PORTFOLIO / BIO

Showreel

Multi Lingual showreel 2024 – Karen Joan Spanjer

Karen works as an actress, writer and producer. She independently produced a short film called Patch that was shot in Guernsey/UK in which she starred in a main role. This film is broadcast on Shorts TV worldwide. For this film she received a Best Actress Award at the Madrid international Film Festival 2017.  Patch was selected for the prestigious LA Shorts Fest and has won the Award of Excellence at the Best Shorts Festival (La Jolla/San Diego) and the Award of Merit at the LA Global Shorts Festival. Karen writes series with suspense, humor and drama. Often about the extremes of the human spirit.

Karen starred in several short films and Dutch tv shows (Für Elise, Sector 9S, Beschuldigd, Lachen met Arne/Buya with Arne Toonen. During Covid19 she produced and starred in a children’s program about changed society, Het Anderhalve Meter Journaal, with actress/director Systke van der Ster. Karen also works as a corporate actress for various companies and multi nationals. She also starred in commercials like Univé, Lidl (as Willemijn with Beau van Erven Dorens), in Nuon and in NCOI campaigns. She appeared in commercials like Ikea, Belastingdienst, Caiway and Holland Casino.

Gallery

Sector 9S – Short Sci-Fi Thriller
Christmas Commercial Lidl 2018
Film
Drama
Premiere
Silhouette
Raw
GLAM
DRAMA
NCOI
WELLNESS
Romantic
IKEA
VINTAGE
NCOI
Backstage
LIVE PERFORMANCE
COMPUTRAIN

 

TV/Film

Aileen – Short film (in development) 

Für Elise directed by Diederik van Straten 2023

Hou Mij Vast short film directed by Nina Zandvliet 2023 – 2nd prize Kunstbende Amsterdam

Liefs, Mama short film directed by Nina Zandvliet 2022

Culpa short film directed by Sytske van der Ster 2022

Het Anderhalve Meter Journaal – children’s program – director Sytske van der Ster (actress/producer) 2019

Sector 9S, short sci fi thriller april 2018 – Best Special Effects, Nominations Best Camera and Best Film Poster, top 3 audience choice, Twents Festival van de Korte Film – Silver Award Best Film, nominations Film Fest The Hague, Film Fest Middelburg (Mrs de Bie/Producer/Writer)

Patch, short black comedy, DutchCheez Productions & McMedia- director Kristjan Knigge (Distribution Shorts TV) (The Netherlands/Guernsey UK) 2016 (main role Tessa/Producer )

Official Selection LA Shorts Fest september 2016 – Award Best Supporting Actress Madrid International Film Festival 2017- Award of Excellence (Short Film and Humor)/ Award of Merit (Script and Audience Impact) Best of Shorts Festival (La Jolla/San Diego) december 2016 – Award of Merit LA Global Shorts Festival november 2016 – Official Selection ShortToThePoint Film Fest Bucharest 2016

Drama for Social Change, short films by RNWMedia, 2016 (various roles)

Accused 2013, TV series  1 episode (main role Lucy)

Short films, examination films, theatre plays, television pilots, kids programs (e.i. Lachen met Arne – Buya)

Commercials

Commercial Univé 2023

Commercial Lidl ‘Delicieux, Ga voor Goud!’ 2018

Commercial Nuon ‘Sustainability’ 2015

Commercial Ikea ‘Christmas’ 2014

Commercial Dutch Tax Office 2013

Commercial Caiway Internet and Telecom 2011

Corporate Acting

Rituals
ABNAMRO
RNTC
MKB Nederland
M&S Mode
Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Saltro

Model

NCOI Corporate Training and Education – Computrain IT Training, State Police Force Studio43 – SanneNadineHes – Maaike van Haaster  

Music

singer /songwriter, Haarlem 2007-2010 (Togglehead, Joey Retro (The Mutations, several coverbands)

Trained by: singing and performance coach Vicky van Zijl (Penelope, Pimpersticker), Mara Sophie Peelen (‘No Man’s Land’), Caroline van Bavel (Die Drei Groschen)

Trivia

Karen speaks French and English fluently. She also has a fair command of Spanish and German. Karen has a master degree in French Literature and lived for 1,5 years in France, she also studied English as second language and speaks it fluently, also due to frequent visits to her father who lived in the USA. She easily adapts accents and speaks both British and American English. Born (Twente) and raised in the province (Drente), she can manage well with a Drenthe/Twente accent.

Acting Training

Karen was trained at Dutch Acting School De Trap, as well as at the Camera Acting School Videcom Teledrama (Hilversum, The Netherlands), at the School for Theatre and Television (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) by Josja Haman and at the Mulholland Academy (Camera Acting/Strassberg). She also took frequent acting training in London at The Actors Centre. She joined Acting Masterclasses in Los Angeles, London (Checkov, Meisner, Weston, comedy) and she was coached by actress Sytske van der Ster (Crossing Lines). Also took acting and improvisation classes in Amsterdam at De Toneelmeester (Herman Bolten/Hugo Konings) and at ACT (Dutch Actors Guild) of which she is a member.