Kriti Mehrotra
It was in 2012 when the small village of Haren in the Netherlands was left devastated as thousands of young adults, inspired by the movie ‘Project X’, turned up for a party that had been canceled. As explored in Netflix’s ‘Trainwreck: The Real Project X,’ it all began when Merthe Weusthuis created a Facebook event for her 16th birthday party at her home, but mistakenly made it public. The event quickly went viral, with over 350,000 people expressing interest online and thousands actually showing up, including Thomas van der Vlugt and Giel de Winter.
Thomas van der Vlugt and Giel de Winter Are Aspiring Creators Turned Internet Sensations
With a degree from Tio Business School, a certification from Dream Team Television, and a dream to build the biggest video platform in the world, Giel de Winter got the idea of StukTV in 2012. According to reports, “Stuk” means broken, so his vision was to become better than traditional television or broadcast by breaking all the rules they so carefully abided by, which is what he did. He kickstarted this journey with an extensive search for two fellow Presenters just as ambitious as well as open-minded as he, leading to Thomas van der Vlugt and Stefan Jurriens joining the company.
StukTV was launched on July 1, 2012, initially through its official website, following which they began focusing on content and creating a presence on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Little did they know they would go viral in the fall, within hours of them uploading a video about their wild, scary, and near-death experiences at Project X Haren on September 22, 2012. They had decided to attend this September 21 “party” after getting a few messages about it, thinking they would drink, “rebel” a little, have a gala time, and document it all for some laughs on their channel. Yet, what ensued was a full-on riot.
Since no preparations were made to entertain the thousands of youngsters arriving in the small town despite warning signs, they found their own ways to expend their energies, especially after drinking. This included breaking street signs, bending lamps, and looting general stores after feeling pushed out once the police showed up and went from barricading the area to taking aggressive actions. Thomas actually filmed the looting, only to be attacked by partygoers who didn’t want to be caught on camera, but fortunately, Giel managed to save him as well as the tape before they fled the scene. They worked all night to upload their footage on YouTube the very next morning, unaware they would go viral and get the opportunity to gradually build on that moment with their own admittedly foolish, unique ideas. In fact, with consistent uploads, collaborations, a genuine heart, and variety, StukTV is now indeed one of the biggest channels in the Netherlands.
Giel de Winter is an Unwavering Entertainer
It was back in 2012 when Giel kickstarted his career, and it was as a Co-Founder of StukTV, so it’s undeniable that he is not only a visionary but also an entrepreneur who knows how to get what he wants. For this, there have been several deals with various organizations over the years to ensure that the channel and its contents reach the maximum number of people possible. This included a two-year partnership with media service RTL MCN in 2016 before Talpa Network ended up acquiring the entire business on November 1, 2018, albeit with the original co-founders and presenters still connected and actively working.
In fact, Giel also ended up serving as the Creative Director of Talpa Social from November 2018 to August 2022, that is, until he established another company, Signal Stream. It is a boutique, locally-oriented format and production house with international ambitions that focuses on streaming services, helping clients create programs that are ready for the streaming market. With StukTV’s Wednesday Assignments and Saturday Series, he regularly made local news owing to pranks/stunts gone wrong, including one in 2016 at the end of which he was arrested, but he is now doing much more. Giel is an active Content Creator, the Founder/Creative Producer at Signal Stream, a Program Maker at StukTV, and an Ambassador for MIND Us, through which he hopes to bring awareness to the significance of mental health to young people across the nation.
At the age of 35, the Amsterdam resident is also a professional DJ, a field he has actively pursued for the past few years, all the while continuing to host/be a part of StukTV shows like ‘Clickbait,’ ‘Million Dollar More,’ and ‘The Hunting Season.’ Furthermore, it’s imperative to note that while he is currently on a summer tour and actively making, participating in, or producing new shows, the entrepreneur is also a travel enthusiast as well as a family man. Even though he has recently traveled to Germany, Belgium, and the UAE, among many other places, he still manages to make time for his loved ones, especially his two children, Fedde Giel de Winter and Romy Mia de Winter.
Thomas van der Vlugt Continues to Shine in the Content Creation Industry
Thomas was reportedly just a young boy when he realized he wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, driving him to enroll at the Creative College Utrecht for a cameraman course. As per records, he preferred being behind the cameras during the early days of his career, which included internships at Campus TV in 2011 before he landed a spot as a Media Manager at Skyhigh TV. From here, the Dutch native went on to serve as a Cameraman at RTL for a few months, that is, until he joined StukTV as a Presenter in July 2012, only to eventually evolve into a creative, proud Programmaker in October 2018.
We should mention that after StukTV was acquired by Talpa Network in late 2018, Thomas officially landed new titles under their banner too – titles he still proudly carries to this day. In other words, the 33-year-old is even a Creator and a Presenter at Talpa Networks, enabling him to be behind shows like ‘The Hunting Season,’ ‘The Drop,’ ‘The Quietest,’ and ‘The Vault,’ amongst many others. Moreover, it’s imperative to note that he has even been dabbling in acting for a few years, with his most recent roles being in ‘The Most Beautiful Day’ (2024) and the upcoming ‘Dushi Curacao.’ The latter is his first lead movie role, where he stars alongside Liza Sips.
As if all this wasn’t enough, Thomas has also been the Creative Director at a company called First Energy Gum since March 2023, through which he offers his creative, marketing, and video marketing services. Then, coming to his personal standing, it’s indisputable that this Laren, North Holland resident is an outdoor enthusiast through and through. Not only did he go skydiving in the summer of 2024, but he also likes to run marathons, go on hikes, take on safaris, and essentially undertake any adventure that might come his way. In fact, he recently went into the jungle in Uganda, took a helicopter ride over New York, learned how to be a pilot, and spent a weekend exploring Italy just for the sake of it. Thomas truly enjoys his life to the fullest, most recently alongside his Golden Retriever puppy Roger, and we can’t wait to see what’s in the cards for him next.
Read More: Jorik Clarck: Where is the Project X Haren Promoter Now?
