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2 German volunteers went to Ukraine to fight the Russians. Confusion, chaos, and then COVID-19, defeated them instead.

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"><html><body><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The modern business traveler needs to be both organized and super tech savvy for maximum productivity and efficiency gains. From choosing the right place to stay to packing smartly and being switched on at the airport, the most experienced business travelers never miss a trick. <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" rel="nofollow">Booking.com for Business</a> suggests some of the best <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> hacks to help you travel smarter and enjoy stays in the simplest and most rewarding way.<h2> 1. Be an accommodation guru</h2>The last thing you need on a business trip is to arrive at an apartment, villa or hotel without Wi-Fi, or be stuck in the middle of a hectic hen-do when you're trying to prepare for an important presentation. That's why it's worth finding a destination that has been recommended by other business travelers. <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" rel="nofollow">Booking.com for Business</a> provides access to more than 700,000 properties with verified reviews from millions of business travelers, with 10% off selected properties for account holders.As business travel evolves beyond the one-size-fits-all approach of the past, you can find a different, unexpected place to stay on your next business trip. <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" rel="nofollow">Booking.com for Business</a> also has a range of diverse properties from apartments and homestays to boats and treehouses and more, everywhere from major cities to mountains and coasts. <h2>2. Get smart with your air miles and airport time</h2>If you travel frequently for business, then it's really worth being loyal to one airline. Not only will you have access to more perks, but it's more likely that you will get an upgrade. You could also consider signing up for a rewards credit card. This will also let you earn points and save miles regardless of which airline you choose.Arrive at the airport early and make use of the airport lounge, which can be a great place to unwind or get some extra work done for a small sum - which you can claim as a legitimate business expense. <h2>3. Find the right travel tech apps </h2>Keeping a record of and claiming expenses, as well as keeping on top of boarding cards and schedules, is one of the main headaches of business travel. Air miles tracking apps can be a lifesaver, such as AwardWallet, a one-stop shop for tracking miles from all of your accounts or TripIt, an invaluable app to keep your entire travel itinerary in one place. There are also plenty of apps that can help, letting you track any kind of expense as well as billable time and mileage, too. Wi-Fi app finders are also great and will direct you to the nearest zone and you will avoid paying those expensive roaming charges. Don't get caught unaware by currency rates again. XE is the go-to place for currency conversions. It also functions offline by saving the last updated rates, which is great if you're in a place with limited connectivity or trying to save on data.Because business trips aren't always predictable, the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/booking.com-worldwide-hotel/id367003839?mt=8" rel="nofollow">Booking app</a> from Booking.com helps you find a room at a moment's notice. Stand on any street anywhere in the world and the app will use your personal preferences to automatically suggest accommodation choices based on your current location, as well as provide a step-by-step route map to get you there quickly.<h2>4. Be on top of your packing game </h2>Remember: Frequent fliers never check their luggage.David Barrett, founder and CEO of Expensify, only carries a bag slightly larger than a tennis racket case. He <a href="https://www.azeusconvene.com/jetsetting-ceos-best-travel-tips/" rel="nofollow">says:</a> "Aim to travel light enough that you can carry everything with you at all times - to the conference, to dinner, to the meetings, everywhere. It's a business trip, after all, and to make the most of it you need to be out shaking hands, not ferrying back and forth to your hotel room."If you do lots of back-to-back business travel, save time by keeping a partially packed suitcase, suggests Gillian Tans, president of <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" rel="nofollow">Booking.com</a>. "Replenish toiletries and essentials as soon as you return," she says. "Then, next time you have to pack, you've only got to add some business clothes and you're ready to go."<h2>5. Think about all of the little details</h2>Call your credit or debit card company before heading abroad. This will make sure you're authorized to spend abroad or even in another city within the country. The last thing you want is to be reported for suspicious activity and not have access to your money.Also, make sure to have all of your travel documents on email. Scan your passport, ID, and itinerary and email it to yourself so you have a digital copy in the event of loss or theft.Make sure you charge up all your devices. Having full power will stop panic at the gates when you need to scan your boarding pass. Remember if you forget to bring a suitable plug adapter, you can always charge your devices through the USB slot on a TV in your hotel room, suite, or apartment.Finally, delays are bound to happen so do take time out to check before you leave. "There's no point being at the airport longer than needed," says Tans. "But, remember things change so don't cut it too fine!" <h2>6. Find time to enjoy yourself</h2>Once the work that originally brought you to the destination is over, extend your stay by a day or two and switch it over to a trip of leisure. In 2016, 49% of business travelers already extend their business trips to further enjoy the destination, while three-quarters (75%) intend to do so the same or more in 2017. (Booking.com collected data from 12,781 respondents aged 18+ across 13 markets in September 2016). If you can't extend your trip, fit a little leisure into your business trip by sampling some of the local cuisine at area restaurants. Most major cities offer free walking tours, which is another great way to see the city from beyond the windows of an office or convention center and learn about the history and culture of the area.When next traveling for business or leisure, access more than one million diverse properties at <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" rel="nofollow">Booking.com</a>.This post is sponsored by <a href="http://www.booking.com/?utm_source=business_insider&amp;utm_campaign=PR_Q4&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;aid=1192194" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Booking.com for Business</a>. </body></html>Find out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sponsor-posts">more about Sponsor Content</a>.

6 tricks the smartest business travelers know

<ul class="summary-list "><li><keyword id="1655" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Priyanka-Chopra">Priyanka Chopra</keyword> is an actress, humanitarian, model, producer, and former pageant queen with an impressive $16 million estimated net worth.</li><li>In 2000 she won the title of Miss World, which made her an overnight celebrity.</li><li>She's now working on multiple projects, including a web series and a memoir.</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/priyanka-chopra-quantico-abc-career-bio-life-2018-4">Priyanka Chopra</a> has put in nearly two decades of work becoming the international <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/celebrities">star</a> that she is today. The Indian-born actress, humanitarian, producer, model, and singer first entered the public eye on the Miss World stage in 2000. She's since starred in a number of Indian films, US films, started a production company, and more, building herself an estimated multimillion-dollar fortune. According to Celebrity Net Worth, <a href="https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/actors/priyanka-chopra-net-worth/">Chopra's net worth is an estimated $16 million</a> and her annual salary is an estimated $10 million. And <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/photos/heres-wealthy-priyanka-chopra-why-slideshow-wp-121332216/">according to Yahoo! Finance</a>, she's worth $28 million. Here's how Chopra made her money. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She started her career in the pageant scene.</h2>Chopra won Miss World in 2000. REUTERS/Jonathan Evans Chopra won the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/priyanka-chopra-miss-india-miss-world-5265519/">2000 Miss India competition</a> when she was 17 and went on to win the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1049504.stm">2000 Miss World title</a> and the $100,000 cash prize. She'd wanted to be an <a href="https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/priyanka-chopra-unicef-goodwill-ambassador-1202583243/">aeronautical engineer</a>, but the Miss World win brought her immediate fame, and she pursued a career in the entertainment industry. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She became a successful actress in India.</h2> Chopra in "Fashion" in 2008. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964516/mediaviewer/rm4032618496">UTV Motion Pictures/IMDb</a> Chopra made her film debut in 2002 in the Tamil movie "Thamizhan." She appeared in her first Bollywood movie in 2003, as Shaheen Zakaria in "The Hero: Love Story of a Spy." According to Box Office India, the movie made 45,13,12,500 Indian rupees worldwide (about $6.5 million). Chopra went on to act in several profitable Bollywood franchises, including the "Krrish" superhero movies and "Don" crime-thriller series. Both titles were reported to be among <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120509154836/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&amp;articleid=4378&amp;nCat=">India's highest grossing films in 2006</a>. Her performance as aspiring model Meghna in the 2008 drama film "Fashion" solidified her status as a Bollywood superstar. The film was a commercial and critical success, bringing in <a href="http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/december-gives-some-respite-with-2-hits/404989/">60 crore</a> ($600 million) at the box office. Chopra won the Indian National Film Awards' best actress award for the role. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She also worked as a TV host.</h2>Chopra at the unveiling of "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi" in 2010. <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/bollywood-actress-priyanka-chopra-at-the-unveiling-of-news-photo/103299818">Yogen Shah/India Today Group/Getty</a> In 2010, Chopra hosted the Indian version of "Fear Factor," "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi." The show was a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100918001655/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Khatron-Ke-Khiladi-3-opening-TRP-ratings-breaks-record/Article1-600561.aspx">hit with viewers</a> and, according to <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/reality-television-saves-bollywood-stars-111092800046_1.html">The Business Standard</a>, paid Chopra 0.8 crore (or a little over $100,000) per episode. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Chopra made money through modeling.</h2> Chopra autographing photos at the Guess Loves Priyanka dinner in London in 2014. <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/priyanka-chopra-signs-autographs-at-guess-loves-priyanka-at-news-photo/464073721">David M. Benett/Getty</a> Throughout Chopra's busy Bollywood acting years, she also modeled in numerous commercial and print advertisements. In 2013, the creative director of Guess launched a campaign that featured Chopra in several ads that were distributed around the world, making Chopra the <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/meet-priyanka-chopra-the-first">first Indian "Guess Girl."</a> The Economic Times of India reported that <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fashion-/-cosmetics-/-jewellery/guess-signs-up-priyanka-chopra-as-global-brand-ambassador/articleshow/24834720.cms">her one-year contract with Guess paid her an estimated 5 to 10 crore</a>(between $700,000 and $1.5 million). <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Chopra's fame grew and caught the attention of US networks.</h2> Chopra in "Quantico." ABC/Phillipe Bosse She <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/priyanka-chopra-inks-talent-deal-758610">signed a deal with ABC in 2014</a> that landed her a starring role as FBI agent Alex Parrish in "Quantico," a political drama series that ran for three seasons. Forbes estimated in 2017 that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/08/30/how-bollywood-crossover-priyanka-chopra-made-10-million-last-year/#17c9a9d1dc40">Chopra pulled in an estimated $3 million per season</a>. Although "Quantico" was canceled in 2018, it helped her become one of the <a href="https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/sofia-vergara-tv-highest-paid-actress-1201860456/">highest-paid female television stars in 2016</a>, alongside the likes of Sofia Vergara and Kaley Cuoco. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She made a name for herself in US films.</h2> Chopra in "Baywatch." <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1469304/mediaviewer/rm3825218816">Paramount Pictures/IMDb</a> Chopra voiced Ishani in the 2013 Disney animated movie "Planes." The movie brought in <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=planes.htm">$240 million</a> worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. In 2017 she acted alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Zac Efron in "Baywatch," playing the story's primary antagonist. The movie <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baywatch_2017">didn't do well with critics</a> but still racked up an estimated <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/07/04/box-office-the-biggest-problem-with-baywatch-was-its-budget/#25b0494d1fc2">$152 million</a> worldwide. Her next big movie was the 2019 comedy "Isn't it Romantic," in which she <a href="https://variety.com/2017/film/news/priyanka-chopra-isnt-it-romantic-a-kid-like-jake-1202445935/">appeared alongside Australian actress Rebel Wilson</a>. According to Box Office Mojo, the <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=isntitromantic.htm">film has grossed almost $45 million</a> since opening on February 13. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She sang with Pitbull and Will.i.am.</h2> Chopra in 2012. <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/India-Bollywood/1bbb7b87573743aa8f9e17dc8df49659/26/0">Rafiq Maqbool/AP</a> Chopra released her debut single, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjgq6-5uDtY">In My City</a>," with Will.i.am in 2012, and the song became the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/priyanka-chopra-her-thursday-night-628465">NFL's official Thursday night football theme song</a>. Chopra also released singles with Pitbull and The Chainsmokers. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Chopra's had several lucrative endorsement deals.</h2> Priyanka Chopra posing with a newly launched Nokia phone in 2010. <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/India-Nokia/095d996fd2154789bb3347ee82764b70/1/0">Rafiq Maqbool/AP</a> According to India.com, Chopra earned <a href="https://www.india.com/showbiz/cool-priyanka-chopra-to-make-rs-100-crore-with-24-new-endorsements-1212307/">100 crores (more than $900,000 million) from product endorsements</a> in 2016. Throughout her career, Chopra has <a href="https://aksharit.org/2018/07/19/brands-endorsed-by-priyanka-chopra/">appeared in print and video advertisements</a> for brands including Pepsi, Nokia, Garnier, Sunsilk, Marvel Tea, and Nikon. And Chopra's no stranger to social media marketing, either. She's plugged several online brands, such as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgB0ebzAaiK/">Booking.com</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BaZMBEig9vH/">Bumble</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Brh-GP7nAUV/">Amazon</a>, on her own Instagram page, where she has more than 36.7 million followers. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She's the head of her own production company.</h2> Chopra and her mother in a picture shared on Chopra's Instagram page.<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhmdai5Ajyj/">Priyanka Chopra/Instagram</a> In 2015 Chopra founded production company <a href="http://www.purplepebblepictures.com/">Purple Pebble Pictures</a> with her mother, Madhu Chopra. The film house, which is based in Mumbai, India, produces small-budget films, with 2016's "Ventilator" being one of the most commercially successful. The movie, which had a <a href="http://www.forbesindia.com/article/work/how-indias-regional-cinema-is-breaking-boundaries/46185/1">budget of 3.5 crores</a> (approximately $500,000), amassed 25 crores (approximately $3.5 million) at the box office, according to<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/Marathi-Punjabi-films-that-made-a-mark-in-2016/article16944908.ece1">The Hindu</a>. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">Outside of the entertainment industry, Chopra is reportedly a smart investor.</h2> Chopra and Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolf Herd at the Bumble launch in New Delhi in 2018. <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/India-Women-Social-Networking/1bb037a30dcd4fe3ac2c73e72ae83ce9/1/0">Pallav Paliwal/AP</a> Over the past decade, Chopra has made several real-estate purchases, including <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/priyanka-owns-nine-flats-in-mumbai/story-YD3jTE7cpcsdt4TN7xMX4I.html">multiple flats</a>, a New York penthouse, and a $14 million, <a href="https://www.ibtimes.co.in/priyanka-chopra-buys-15-bedroom-bungalow-100-crore-606388">15-bedroom bungalow</a>. She also dabbles in the tech industry: She reportedly made an investment in the popular <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45741811">dating app Bumble</a> in October 2018 and has since <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrUxBRZH0at/">plugged the company</a> on her Instagram page. <h2 style="font-family: LabGrotesque-Black, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.28; font-size: 1.5625rem; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">She's got a number of projects in the works.</h2> Chopra is working on a web series, a memoir, and more. Jared Siskin/Getty Images Chopra isn't slowing down anytime soon. In addition to working on films in the US and India, she's started shooting<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/bollywood/priyanka-chopra-announces-her-youtube-original-show-if-i-could-tell-you-just-one-thing/ar-BBSrHmr?li=AAggbRN&amp;parent-title=hyundai-india-achieves-five-lakh-cars-sold-milestone-in-2016&amp;parent-ns=ar&amp;parent-content-id=BBxNO6K">a web series, "If I Could Tell You Just One Thing,"</a> for YouTube. She's also writing a <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/priyanka-chopra-reveals-why-she-decided-to-write-her-memoir-unfinished-1449631-2019-02-06">memoir, "Unfinished."</a>

From movies to real estate, here's how Priyanka Chopra reportedly made her fortune.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">iStockThe FASB wants to more clearly delineate between a "business" and an "asset."</div></div></div><keyword id="53346" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CFO">CFO</keyword> Insider is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that delivers the top news and commentary for chief financial officers and other finance experts.<a href="http://ww2.cfo.com/ma/2015/12/clearer-definition-business-called-boon-cfos/">Clearer definition of a business called boon for CFOs</a> (CFO.com)The Financial Accounting Standards Board has called for a more clearly defined definition of the term "business."The FASB hopes to make it easier for companies to perform M&amp;A accounting by providing them with a clear difference between what makes up a business versus an asset. "Many stakeholders have said that the current definition of a business is applied too broadly, requiring many transactions to be treated as businesses when they should be treated as assets," CFO.com says.A news release from the FASB on November 23 says critics "noted that analyzing such transactions is costly and complex."A clearer definition "would make it easier for CFOs to report that their companies are acquiring an asset rather than a business," CFO.com says. Even a simple change to the definition "could be a big boon for their companies in terms of saved time and expense."The proposed definition update is open for public comment until January 22.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/activist-investors-forcing-companies-to-rethink-how-they-deal-with-investor-relations-2015-12">Activist investors are forcing companies to rethink how they deal with investor relations</a> (Nasdaq)There is a growing disconnect between some management teams and their investors. That disconnect is forcing investor relations teams to shift into a strategy-based role. "With growing business and market complexity, the role of investor relations has evolved to become more strategic," says Deirdre Dastous, vice president and head of global intelligence at Nasdaq."Due to fundamental changes in the brokerage industry and sell-side, many companies - especially smaller and medium-sized businesses - are struggling to attract or maintain analyst coverage," Dastous warns. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expedias-cfo-says-its-ready-to-go-after-airbnbs-customers-2015-12">Expedia's CFO says it's ready to go after Airbnb's customers</a> (Skift)Expedia CFO Mark Okerstrom says his company is closely watching Airbnb and realizes that the company, currently based on a sharing-economy model, could enter into the hotel-booking business in the next few years. Skift reports that during a talk at the Credit Suisse Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in Phoenix on December 1, Okerstrom said, "Airbnb will face tough competition from established players such as Expedia and Booking.com.""I think also to the extent that, that Airbnb type inventory becomes a true substitute for the mainstream lodging product, I think, for us the HomeAway acquisition provides not only a perfect hedge, but a perfect opportunity to actually go after that new market," Okerstrom adds. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-ownership-navy-seals-leadership-excellence-2015-11">Navy SEALs give us the key to leadership excellence</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VkdmdveDp6rc5Yo5i8Xe67BHFvDeZRtT" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Changing the definition of a 'business' could save companies money during M&As

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://mediabank.amsterdammarketing.org/umedial/umedialfilehandler.aspx?data=VF4vJ3m6wobDlvPbFur%2bCMYD25QqaCBvxs6%2bZat5qodm0Svj0kXvGOwK%2f45aR1Xy&amp;guid=e580e085-fe58-42e3-8530-dd9adda4024e">City of Amsterdam</a></div></div>20 miles south-east of <keyword id="22442" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amsterdam">Amsterdam</keyword>, surrounded by forests, lakes and meadows, is the town of Hilversum.
Known to many as Media City, the borough is home to the Netherlands' radio and TV industries, and its modernist architecture houses audio and TV studios, production companies and broadcasters, as well as a number of technical universities.
Logically, Hilversum also plays host to a number of digital agencies, perfectly placed to service these media companies and to take advantage of the talent emerging from the universities.
One such agency is MediaMonks, arguably Amsterdam's most famous digital production agency, despite not technically being based in Amsterdam. With some 170 employees, and clients including Tribal DDB, Mother, Wieden + Kennedy and BBH, the agency's work is wide-ranging, from Heineken's James Bond to campaigns for KLM and Adidas.
Catching up with Victor Knaap, one of the agency's four Dutch founders, he tells us: "There are a lot of universities and education institutions around because a lot of the big TV networks are here. The largest sound and animation university is based right next to our office.
"One of the guys that came from that university [Erik-Jan de Boer] just won an Oscar for the opening animation of Life of Pi. It's really high end stuff they do, so we pull a lot of talent from there," he explains.
For Knaap, there's a clear distinction between Hilversum and Amsterdam, even if he's not always quick to correct clients who assume the agency is based in the capital. For him, "the technical guys are based around this part of the Netherlands, while all the hipster designers come from Amsterdam".
And while I'm sure this tongue-in-cheek account of Amsterdam's digital scene is purely for my benefit, Knaap's description of his agency as "a safe pair of hands" is refreshingly honest. He explains that the agency's USP is that it gets work done on time. "It's something you can't underestimate", he says. "You can't imagine how many fuck-ups there are in this line of business."
He continues in this candid vein, admitting that, as a digital production company, the agency's job is essentially to make things look good. "If someone brings a shit idea to me," he exclaims, "then a huge, bright, shiny shit idea comes out". Luckily for him, he says, MediaMonks gets to work on "a lot of sexy international brands," for a number of "sexy agencies, like Wieden + Kennedy or 180," so the "shit" ideas are few and far between.
<div class="image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/styles/creative_review/public/creative_review/116874/cr_images/Screen%20Shot%202013-08-30%20at%2010.50.02.png?itok=h4E6vxXE">The Drum</a>Tribal DDB Amsterdam's Bronze Lion winning work KLM Space</div></div>
Also based away from the city centre, although admittedly not quite as far out as MediaMonks, is Tribal DDB, one of the older and bigger online agencies in Amsterdam and a company which, Knaap explains, is "killing it" from an interactive perspective and which is "on its way to becoming the best in the world".
Headquartered in Amstelveen, a southern suburb of Amsterdam also home to agency client KLM, a successful year for Tribal DDB has seen it collect three bronze and two silver Lions at Cannes (for its KLM 'Space' campaign, Heineken campaigns 'Ignite' and 'Your Future Bottle', Amstel's 'Trophy Can' and Philip's 'The Sound of Creation') as well as a Silver Clio, a Webby award, and several site of the day and site of the month awards from FWA.
The agency's head of strategy Antoinette Hoes explains that the Dutch industry is great at "incorporating different cultures, nationalities and disciplines" into its work. And as much as Dutch universities are now producing graduates good enough to win Oscars, "talent travels these days" she says, and the city is extremely attractive to the international crowd so the agency scene benefits from constant supply of high quality digital people from all over the world.
And just as the industry's ability to produce and attract quality digital people raises no concerns for Hoes, its ability to retain the best graduates is likewise not worth worrying about.
"We like our Dutchies best after a stint abroad," says Hoes. "So we think it is great that they are tempted abroad and know that we will welcome them back someday."
Jasper Mittelmeijer of social media agency LikeFriends delves even further into the merits of the Dutch educational system, shaking his head as he explains how, traditionally, creativity and science were kept separate. "They were even housed in different institutions," he says, "making it harder for the two ingredients of innovation to meet".
This was far from an ideal situation, he says. "One might even call it stupid".
Things are very different these days, however, with universities "pushing students to be more entrepreneurial, creative and daring". And conversely, says Mittelmeijer, "art schools are far more market-minded".
Mittelmeijer admits that the digital industry in the city might lack tradition, having "matured later than in the anglo-saxon market," because of which there isn't such a strong base of well-trained and highly experienced people for juniors to look to. This leads to "a bit of 'wheel-inventing' at times," but "inventing the wheel comes with its fair share of fun and, more often than not, throws up some interesting opportunities," smiles Mittelmeijer.
<div class="image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/styles/creative_review/public/creative_review/116874/cr_images/Screen%20Shot%202013-08-30%20at%2010.44.41_0.png?itok=ujT3EfZK">The Drum</a>LikeFriends' work for Pepsi</div></div>
LikeFriends founder Stef de Jong explains how, for outside talent, "Amsterdam offers a European experience, with English as a main language".
"The city culture is open," he says, "and we feel that the city focuses on people more than companies.
"If you're bold, brave and work hard, Amsterdam is a great base for either starting up or developing your career." 
New to the city and developing her career is Marjolein Koppelaar. Until recently Koppelaar worked out of London for Ve Interactive, but, in her new role as MD for the Benelux region, set up the shopping cart recovery agency's Amsterdam office - a mere two weeks before we showed up on her doorstep. 
With the marketing services company's footprint already spanning the world, from offices in Sydney and Stockholm to Sao Paulo and Shanghai, Amsterdam was perhaps an obvious choice for the agency's next address. 
"Amsterdam is a hub within Europe and the tech and start-up scene is growing very fast," explains Koppelaar - something evident when you look at the success stories emerging from the city in the past few years, including mobile augmented reality leader Layar, file transfer platform WeTransfer and online travel agency Booking.com. 
"Around the Grachtengordel [the canal district] there is a real growth of these kind of companies. It's great to have like-minded companies around you and it is definitely exciting to be part of the fast-growing community," Koppelaar says. "And compared to other European cities it's a relatively small city and not as hectic as London or Berlin".
 Perhaps then, Amsterdam's size is its strength. For all its historical, creative and cultural significance, the city is not a sprawling metropolis in the mould of London, Paris or New York. But instead of this being a weakness, Amsterdam's compactness might go some way to explaining why the city acts as such an effective incubator of ideas. 
"We're a small country but have always been internationally minded, especially in Amsterdam," says Koppelaar. "I think the combination of the Dutch mentality of 'keep both feet on the ground' and the international spirit makes Amsterdam an attractive city, especially in the online world where there are no borders." 
Asked about the city's weaknesses, Koppelaar laments the fact that it is slightly behind in terms of digital technology expertise, explaining that it "follows London and Berlin in some areas", including the shopping cart abandonment industry which was relatively unknown about just two years ago, despite being an essential part of businesses strategies in London. Likewise the performance marketing industry, where it seems that "the discussion about 'last cookie wins' only started recently at a broader audience," despite having been going for a while in the UK. 
"We are working in a very exciting industry however, and it is changing all the time," she adds. "I think most of us are very excited about that."
<div class="image-container"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/styles/creative_review/public/creative_review/116874/cr_images/Screen%20Shot%202013-08-30%20at%2011.35.51.png?itok=Lq7KPe0_">The Drum</a>Minivegas' work for Sony's The Last of Us</div></div> 
Minivegas creative director Maarten Boon is similarly excited by the what's happening in the digital industry in Amsterdam, saying the mood in the city is "pretty positive". 
"Dutch consumers are really digital-oriented," he tells us, "and next to that, collective belt-tightening has forced agencies to conceive more efficient ways to get the message across, which inevitably shifts the focus from TV commercials to digital." 
We catch up with Boon at the production company's Kerkstraat headquarters, from where the agency hawks its very own blend of filmmaking, animation and technology to clients as diverse as Adidas, CNN, Levi's and Nissan. Our meeting comes as the buzz is spreading around Sony's new HD ad for horror survival game The Last of Us, created by Minivegas and 180 Amsterdam, which Boon describes as "an incredibly exciting project". 
"It required taking very sophisticated game-play graphics and merging them with the real-life environment of a man, in his living room," he says. "We have created an ad that is not only true to the game it promotes, but adds a new dimension of engagement." 
For these type of campaigns, Boon says working across platforms is essential, and luckily it is something "that has always come naturally" in Amsterdam. While digital is a big part of the agency's output, "advertisers want to see strong synergy between all areas" of a campaign, "which is why it's great that there is such a culture here of multidisciplinary agencies". 
As the trend of Amsterdam becoming ever more important on the international stage continues, and global brands flock to the city to set up European hubs, Boon explains that it leads to a "knock-on effect for the industry," with "more international work, bigger budgets and a creative industry that is driven to create increasingly innovative, compelling campaigns". 
It seems that this small city, brimming with clients and agencies, large and small and local and international, has created the perfect, all-encompassing <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> ecology for digital companies to thrive in. 
"Plus," says Tribal DDB's Hoes, "there's bitterballen and Gay Pride".

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