Jelani Isaacs Unpacks Media, Strategy and Storytelling at Global People Lunch & Talk

18.06.2025

Jelani Isaacs Speaks at Wittenborg’s Global People Lunch & Talk in Amsterdam

On 22 May, Jelani Isaacs spoke at the Global People Lunch & Talk at Wittenborg’s Amsterdam study location, where he unpacked the strategy behind the Dutch feature film The East (De Oost) and its transformation into a powerful educational and impact-driven platform.

Using an interactive format, Isaacs invited students to navigate his presentation by selecting topics from a set of “tiles” such as About Me, The People in My Life, Project Breakdowns and Work Highlights.

As co-founder of the creative agency New Amsterdam and Executive Producer of The East, Isaacs shared how the film evolved into more than a historical war drama. It became a case study in audience-building, brand activation and the challenges of telling politically sensitive stories.

The East, directed by Jim Taihuttu, tells the story of a young Dutch soldier during the Indonesian War of Independence. While most Dutch school curricula have long avoided the country’s colonial violence, Taihuttu – himself a descendant of Moluccan KNIL soldiers – used the film to raise difficult questions about national memory and identity. But bringing this story to life, Isaacs said, required more than just a film release.

Strategy for engagement beyond the screen

When cinemas closed due to COVID-19, the team pivoted. Instead of relying on traditional marketing, they launched The World of the East, an interactive digital platform where users could explore stories from different perspectives: a Dutch soldier, an Indonesian freedom fighter, a civilian, a Moluccan KNIL soldier and a representative of the Dutch government.

“This was never going to be a project that worked on hype,” Isaacs told students. “It had to go deep. It had to be personal. And it had to give people the tools to think for themselves.”

The platform includes timelines, educational resources, live event updates and free classroom materials for Dutch schools at VMBO, HAVO, VWO and MBO levels. The goal was not only to contextualise the film but to equip a new generation with a more honest view of the Netherlands’ past.

Lessons for future business leaders

Isaacs’ talk offered business students a real-life look at how storytelling, branding and education can converge. He pointed out that The East succeeded in creating long-term value by:

-Understanding diverse audiences and addressing them through tailored content

-Turning controversy into conversation by engaging with history openly

-Creating spin-off content such as Kleinkind van de Oost, an impact lesson documentary

-Partnering with schools to extend the project’s relevance and lifespan

For Wittenborg students, the session illustrated how purpose-driven projects can balance artistic integrity with sustainable engagement.

“Business isn’t just about products,” Isaacs said in closing. “It’s about people, stories and the courage to tell them.”

This ethos also underpins his work with PlusPlusOne – the Netherlands’ first free, industry-wide programme designed to build a critical mass for diversity & inclusion by increasing the pool of underrepresented talent.