Marco Louwerens, known to the viewers of Today Inside as ‘little director’, reveals shortly after his Talpa exit what he actually thinks of John de Mol. Does he feel screwed into the suit?
The news that Marco Louwerens is leaving as television director of Talpa came as a bolt from the blue in the summer. Suddenly his position has been taken over by Frans Klein, the discredited television boss of the NPO. And in press releases everyone is always supposedly very pleased with it, very satisfied. But what about really?
Behind your back
Marco now tells in it A.D that he was indeed quite shocked when he heard what the big boss John de Mol planned to do with his position. “Of course you prefer to be known about that earlier, but I know how those things go. There was confidentiality, because Frans still had to finalize some things at the NPO.”
Initially, John conducted conversations with Frans behind Marco’s back. “We ended up having open discussions about it. John really wanted me to do it with Frans, but I made a different choice.”
Great privilege
So there is no anger, Marco emphasizes. He considered it a ‘privilege to work with John de Mol’. “I have regularly wanted to brush him under the carpet. And just keep pushing and keep going. I’ve had nights where I thought, how long is this meeting going to last? Don’t you ever get tired?”
He continues: “At the same time, I have never seen that man’s passion and drive to create in anyone in my life. By the way, it is a misunderstanding that you cannot contradict John. From the receptionist to the security guard, everyone can say to him: ‘This is not a good idea’.”
‘He always listens’
Does that receptionist or security guard fly out the next day? No, Marco assures. “There is one problem: you have to say how you would like it to happen. He will always listen.”
Anyway, why didn’t he want to go with Frans? Well, that’s not really it, Marco thinks. “I missed the more creative side of my work over the last two years. I want to go back to that more. In what form, I will think about that.”