Crew Profile

Born and raised in New Zealand, Natassia moved to The Netherlands after completing a film and television production degree, specialising in Producing and Editing. Natassia has experience in directing and editing and produced various short films during her study, one of which was chosen for the New York International Independent Film Festival.

Natassia’s dedication and dream is to use the power of film for positive change, especially for humanity and nature worldwide. With a passion for life, Natassia has sprung into the Heartlands team with enthusiasm and commitment and is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

With a strong passion for animals, Dutch born, Marjolijn Veenstra has a HBO degree in Animal Management. During her studies she enjoyed internships with various Dutch zoos and the NOD/EAZA. Marjolijn’s interest in marine biology increased rapidly during a four month internship with the Undersea Explorer in Australia where she became a part of the Great Barrier Reef research team.
Together with her partner she manages a video production company with a desire to capture adventurous beauty on film.

Marjolijn is a passionate scuba diver, ski instructor/guide, photographer & camera operator and her passion for outdoor exploration and wildlife has taken her to various countries around the globe and now into Heartlands!

"By now I've worked in Film for 15 years. I started out with Discovery Channel in Africa, on traditional Wildlife documentaries. It was this experience, working with Oscar winner Hugo van Lawick, that formed what has become my motivation for producing Heartlands. In the last decade I have crossed over from Wildlife films to cover social issues. Poverty - Human rights and Access to basic needs.
My ultimate goal is to link human issues to those of wild animals and eco systems, and create awareness of the need to find balance between the needs of both. This work has taken me around the world many times. In order to understand current Visual language I have spent the last few years producing Commercials. Heartlands pulls together this broad experience, with the goal of creating Cutting Edge Projects that can address urgent Wildlife issues now."