People of Amsterdam | Mila & Sammie

Meet the People of Amsterdam. Here we will showcase a different Amsterdam native every week. Every Amsterdam native will share a little about their lives during quarantine, sharing their favorite spots, and what makes Amsterdam so special to them. These interviews showcased another perspective that influenced their lifestyles. Read about how each individual continues to work on their work-life balance. Take it all in. After all, the People of Amsterdam know Amsterdam best. This week: Mila Moleman and Sammie de Vries, Immersive Technologies Creatives/ Co-founders @StudioVRij

Have there been any changes in how you work? How do you cope with those changes?

Because we work with VR, it is easy to adapt to the changing circumstances. We love to collaborate in VR, which means we can work from any place and still feel like we are together, but we prefer to work in the same physical space.

Could you share with us about your mindset to stay motivated?
Because we want to bring people together with technology, we feel that, in the current landscape, everybody has to isolate themselves, we can do a lot of good.

How do you continue to build relationships with the people you work with?
We still video chat with most of our customers, but we think that in the very near future, people will be using VR a lot more to connect. In VR the digital and the physical are connected, which can even create the sensation of touch. When you are together in a virtual world, using your body, you’re also creating lasting memories. This is a much more powerful way to build a relationship than video chat can ever be.

Could you tell us about the spot where you and your colleagues love to hangout? Why and do you still go there?

We find it important to spend time on Friday afternoon together because we are really good friends as well. Our favorite spot is café De Drie Flesjes.

Do you have a goal of how you’ll come out of this Covid-19 situation? Could you tell us about it and how you’re going to achieve it?

We understand that not everybody will immediately adapt to VR, we want to create a solution for connection and eye contact during video chat. We are building a piece of hardware called the Eyecatcher to achieve this.

Is there something or someone that’s helping you to get through the lockdown?

We help each other! We love to work together and being in each other’s company.

Have you adopted anything new as a part of your lifestyle? Do you see it continuing even after the pandemic?

Our collaboration started during the lockdown and we love it! So we will definitely keep it going till after the pandemic.

We all have something we could be proud of. Could you share with us your moment of pride during the lockdown?

For most people, life went at a slower pace during the lockdown, but we realized this was the time for us to work even harder. In the end, it was a good time to start a VR company, and we are really happy with what we achieved so far!

Have you found a new spot in Amsterdam that you are going to more often?

We love Restaurant Alba! It just opened up before the lockdown. They have the best natural wines and great food.

Restaurants and local stores were closed for a while. Which one are you glad to have reopened and why?

The gym! We love to work out and stay strong, especially during a pandemic.

How are you going to spend your vacation days, now that you can hardly travel anywhere?

The Netherlands is a beautiful country so we will spend it here!

Are you longing for things to complete return to what it was? Or do you have something you wish to have continued into the future?

The lockdown created an unprecedented amount of focus. This is something we would like to keep doing.

Do you have a tip or advice for the reader to help them get through the pandemic?

Check out VR! The technology is better and cheaper than ever. It is such a great way to connect and build memories with loved ones and clients.