Ben(jamin) Doumen

Owner / Digital performance lead

In three words: Genius. Modest...Self-deprecating...

Ice cold! Preferably a Caramel Frappuccino, grande, no whipped cream; at Starbucks.

February 2025

This interview has been translated, the original language is: Dutch

Short introduction

What are you proud of?: Professionally: founding and expanding Ligatus in the Belgian market from 2011 to 2019. Personally: having a teenage daughter who is an avid reader.
In your free time, what do you like to do most?: From September to early February, I enjoy spending Sunday evenings stretched out on the couch in my man cave with a few like-minded buddies watching the Chicago Bears' NFL game, accompanied by several bags of Lays chips and a supply of Desperados and Coronas. (After the Super Bowl, my free time consists solely of counting down to the new NFL season.)
Did you know that I…: ....I assisted Retriever Media for 2 and a half years with their entry and positioning in the Belgian advertising and agency world? And that during that time (together with Harriet, Ed, & Bengt) we achieved great results.
Where would you go in a time machine and with whom/why?: To about 10 years ago, when both Prince and my dad were still with us. To witness the musical genius of one live one more time, and to give a hug to the other and have another chat with him about life, taxes, and the Patro.

What is your favourite movie?: It's an impossible choice between: + Apocalypse Now Redux (director's cut) by Francis Ford Coppola + One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Milos Forman + Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino (and everything from Star Wars, which is both nostalgic and a guilty pleasure).
What book would you recommend?: It's an impossible choice between: + A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (+ the rest of his works) + American Tabloid by James Ellroy + La possibilité d'une île by Michel Houellebecq (and if you want to laugh out loud while reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams).
Can you recommend a good restaurant?: 3 top Italian spots from the homeland (Maasmechelen): + Da Lidia + Osteria Cellini + Grand Café Casino.
Do you have another cool tip for us?: Ideal lazy Sunday (after)noon: visit art galleries in Antwerp's Nieuw Zuid (Tim Van Laere, Everyday, MOLO), then head to Kloosterstraat to buy vinyl records at Chelsea Records (No. 10) and pick up American cookies from Cookiele (No. 175).

What is your favourite quote?: In my eyes, the greatest thinker of the 20th century is the Amsterdam folk philosopher, Hendrik Johannes Cruijff. The following quotes can serve as conclusive proof of the above statement: + "Every disadvantage has its advantage" + "You only see it when you get it" + "Coincidence is logical." Nietzsche could learn a thing or two from him!
Who would you like to see in this section?: + Marc Vroonen, Owner of Media Maverick; another media guru just like me + Wim Jansen, DPG Media, Chief Commerce Belgium + Stefan Havik, DPG Media, Digital Boss + Marc Michils, (former) Saatchi & Saatchi, Chairman of Kom op tegen Kanker, Chairman of Bruzz (Brussels media)