Thomas More University of Applied Sciences

From January 2024 onwards I'll be joining the Research Team of Thomas More University College to explore how we can weave Generative AI into the fabric of Book Publishing, Digital Entertainment, Broadcast, and Event Management.

The scope of this project is to sculpt tangible proofs-of-concept, marrying rigid research with fluid rapid prototyping, that will help our partners in these industries redefine their workflows, explore new business opportunities previously deemed too unpractical or unfeasible, and unlock new mediums of thought.

In this project,  I'll serve as a guiding star inside the Latent Space of AI for both my Thomas More colleagues and our partners, charting the most relevant Generative AI tools while also defining the scope for custom pipelines (LLMs, Stable Diffusion, open-source Generative AI, ...)

To make this as tangible as possible, these deliverables will created over the next couple of months:

- Tool Compass: an online guide to help our partners navigate through the world of generative AI tools, highlighting essential tools and promising open-source tools.

- Trends & Inspiration Sessions: a series of visionary inspirations and best practices from around the globe, giving our partners in Flanders the opportunity to share their experiences and insights through webinars and an online community.

- Prompt Toolkit: a tool introducing users to the basics of prompt engineering for the most relevant LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral, ...), Midjourney and all Generative Image and Video pipelines built on top of Stable Diffusion.

- Implementation Guide: a guide that maps out how organizations can implement the wide spectrum of AI tools in their existing teams and workflow, providing practical steps tailored to the specific context of each industry.

Researcher Generative AI

Teaching the new generation of media makers and creatives how to strategically use social media to sell your ideas and mobilize your fans.

Lecturer Social Media/Digital Marketing

Starhaven

Starhaven is a creative digital agency that provides A.I. guidance to the creative industry.

Artificial Intelligence presents a chance for a new creative renaissance, and the creative world needs to take on the role of stewards more than ever before.

Our mission is to help creatives such as designers, art directors, and creative strategists evolve their professions so they can become guiding stars for their clients.

Starhaven employs a unique A.I. Alignment Cycle to help the creatives identify paths through the web of algorithms, tools, and models.

SCOPE: In this first stage, we assess which passions and skills creatives want to pursue and determine which tasks can be delegated to artificial intelligence. This allows us not only to predict gaps in a specific skill set but also to uncover new associations between different fields of knowledge.

TRAIN: The next move is to cultivate teams of human and synthetic experts by educating creative minds and fine-tuning A.I. models in key areas so they can conquer the challenges of this new age of artificial intelligence.

BUILD: With a fresh perspective and a new hybrid creative team in place, we assist you with the development of novel products and services for your clients using A.I. from the ground up. Since A.I. Alignment is a continuous cycle of learning and expanding your horizon, we also empower your creative team to continue to evolve their skills.

Starhaven was founded by creative digital strategist Vincent Buyssens who’s been working at the intersection of design, culture, and technology for nearly a decade. His goal with Starhaven is to help guide the evolution of the algorithm, so it can expand mankind’s creativity instead of subsuming it.

Creative Digital Strategist

Voidwalker

Through my digital consultancy agency Voidwalker I help you & your brand navigate along the communities, content and currencies that make up this Internet Society of ours.

The Metaverse may be the next frontier, but nobody knows what comes next.

Using my expertise in creative digital strategy, passion for community building, and love for internet culture, I create roadmaps for people and brands who seek to travel through this void and beyond.

Toerisme Vlaanderen - VISITFLANDERS

A new chapter in my Voidwalker journey: immersing myself in the rich cultural heritage of our region and connecting with amazing communities ranging from World War I-lore maintainers to aficionados of the Flemish Masters in Flanders and across the globe.

It may sound strange to promote tourism in the midst of an unparalleled crisis like the Corona lockdown, but now may also be the best time to remind ourselves and the rest of the world of the beauty Flanders has to offer.

Because this terrible epoch too shall pass and once the lockdown gates have been finally opened, people will want to enjoy life again and enrich their souls with all the beautiful things life in Flanders has to offer.

And the best way for me to contribute is by using my digital and community building skills inside an organization like Visit Flanders which really knows how to leverage our culture and the entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives that make it thrive.

Freelance Creative Digital Strategist

StoryMe

Starhaven and StoryMe are entering an exclusive alignment to help the video production & strategy company and its customers tap into the strength of Generative AI.

A.I. is the biggest disruptor the creative industry has seen in decades and has already fundamentally changed the jobs of art directors, illustrators, copywriters, and video editors.

While it's still early days, StoryMe fundamentally believes we've entered a new creative renaissance that will redefine the nature of content and storytelling.

And to help them find the right pathways through this ever-rising wave of , algorithms and possibilities, StoryMe has appointed Vincent Buyssens of Starhaven as their A.I. Captain.

With over a decade of expertise as a "creative tech strategist" at the crossroads of creativity, technology, and culture, Vincent is ideally suited to guide StoryMe and its clients toward the practical integration of AI. This partnership will not only enhance the existing production workflow but also explore new ways of storytelling.

Both StoryMe and Vincent believe that the only way to leverage the true power of A.I. and go beyond just superficial applications is to bring it into all aspects of their operations and use it as a foundation for fresh thinking instead of just an instrument.

To achieve this, Starhaven will embed itself inside StoryMe, ensuring seamless AI alignment across the agency, from production and creation to project coordination and account management.

StoryMe's clients will benefit from StoryMe's A.I.-first alignment by getting strategic advice and improved workflows, as well as the opportunity to explore new formats and technologies that may have been too costly previously. Keep your eyes open for more information about what this means for you specifically.

While Starhaven and StoryMe will enter an exclusive collaboration, Starhaven will remain an independent beacon of creativity and innovation, further exploring the frontiers of human and synthetic creativity.

A.I. Captain

Swoove Studios

Swoove is a soon-to-be-launched 3D animation studio that allows you to customize and animate avatars from your mobile device. 

Built on proprietary technology and the combined expertise of 3D animation, gaming & community, & Metaverse experts, Swoove seeks to democratize 3D animation by bringing real-time animation to your fingertips, starting with 3D dancing app.

My role as Senior Art Director is to:
-  refine and evolve the art style of our avatars, virtual fashion collections, and 'worlds'
- help create virtual dance moves in coordination with dancers, choreographers, and our animators
- align my creative vision with both our internal 3D Design & Development team and external artists
- coordinate everything from ideation to implementation.

Beyond this, I'm also actively using 'synthetic creativity tools' like Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, ... to explore how they can be used ethically in our pipeline. 

While looking to the future and embracing innovation is essential to our product, we also must look inward and make sure nobody is left behind. 

This means making sure our avatars and virtual clothes are representative, and that we collaborate with the right Creators respectfully and equitably.

Senior Art Director

University of Antwerp

Through Voidwalker I want to help people and brands navigate through the Metaverse, Web 3.0, ... or whatever you want to call the society we are evolving towards. 

My experience in internet culture curation, community building & digital strategy allows me to find pathways through this internet society full of unknowns and guide people to unexplored opportunities, or voids if you will.

Part of this mission includes preparing the next generation of builders and creators for their first foray into this hybrid society. 

I've been teaching these skills at the Media department of Thomas More and now it's time to bring my experience to the students Interior Architecture at the University of Antwerp. 

Beyond the ability to create a portfolio and have a social media presence, I also want these students to understand the implications of our internet society and the Metaverse on their profession. 

In a world where, for many people, our digital lives are becoming more worth than our physical lives, it's of incredible importance to be able to adapt to this seismic shift in lifestyle. Especially for interior architects whose profession has historically mainly affected the physical realm...

While I won't be able to explore all aspects of our internet society in this course, I hope to impress upon my students the importance of being able to navigate through our hyper-reality and maybe turn them into Voidwalkers themselves...

Lecturer Mixed Media | Faculty of Design Sciences

Fadawah

Fadawah is an Antwerp-based digital agency founded by Vincent Buyssens and specialized in digital strategy, community management, social advertising and content creation.

I have 5+ year experience working for start-ups, FMCG’s, smb’s and government organisations and love working most on projects that are at the intersection of internet culture, fashion, lifestyle and tech.

I combine my digital consultancy with teaching at Thomas More where I give classes on digital marketing, community management and internet culture.

Digital Strategist

LES HOMMES

Almost every person I meet has something to say about my clothes which is the best kind of compliment you can give to me. 

Investing in my favorite brands isn't just my way of postponing the inevitable demise of our capitalistic system, it's also a way of investing in myself and my future. I live and breathe fashion and I dress for the job I want every single day. 

And apparently it's paying off because I'm excited to announce I'll be joining the fantastic team of the Antwerp-based high fashion brand LES HOMMES as a freelance digital strategist.

Founded in 2003 by Tom Notte & Bart Vandebosch, two alumni of the Antwerp Fashion Department, LES HOMMES is a brand that knows how to make high-end couture with a touch of urban like no other. The brand is not only worn by the likes of Jay Z, Justin Timberlake and the late Karl Lagerfeld, it's also becoming increasingly popular among many Chinese super artists like Jackson Yee. 

As a digital strategist I'll be bridging the gap between their e-commerce strategy that's mainly centred around Farfetch and their social media channels. With Instagram having matured to a full-fledged e-commerce platform and Asia becoming the next new fashion frontier, I couldn't have joined at a better time.

My 5-years plus experience in digital marketing coupled with my genuine love for high fashion and obsession with the online retail side of this industry will make for an amazing adventure into the world of one of Antwerp's coolest brands.

Freelance Digital Strategist

#SaveTheExpanse

#SaveTheExpanse is a grassroots movement of hundreds of thousands of fans from all around the world that was created in the wake of the news that the hit sci-fi series The Expanse would not be renewed. 

A few days after the campaign had started, a few fans from all kinds of backgrounds reached out to each other to bring some coordination and structure to this movement. Not to impose anything, but rather to give the fans a platform through which they could channel their passion and ideas.

Motivated and guided by my background in social media and community management coupled with our vision on communication and advertising at Friendship, we quickly took up a leadership role in this campaign

From my experience with Pokémon Go which also involved channeling the power of a large and dedicated community, I knew that a community of strangers borne from a common passion or frustration would need a central team that could leverage their ideas but also offer guidance about the general direction of the campaign. 

The campaign team quickly grew to 25 people and currently consists of digital marketeers, designers, video makers and copywriters from all over the world who were brought together by their mutual passion for one of the best sci-fi shows ever made.

Our biggest achievements is reaching over 2,5 million people through Twitter and Facebook in less than 3 weeks, generating significant press value for the show and steering the narrative of the show.

My contribution includes the petition which garnered over 135.000 signatures in less than two weeks (https://www.change.org/p/amazon-or-netflix-please-buy-the-rights-to-the-expanse-savetheexpanse) and coordinating and managing the Twitter and Facebook channels. 

I worked on this campaign out of a personal love for this show, but also on behalf of Friendship whose vision on social media, community management and advertising all came together in this campaign.

Community Manager

I'm a creative digital strategist who has been navigating the currents of digital change for over a decade.

Under my moniker Voidwalker, I deep-dive into relevant trends and guide brands & agencies through the subcultures, platforms and algorithms shaping our society.

Through an unique combination of creative digital strategy, community building, PR and art direction I've created bespoke strategies and creative campaigns for a number of brands and agencies including Tool of North America, Loop Earplugs, a Finnish mobility-as-a-service start-up (Whim), a start-up building a real-time 3D animation app (Swoove), the Flemish Tourism board (VISITFLANDERS), and many others.

As a north star guiding teams in the age of AI, my creative digital consultancy Starhaven helps brands align their talent with the transformative power of AI.

Through inspiration, workshops, and change management, Starhaven transforms organizations into AI-powered workforces of the future.

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Vince Buyssens (of Starhaven)'s Linkedin Analytics

Vince Buyssens (of Starhaven)

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.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Vince Buyssens (of Starhaven)'s Linkedin Analytics

Vince Buyssens (of Starhaven)

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Vince Buyssens (of Starhaven)'s Linkedin Analytics