“Sometimes I suddenly find myself recording a TikTok video in an avocado suit”
Marit Haegens-Brugman (32) is married to Dylan and pregnant with her first child, a girl. Marit is co-owner of Haegens Media, the company she runs with her husband.
“As a child I wrote it in every friend’s book: later I would become editor-in-chief of a television program. So I moved from Venray to Amsterdam and did a great editorial internship at Paul de Leeuw. During that period, however, I also developed anorexia, which led me to stay in a clinic for a while. Rhythm and regularity were important, I learned there.
So when I was offered a job at the local broadcaster in Venray six months later, I decided to return. It went well, I had fun at work. And I met Dylan there. He was already making YouTube videos at the time and I was allowed to interview him. The spark immediately flew, I fell for his charisma and mischievous look. Barely two weeks later we were living together.
Co-owner
Here and there I already helped Dylan with his business. Then I arranged a recording location or helped think about videos. But when his business started to take shape seven years ago, he needed someone by his side and I became a co-owner.
We now have almost two million subscribers, cool projects are underway and a second film is in the making. I don’t keep track of how many hours I work, but it’s definitely full-time, plus evenings and weekends. For example, I arrange collaborations with external parties, personnel matters and I am involved in the recordings. Ha, and sometimes I suddenly find myself recording a TikTok video in an avocado suit.
Relativize
Now that I’m pregnant, I think a lot about how my work will be done in the future (this interview took place before Marit gave birth, ed.). I am a perfectionist, like to keep everything in my own hands.
Sometimes it flies to me, how I’m going to keep those balls in the air. Take those September filming: how are we going to do that with a baby? I talk about it a lot with my psychologist, who helps me put things into perspective. I also get support from my family. My mother first: she shouts that she ‘just’ comes to the film set with her camper to take care of the baby.
“After two and a half years of no positive test and a miscarriage, I am so glad it worked out”
Although my work makes me happy, after giving birth I still take a step back. Getting pregnant was not a matter of course for us. After two and a half years of no positive test and a miscarriage, I am so happy that it worked out and I want to be able to enjoy our daughter to the fullest. So yes, those work emails will sometimes have to wait a while in the future. How things will go in practice remains to be seen, but awareness and intentions are there in any case.”
Marit has now given birth to daughter Nami.
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