Since 1982
Author + World Builder
Storyteller + Seed Oil Avoider
Creative Director + Founder
Spent over a decade documenting brands, artists, and athletes...
now also writing (and shipping) my own stories.
↓ the backstory

The Origin Story.

I'm Richard Van der Vieren. Photographer, filmmaker and author. Born in Belgium, based in Cape Town.

For over a decade I documented brands, artists and athletes. I shot campaigns for Samsung, Red Bull and Levi's, and toured the world with Steve Aoki. Now I run Vieren, a one man studio for photography, video production, AI and automation.

In 2018 I made Wolvenkinderen, a coffee table book that trades screen time for outdoor adventures and open fire cooking. The first print sold out. It also came out in Slovak as Vlčie deti, with Baša Števulová.

I also curate Awesomeness on Vimeo, a channel with 85,000 followers.

1982
Born. Belgium.
1998
First video camera. Started filming everything.
First video camera
2000
First digital photo camera. Van der Vieren begins.
Olympus Camedia
2005
Sony VX2100. The camera that made everything real.
Sony VX2100
2007
Sony PMW-EX1. Shooting sk8, BMX and snowboarding.
Sony PMW-EX1
2010
Canon 5D Mark II. Shot the World Cup in South Africa. Lost my heart there.
Canon 5D Mark II
2012
Start touring with Steve Aoki. One man army across the globe.
Steve Aoki tour
2018
Created the coffee table book.
Coffee table book
2019–2022
Lots of corporate works. RIP my soul.
2022–2025
Disappear off the face of the earth.
2026
Full Sends Only.
Services

My service
stack.

Some run under their own brand. Others I do under my own name.

Strategy, Ideation & DistributionVieren
Brand positioning, content strategy, go-to-market, and distribution at scale. From zero to first revenue, then getting it in front of people who care.
AI & Automation ConsultancyVieren
Building AI-powered systems that actually run your business. Automations, pipelines, and custom workflows designed to cut the busywork and let you focus on what moves the needle.
PhotographyVan der Vieren
Editorial and commercial photography. Campaigns, portraits, product. 20+ years behind the lens.
Video ProductionLore.mov
Hero videos, founder content, ad creative, campaign films. Built for funded startups.
Slop CannonVTCN
All the AI video I make when nobody's paying me to behave. How unhinged do you want it? YES.
Bulk Content ProductionBruteforce
One edit, infinite variations. Bruteforce takes a single piece of content and generates hundreds of unique cuts for A/B testing and cross-platform repurposing. Feed it once, publish everywhere.

Vieren is a one man hybrid production studio run by Richard Van der Vieren.

He is fusing a rare overlap of deep technical skill and world-class creative craft.

PHOTO DIARY.

Field notes, adventures, friends, behind the scenes... updated (almost) daily.

Automation case studies.

Consultancy-based work for founders who need a creative operator, not another agency.

Photo Diary case study
Content Automation

Photo Diary

Folder To Feeds
Cato Vermeulen case study
Full Stack Automation

Cato Vermeulen

Business Astrologer
Full Send case study
Content Automation

Vieren

Photos To Posts
Macro Coach case study
Health Automation

Macro Coach

AI Nutrition Coach
Anticitizen case study
Content Automation

Anticitizen

Batch Content

WRITING + YAPPING + SHOOTING.

Documenting the journey.

PHOTO PORTFOLIO.

A selection of my best photos. I will be in Cape Town over the next few months and I'm opening a few slots per month if you want to shoot!

See all
Check out
my favorite
photos

SHORT FORM.

See all

SELECTED FILM WORK.

Some personal favorites of the past two decades.

Wolf Children: A Film About Presence

We produced a book trailer that became a cultural moment for parents rethinking screen time. Shot across 3 countries in 10 days.

Jan 2025 - 2026 Brand Film

NEVER NOT SHIPPING.

/06

My own concepts, shipped over the years.

01.WOLF CHILDREN2018BOOK
02.APEX OS2025FITNESS
03.LOCK IN SEASON2025COMMUNITY
04.BEDTIME2025WEB APP
05.MERIDIANS2026RELOCATION APP
06.COUNTING SHEEP CLUB2026APP
2018BOOK
2025FITNESS
2025COMMUNITY
2025WEB APP
2026RELOCATION APP
2026APP

Creative Retainer

Q3 availability

What this covers

  • + Content strategy for founder-led brands
  • + Short-form and long-form video production
  • + Campaign concepting and creative direction
  • + Brand films and launch videos
  • + Ongoing creative consultation
  • + Distribution and platform strategy

How I work

I sit inside your team. Slack, WhatsApp, whatever you use. I'm not handing off a PDF with recommendations. I'm making the work with you, week by week.

Most founders I work with have a good product and no idea how to tell people about it. I fix that. We figure out what your brand actually sounds like on camera, then produce it consistently so you stop starting from scratch every month.

The first month is about finding the voice and building the system. By month two you have a content engine that runs whether I'm on a call with you or not.

$15,000/month
Minimum engagement: 3 months
Let's talk
I'm Kind Of A Big Deal

Want To Learn More?