In a bedroom, using money borrowed from their parents, three students started an audio company. They wanted to become the best film composers in the Netherlands. They won a Golden Calf. And then their film adventure came to an end.
What followed was something completely different. And much more interesting.
The beginning: a name and a mission
In the late 1990s, Ad, Jos, and Vincent met while studying Music Technology. The tall one, the blond one, and the bald one—full of ambition and soon inseparable. They discovered they made a unique trio: technical expertise, creative flair, and a shared obsession with sound. After graduation, they decided to continue working together.
The name came about after a night of heavy drinking. The question on the table: which brand do you want to identify with? Apple. So we’ll be Orange. But we need something to go before it. Big Apple is New York, so Big Orange is the Netherlands.
They got started in 2000. Apple on the outside, VPRO on the inside. Their first paid commission was a commercial for the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The adventure began.
The Journey: Three Peaks in 25 Years
Big Orange has never stood still. It has always been driven by two things: a curiosity about the latest technology and a desire to use it in creative ways. The agency’s story is really the story of audio itself—how the medium has continually reinvented itself, and how Big Orange has kept pace with those changes every step of the way.
Highlight 1: Documentary
After working in the film industry, Ad, Jos, and Vincent turned their attention to documentary filmmaking. With series such as *In Europa*, *13 in de Oorlog*, and *The Mind of the Universe*, they built a reputation for creating music that enhances storytelling. For VPRO, NTR, and BNNVARA, they composed soundtracks that complemented and amplified the visuals.
Until 2010, when NPO funding dried up. Documentary music was the first to be cut from the budget. Time for something new.
Highlight 2: Interactive audio
The internet got faster. Suddenly, it was possible to include audio on websites. Digital advertising agencies sprang up like mushrooms, and Big Orange rode the wave. Over the course of ten years, they produced no fewer than 286 projects in collaboration with Achtung!, one of the Netherlands’ leading interactive agencies.
Around 2014, the online world shifted toward short videos on social media. Interactive audio faded away. But Big Orange saw it coming.
Highlight 3: Audio experiences and podcasts
One afternoon at a museum, something struck me: the audio tour was terribly boring. And yet audio could be so much more. Actors engaging in dialogue with one another, sound design, music, an immersive experience. It could have been so much better.
The Rijksmuseum has just reopened its doors after a decade of renovations. Big Orange pitched a completely new approach and won the contract. They became the Rijksmuseum’s preferred supplier and produced audio tours and immersive audio experiences for visitors from all over the world.
A podcast was the obvious choice. Everyone had a smartphone with earbuds. And twenty years of experience in audio storytelling was a perfect fit. Clients such as KLM, ANWB, Natuurmonumenten, and Verhaal Onbekend followed. They had previously worked for Netflix, Volkswagen, Paramount, MTV, META, the Resistance Museum, and the Amsterdam Light Festival.
Where we stand now
25 years. Three milestones. One common thread: audio that tells a story, driven by technology and creativity.
Jos and Ad are carrying on. With the same passion they had when they first started out in that bedroom. Curious about the possibilities of audio. Serious about the technology. And always searching for the story behind the story.
Curious to hear what 25 years of audio sounds like? Listen to our latest productions.