RNTC’s trainers pool includes inspiring, seasoned international journalists with experience in many types of new media on different platforms. They have worked with renowned media organisations like the BBC, CBC, MTV and RNW Media (formerly Radio Netherlands Worldwide).
Award-winning trainers
Brandon Oelofse
Brandon is currently Manager and Senior Trainer at RNTC and trains globally. He is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker and his work has been represented at numerous festivals, including Cannes and the Oscars. He has directed television series, commercials, short films, documentaries, new media content, stage plays, and is well known for his work as a music video and adverts director in South Africa.
He is a company director of Vuselela Media, a South African non-profit organisation that develops grassroots journalism in disadvantaged communities. The company produces a number of national television shows, using media for change. In 2014 he co-authored “Making the Media Work for You” – a guide for civil society organisations on how to access the media and use it for change.
In the last 5 years, Brandon has been working in media education for The South African School of Film and TV, organisations such as Free Press Unlimited and RNTC and universities in South Africa.
He has a BA Honours (Cum Laude), and a Masters of Fine Arts from The South African School of Film and Live Performance (AFDA), and has studied film in New York and at the University of Johannesburg.
Ginger da Silva
Ginger designs courses, gives workshops, conducts intakes, monitors progress, holds evaluation meetings, conducts daily editorials and weekly review sessions, and much more in RNTC. Ginger da Silva’s first career was in Canada as a radio journalist and producer for the CBC. She worked for 20 years as senior producer and 7 as adjunct head of the English language service of Radio Netherlands Worldwide (now RNW Media). Now she works freelance in a variety of capacities, principally as a course leader and trainer for RNTC.
Ginger likes to see journalists break out of the mould and try something new: "I love to see participants become more creative, combine media formats in new ways, and improve their storytelling skills."
Janet Anderson
Janet Anderson is an experienced RNTC trainer focusing on advocacy and communication. She uses her many years working for the BBC in Europe and Africa to enable journalists and NGO communication professionals to develop new skills in targeting audiences, crafting stories, and making the most of opportunities offered by new interconnected media landscapes.
Janet has also trained media professionals worldwide (on behalf of organisations such as Search for Common Ground, BBC Media Action, Hirondelle Foundation, IWPR) in covering justice, conflict, and peace processes. Based in The Hague, she blogs and tweets about transitional justice, including developments at the International Criminal Court, using her experience in Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mali, Nigeria, and the former Yugoslavia. "I love the moment when a journalist acquires a new skill or idea and applies it, especially if she can measure its impact,” says Janet.
Jonathan Groubert
Jonathan Groubert teaches investigative journalism, storytelling, and multimedia broadcasting for RNTC. He’s an award-winning journalist and former host of the internationally lauded public radio show “The State We’re In,” first from Radio Netherlands and then as a podcast for WBEZ Chicago Public Media. His work has been broadcast by the BBC, NPR, the Australia Broadcasting Corporation, and Deutsche Welle as well as the podcasts Vox Tablet and Snap Judgment. An expert interviewer, Jonathan helped coin the term “talkumentary” in which interview and narrative journalism combine to tell truly powerful stories. This American Life host Ira Glass described Jonathan as “one of the best radio interviewers I have ever heard.”
Issa Shaker
Issa Shaker is an independent filmmaker with a passion for breathing life into untold stories. He has become widely recognized for his ability to generate viral content. His videos have been viewed over 100 million times online. In addition, he coaches up-and-coming journalists and online personalities. Organizations that Issa has served with his media productions include the BBC, Al Jazeera, Russia Today, RNW Media, University of Vienna and University of Wolverhampton. Currently, Issa owns Shaker Productions and is working on several documentary and video projects in Dutch, English and Arabic.
Issa believes that “stories are the most impactful way to deliver a message”. He combines a strong grasp of storytelling techniques with the technical skills for engaging audiences in the digital age.
Issa holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Indianapolis. When he’s not on set, he enjoys photography, traveling, cooking and volunteering.
Anass Bendrif
Anass Bendrif specialises in storytelling and the design and implementation of training focused on using media to counter radicalisation. He is a communications graduate and is experienced in capacity building for media organizations in the MENA region.
Anass has also worked as an online content strategist and editor for the Arabic desk of RNW Media for a number of years.
He has created and produced various viral campaigns on media for change and has worked for international media outlets, including Aljazeera Documentary and Al-Arabi TV.
Anass is a member of the advisory board at NICAM, the Dutch Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media.
Luuk Sengers
Luuk Sengers is an investigative data journalist, trainer, media consultant and university lecturer. He teaches investigative project management, data journalism and interviewing to journalists, activists, corporates and students. Together with Mark Lee Hunter, he developed 'Story Based Inquiry', one of the world's leading methods of investigative storytelling, adopted by UNESCO and translated into more than a dozen languages.
Luuk has co-authored several handbooks for investigative reporting and he regularly speaks at IRE, GIJC, CIJ and Data Harvest Conferences; the world's leading forums for investigative journalism best practices. His investigative stories have appeared in national magazines and newspapers. He currently writes about the effects of Big Business on climate change for Dutch magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer.
He was previously employed as an economic reporter at the Dutch national newspaper, NRC Handelsblad and magazines, Quote and Intermediair. He served for 10 years on the board of the VVOJ, the Dutch-Belgium association for Investigative Journalists.
Jacqueline Maris
Jacqueline Maris is a certified senior trainer who has worked for RNTC for more than 15 years. Between 1995 and 2014 Jacqueline Maris worked for the foreign desk of Dutch national public broadcaster VPRO as senior radio producer on foreign and current affairs, radio documentaries, radio drama, and oral history. Jacqueline ran her own own story programme on VPRO and regularly produced multimedia stories. Her work has been awarded a number of national and international prizes.
Besides working as a journalist for newspaper, radio, television, and online, she also provides training in the Netherlands and abroad, predominantly in African and Asian countries. Her expertise areas include radio skills, multimedia, participatory radio, storytelling, and persuasion.
Shaun Matsheza
Shaun Matsheza is a communication specialist from Zimbabwe, with extensive experience as a content strategist, editor and producer at RNW Media's Africa department. Shaun is a political writer, cultural critic and multimedia producer. He coordinates the Digital Content Creative Course at RNTC, amongst other activities.
Shaun's passion lies in the link between storytelling and people's perceived ability to effect change in their societies. A lifelong learner and ardent believer in freedom of expression, he strongly subscribes to the creed that: "When people tell their own stories, they become protagonists, people who make things happen."
Shaun holds an MA degree (cum laude) in Media Culture from Maastricht University.