Celebrities photographer William Rutten could be seen at the desk of RTL Boulevard for years, but is now with the lesser-watched competitor: Shownieuws. Why that choice?
A transfer from RTL Boulevard to Shownieuws is a bit like transferring from Feyenoord to FC Volendam. Yet there are countless TV experts who have chosen this path, no doubt often for financial reasons. One of those switchers is star photographer William Rutten, who has had almost every celebrity in front of his lens.
Undervalued
Why did William make that switch? He reveals it in the New Rev. “I had been with RTL Boulevard for a number of years, and I wanted to make a series in which I would confront famous people with photos from my archive.”
He continues: “That was postponed a bit at Boulevard and then Shownieuws asked if I was interested in coming to tell something live about the photos I had taken there immediately after a concert. You can hardly get more interactive!”
In other words: William felt undervalued at RTL.
Showbiz section
Shownieuws gives William space. “Just posting my photos in a newspaper or in a showbiz section on the internet doesn’t give me enough satisfaction anymore. In Shownieuws I can tell you how the photos were taken, what the dynamics were like, what the atmosphere in the room was like, how the artist behaved.”
That’s what William wants to tell people. “A photo then comes to life and I thought that was the best opportunity I could get. I found a new way to bring photography to the people, to bring it to this time.”
No fighting
And William was also allowed by Shownieuws to make the online series On The Sensitive Plate. “A great internet series that eventually also came on television in the summer time.”
Is he mad at those people from Boulevard? No, not that. “Luckily I didn’t leave Boulevard with a fight, I also like to watch it and still think it’s a great program. In fact, I also just took the press photos, I have a good relationship with the employees of Boulevard.”