFilm, IMPAKT Festival, IDFA, Nederlands Filmfestival, WDKA, Design Academy Eindhoven, BBC, Revolver, Klasien.nl, Open Society Foundation, RTL Group Luxenburg, RTL Netherlands, VERS BETON, KRO NCRV, NOS, Knight Center for Journalism (ISOJ), Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond, Nuba Reports (Kenia), VRT, RTV OOST, Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), La Silla Vacia (Colombia), Code4SouthAfrica (Cape Town), Fundamentals Academy, CMD Avans Hogeschool (Breda), MAMDT / Hogeschool Zuyd Maastricht, Fontys, ROC Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam, Stout & Smits, Merzakademie art academy (Stuttgart), Beeld & Geluid, PLAYGROUNDS Festival, Kask art academy (Ghent), Creative Industries Fund.
You know me from
▲ The Modular Body
Award winning online science fiction story www.themodularbody.com. Directed by Floris Kaayk, with a transmedia strategy designed by me. In 2016 it was awarded the first Dutch Oscar (Gouden Kalf) for Best Interactive work for bringing a rich narrative experience online.
▲ ROZSYPNE
ROZSYPNE is a roomscale full immersive VR-story about Nina, an old lady trying to preserve daily life in the Eastern-Ukrainian warzone, with the MH17-crash at her doorstep. Directed by me and Lisa Weeda. Produced by Studio ZZZAP. ROZSYPNE VR was selected in the non-fiction immersive competition at IDFA DocLab 2019.
▲ Hackastory.com
Hackastory is an innovation agency that guides newsrooms to connect better with their audiences through human centered design and an audience first strategy, from this we help develop new work flows for bringing the best out of journalists. I am co-founder and creative lead since 2015.