There isn't enough space here to tell my life's story in pictures. Not that I feel an overwhelming urge to write up my life's story anyway, so you will have to do with the few images you'll see here. I'm an entrepeneur, born in The Netherlands, and who has been in business since 1989. That is in essence my whole life's story. The end.

No, really, what about me!

OK, I guess this page does really require more than the short summary above. But I'm not about to turn this into one of those typical 'myspace' pages where every like and dislike and every possible character defect that you never wanted to know about is listed in the most ego-maniacle and detailed way.

I like cats, heavy cameras with big lenses, fancy glass office buildings and interesting architecture, even fancier home offices that outperform mid-sized divisions at NASA, offices that have a real bar instead of a mini-bar, I most prefer having a Sazerac at a color bar, fast corvettes preferably blue or black. But I have an absolute dislike that borders on hatred towards yellow corvettes. I love traveling -less so since all the neurotic fear mongering at airports- and taking two to three month vacations in a year.

I have a preference for Italian food and like to try our new restaurants, at least a dozen a month if I can help it and probably a few more when I'm off vacationing. I guess that part covers the personal details that aren't important anyway and all of this could be summed up by a few images, which I guess I also did.

The origins

Born and raised in The Netherlands I found my way into the world of computer generated imagery (CGI) and software development. While this was mostly a result of natural progression it felt like the right thing to do so I decided to stick around in the industry. An industry that didn't quite exist yet at the time (early to mid 80's) but was an enormous amount of fun to help build up by putting in my effort for the greater acceptation of computer generated art and 3D computer animation.

In 1989 I founded a company called Animagic, a company that shortly thereafter doubled up in two common yet different directions. Animagic Development and Animagic Digital Post-Production. Since the early days the lack of software required us to write and build our own tools of the trade and while being involved in both the development and production activities I had a hard time making up my mind about which of the two I enjoyed doing the most. It took me the better part of 10 years to discover that and render a final conclusion; development and consulting others on theirs.

Divide and conquer

This didn't last long because my time still got spent between both divisions and eventually the fast paced business was no longer something I felt like keeping up with. In 2000, I departed from Animagic Digital Post-Production and decided to "retire"... and to travel between Holland and San Francisco where I had been spending some time. I did manage to take things easy and slow, for oh, about 3 months, until events took place that magically drew me back into the business and development vortex until I decided to set out on a new journey and a new venture after the better part of a year. A chance to do all the fun and crazy stuff all over again but applying everything that I have learned in the previous 15 years in business and in the industry.

The more things change the more they stay the same

The computer graphics and animation software industry was in need of serious rejuvenation and a healthy dose of forceful guidance while it went through the rough waves of reinventing and repositioning, and along the way also reinventing itself. A perfect opportunity to do some good and have some fun. The other great thing about this line of work was that while you are at the helm of a company you get to influence and control a lot of ideas for new technology. After rebranding my ideas based on a new view, new vision, and a new direction in a familiar industry, I founded a new adventure called mantiCORE Labs. The exact details on its activities of that, at the time, newly formed group of talented people is not something I can get into because the work was so secret that I'd have to shoot you after I told you. All I will tell you is that the project had set forth the concept of "building bridges between human creativity and technology" and that a bridge goes both ways.

Good things come in pairs

Outside of my business and consistent drive to expand into new areas I do try and make as much time as possible available for my private life that I share with the lady pictured on the left, Sallie, my partner for the past 11 years, who introduced me to the San Francisco Bay Area, an area I really like for just too many reasons.

Snip, Snap, Flash and before you know it, you're a pixel

When I'm not working I like to keep myself busy with a hobby that does not involve computers; photography. Well, OK, that's a lie because I've seriously picked up photography again after shifting from film to digital. I love to take snapshots on vacation but also try and expand the boundaries of my own abilities and skills. Something that is easier when there are great subjects to take pictures of, a process that outside of the actual pressing of the buttons is a great deal of fun. Photography inspires people to look at the world from different angles and from different views, even though I do not think my cat really cared much about that during that one time she actually felt like posing for a cute-shot.

If I'm not out photographing, on vacation, at work, or having fun you can frequently -probably still too frequently- find me at in my home office where I usually hide out in the dark while my body receives its mandatory prescribed dosage of monitor and electric radiation. In the midst of the flashing led's and lights of a collection of workstations, network switches, disk arrays, and gadgets I feel right at home... as long as the home office remains lit only by these lights and the various monitors. I am, after all, a creature of the night who prefers night over day and darkness over light.

The Ignyter