About Us
Jana van der Merwe
Co-Founder - Social Media Strategist & Account Manager
Strategic content creation and authentic brand growth through storytelling and community engagement are what I love most about working in social media. With 4 years of experience
as a Social Media Marketing Coordinator, I am confident in my skills to create valuable content in the fast-paced realm of social media marketing. I am extremely human-centric and I pride myself in my people skills and ability to bring a team of professionals together.
Simon van der Merwe
Co-Founder - Business Developer, Photographer & Videographer
With over 15 years of experience working in businesses at all levels, I have extensive experience in all aspects of developing successful business & brand strategies. Brand building is one of my favorite aspects of any new business, which is why I also started my own brand, Rolbos Overland, focusing on creating content for the overland industry. My photography and videography skills have allowed me to create content for some of the biggest brands in the outdoor industry. I look forward to seeing what I can do for your brand!
The Long Story
The name Van Der Media comes from Jana and Simon's surname; van der Merwe. They’re married and they like to think of themselves as a marketing power couple.
In fact, they actually met through marketing - Jana was the Social Media Coordinator for one of the biggest outdoor brands in the overlanding industry, and their paths crossed when she approached Simon, who has a large following on social media, to become one of their brand ambassadors. They worked together from the get-go to create and implement awesome content & campaigns for the brand.
They have a wealth of experience when it comes to influencer marketing because they’ve been on both sides of it... Jana has a successful track record of managing local and international partnerships, and Simon has a lot of experience working with brands as a content creator & ambassador.
But Simon is not only a content creator. Many people don’t know this, but he has an impressive history of brand building and business management - he built, developed, and managed a business with a retail chain of 36 stores before he was 30. He has gone on to be Chief Business Officer, Head of Marketing, and currently works as General Manager and Head of Business Development for a US-based genetics testing company. He also does freelance photography and videography on the side, which is why he is in charge of all professional content creation at Van Der Media.
Jana's expertise lies in the nitty-gritty technical side of social media marketing, from account management to content strategy, content creation, and paid social media. She has previously helped grow the former company she worked for's Instagram page from 30k to 100k followers. She has also started her own sub-brand for the company focusing on humanizing the brand through employee advocacy content and creating adventure vlogs on YouTube. Her content received great organic success. She believes the key factors of social growth are authentic storytelling, community engagement, and a keen eye for aesthetics.
They started Van Der Media because they believe with their combined marketing and business skills they can truly be a help for your brand. They can assist you in creating a strong brand voice and carrying that over on social media with intentional content creation and results-driven social media management.
​
Reach out to us with your ideas and we’ll bring your brand story to life! We can’t wait to work with you.
Get in Touch
We are based in Cape Town, South Africa, but are open to international work.
+27 72 018 0025
