History

We've come a long way and we're going even further

It was 1972. And in the town of Ede in the Dutch province of Gelderland, a 22-year-old photographer named Bouke Lukkien decided to start his own business. Lukkien was born.

In the beginning, Bouke and his wife Hedwig worked on their own – he was the photographer, and she was the bookkeeper and part-time model. Soon enough, however, Lukkien began growing and taking on staff. The company’s first official workplace was a former church in Veenendaal, large enough to accommodate complete interiors for photo shoots, and close enough to Bouke and Hedwig’s house in Ede, so that when a special prop was needed, Bouke could always dash back home to pick it up.

Within four years, the company’s steady growth made it necessary to find additional studio space; Lukkien continued its tradition of choosing unusual buildings by renting four classrooms in an old school. Soon after, a separate building was acquired to house the company’s darkrooms. With this acquisition, Bouke achieved an important goal: Lukkien was no longer dependent on any outside services to realise its clients’ wishes. Instead it relied on a growing number of outstanding people who found the company to be the right place for developing their own talents. 

By 1988, Lukkien had brought all of its operations together under one roof – a very big roof – on Galvanistraat in Ede. And there was another important development: Bouke and Hedwig’s eldest son, Bouke Jr., joined the company after leaving school. With his arrival, the company began to expand into the field of moving images, where it soon established a reputation for innovative thinking, very reasonable budgets and memorable end-products. Now Lukkien could offer even more to its clients.  

 

Throughout these years, Lukkien continued to work in its own unique way, encouraging its people to be as innovative and creative as possible. At Lukkien, it’s always been about looking ahead, using intelligence and insight to select the right course, and then ‘going for it’ – regardless of what others may do. Take digital photography, for instance. Very early on, Bouke Sr. persuaded a Japanese camera firm to let the company test one of its first digital models. As a result, Lukkien was soon at the forefront of the digital revolution, as one of the first creative Marcom production companies in Europe to fully embrace digital photography. All of which made this an excellent time for Melle, the younger brother of Bouke Jr., to join the company, enabling him to master both the older and the newer photographic technologies.

In the late 1990's, it wasn’t only photography that was changing. More and more companies began to go international, seeking out new product markets and new opportunities. With this came an increased need for two different types of productions and campaigns: tailor-made, localised versions as well as major, large-scale ones demanding all-round involvement from the production company. Lukkien became a master in providing both. This meant more and more specialists were joining the company, bringing new skills, new ideas and new energy. 

By 2001, when Lukkien moved into the 20,000m2 building it occupies today, another revolution was in full swing. With the growth of the internet and other interconnective media, the Marcom and media production industry had moved into a new phase of cross-media and interactive communication. Today, it’s clear that companies that cannot adapt to this new phase and the fast pace of change that it brings will find they are wasting time, money and opportunities. Lukkien has the sharp skills and the creative talent necessary to thrive in this new environment, and to stay where it’s always been – one step ahead of the future.