G’day! My name is Ben and I’m the newest young talent to join the Dolly Rogers band of creatives. I’ve just migrated to Amsterdam from Paris after completing my Masters degree at Sorbonne. My speciality is graphic design and web development…and I also like to perform one or two ukulele cowboy tunes around the camp fire at nightfall. I also love to draw comics strips, you can check out my portfolio here.

In French art schools there are widespread rumours about Amsterdam being a dynamic, fresh and interesting city for anyone who loves “design and culture” (translation: parties and excessive over-indulgence). I needed to confirm this hearsay for myself. It’s been a few weeks since my arrival and I’ve already walked for hours along the canals, mainly in my bold quest to find a room. I’ve seen a few exhibitions like the current ‘Pretty Much Everything Else” at Foam. I’ve quickly learned to keep out of the way of the crazy cyclists, and by the way I’m now one of them, so bewaaare… I have the feeling that it’s going to be great indeed!

If we were to write the Ten Commandments of Dolly Rogers for sure one would be “Celebrate life and friends with barbecue.”

Without over-intellectualising it, the BBQ is for us the ultimate sharing experience - a decent party combined with the love of a family gathering. For our third edition we invited an eclectic group of friends, clients and neighbours to join us for a good ‘ole fashioned Dolly Rogers style hoedown on our rooftop. We’re talking good quality meat from the markets, marinated in juicy flavours, wood cooked chooks and lots of fresh veges… that’s how we roll!

Everything was prepared with love during the day by “le chef” Chris and his 2 “commis” Charin and Jacob. At 5pm our first guests arrived… the rest is all love, good grub and me on the decks pumping music for the entire neighbourhood. During the night our office transformed into an old-school block party on the roof.

4am, 13 crates of beer later, the last BBQ soldiers are gone… We’ll clean it tomorrow.
Check out some of the pics here.

Some folks say that we get to have all the fun, we’d have to agree.

Together with our partners at Oy, Nike asked us to give a heroes home coming welcome to their employee athletes who took part in the 2010 Étape du Tour. This year a group of 34 cyclists trained for six months to combat the infamous stage from Pau to Col du Tourmalet, including the treacherous final climb which has become part of cycling folklore.

Inspired by Nike’s innovative Chalkbot, we headed out to their European headquarters in Hilversum and sprayed congratulatory messages to all the participants, showing the encouragement and support of their friends and colleagues. With help from our mates at Goed Bezig, we managed to pull off a pretty impressive and iconic environmental display. Check out more images here.

At the office I’m always trying to explain memories from my experiences in Paris, my neighbourhood in the 19th district, my mates, our parties. So when I heard that the crew wanted to go to my city to soak up the culture I felt like I had a mission to accomplish. My aim was to make the crew discover “Paname” ~ Paris’ B-side, far far away from the Eiffel Tower and Moulin-Rouge. Co-incidence of the calendar, the chosen weekend also happened to feature “la fête de la musique“, Paris’ massive street event where people play, dance, listen and enjoy music in the whole city.

On our first night we hit 2 clubs, a new one called “1979″ and the unmistakable ”Social Club” ~ the basement hangout for young Parisian cool cats. To end the evening we enjoyed a suturing walk at sunrise through the city back home. Revitalised by some good bread and stinky French cheese we continued exploring and walked on the “Petite Ceinture” an abandoned train line that goes all around Paris. After going through a Chinese protest in Belleville we ended up at “Le Point Ephémère“, one of the rare legal squats in Paris.

For “la fête de la musique” we went to a block party organised by “Pain O Chokolat“. The main act was 113 and Dead Prez. We enjoyed our time dancing with a large eclectic crowd. To finish our evening we took the last metro deep into the suburbs and arrived at a friend’s house party that was off the hook.

In France there is a saying, you either come from Paris or from France. So on a recent trip to France I spent a few days wandering around the streets of Lyon searching for the best gastronomical experiences, the kind that fuels the French stereotype. Well, I was blown away by what I found, some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. This is where to find it.

Notre Maison - This place was so impressive it even amazed my Lyonnais mates. If you want the authentic experience look no further.

L’epicurie Sarl - This café’s speciality is tartines and has some delicious desserts.

La Limonade de Marinette - This café is in an old general store and is a great place to stop for lunch before you attempt the accent to the Basilica.

La Cave d’à Côté - This wine bar is a hidden gem. Make sure you order a assiette de charcuterie platter here, it’s amazing.