Xena (21) is responsible for the PR & Communication at Startblok Riekerhaven. She studies at the Dutch Filmers Acadamy, an allround study for filmmakers. She learns everything you need to know to produce a good film: editing, screenplay writing, directing, filming, set building and producing. In the third year the students can choose a specialty. ‘’I’m not sure what to choose yet. I’m best at editing and screenplay writing, but I also really like to produce and fix every little detail.’’ During her study Xena can often be found at sets, which can be quite stressfull, but she wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. ‘’It’s very chaotic, you have to take all kinds of stuff in consideration and there’s always something that goes wrong. But when everything is finished it’s so rewarding, that you did it again: making something beautiful with each other.’’ Besides her job in PR & Communication Xena also works as a receptionist in an eldery care home. After 4 years it almost feels like a second home and it’s never boring. ‘’It’s always some kind of soap opera in which you ask yourself what the residents experienced this time. I mostly enjoy that both residents and colleagues regularly drop by for a conversation, they’re very sweet.’’ Her free time Xena mostly spends writing, reading and gaming. Although she doesn’t always have time to play videogames in her busy life, she tries to make time for it every now and then. ‘’Gaming for me is relaxing. It really makes me unwind and this way I can process everything that happened that day.’’ She mostly plays games where history place a big role. ‘’I like Assasin’s Creed Odyssey a lot. In this game there’s a lot of characters from Greek mythology, like Medusa and Cerberus. But I’m also a big Lara Croft fan. She is a badass and I also like the archeology in this game.’’ Another hobby of Xena is photography, for which she even studied at the Fotoacademie. She mostly like to take pictures of the forest. ‘’I like hiking and I love the smell of the forest. I like how the light comes through the trees and all the cute animals you encounter.’’ Before Xena starting doing the PR & Communication for Startblok, she worked at a cheese factory and at the technical helpdesk at Ziggo.
Xena started living at Startblok this summer. She heard about the project through her sister, who is also a Startblokker. After that she made a few video’s for Startblok and other projects of de Key. ‘’Through this I learned about what Startblok is. It quickly felt like home, the people always say hi and I like to live closer to my sister.’’ She mostly likes the social aspect of Startblok Riekerhaven. ‘’You keep meeting new people here and you often have spontaneous conversations. Not too long ago I ran into my neighbor. He bought new shoes and he proudly showed them to me. It was really special to him and it made me think about how important it is to enjoy the small things in life.’’
