Founder

Frits was born in Leiden where he grew up. After secondary school he attended VWO (pre-university education) at the Dr. W.A. Visser 't Hooft Lyceum. He then moved to Amsterdam to study political science at the VU. During his studies Frits worked at the Veronica youth department, where he made reports for the radio program Club Veronica Trend. He then went on to work as an editor for Veronica Nieuwsradio. He also did an internship at the VVD's scientific bureau, the Telders Foundation. In 1993 he graduated in Political Communication and Information. This major connected Frits' two main interests: communication and politics.

City councillor and alderman

Soon after, he built his career: in 1998 Frits became a city councilor in Amsterdam and in 2004 he became alderman there for Finance, Economic Affairs, ICT and Airport. In 2006 he became alderman in The Hague, with the portfolios of City Marketing and Inner City, International, ICT and Personnel & Organisation. Frits was instrumental in the development of city marketing in the Netherlands, which was still in its infancy at the time. In the capital city of Amsterdam, he introduced the 'I amsterdam' campaign and he put the city of The Hague on the map as the 'International City of Peace and Justice'. Never before had an alderman had the words city marketing in his portfolio or on his card, and never before could anyone claim to have been an alderman in two of our country's largest cities.

Besides his extensive experience in and knowledge of city marketing, Frits also has experience and knowledge in (political) campaigning. In 1998 he was campaign leader for the VVD in Amsterdam. In 2003 he was part of the campaign team of Gerrit Zalm and in 2006 winning campaign leader for Mark Rutte. He also follows American politics closely and enjoys visiting the US, which resulted in meetings with Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, among others.

Own business

After his political career, he started his own company under the name Frits Huffnagel, City Marketing & Communications. In 2011, he left The Hague City Council to devote himself to this. His love for communication was also renewed as a presenter at BNR Nieuwsradio and with his own talk show FRITS! at Omroep West, about art & culture, entrepreneurship, politics, entertainment and sports. From Rico Verhoeven and Sjaak Bral to André van Duin, from Annemarie van Gaal and Tineke Schouten to Thomas Berge, from Karin Bloemen and Emiel Roemer to the ministers Schouten and Schultz-Van Haegen and from Willeke Alberti to Thomas Ross. All were guests on talk show FRITS!

Media

But even if you haven't delved into city marketing or politics, you may know Frits. His national fam began with his participation as a panel member in the debate program Het Lagerhuis (1997), on Saturday nights with VARA. He was also a participant in the twelfth season of Wie is de Mol? (AVRO). Public appearances he often uses to combine his political experience and views with a healthy dose of humour. For example, whenever he is a guest on programs such as Goedemorgen Nederland, Jinek, Beau, WNL op Zondag or Pauw (& Witteman). He wrote columns for Gay & Night, HP/DeTijd and De Telegraaf. Frits was also chairman of Stichting AGP, the organisation of the Amsterdam Gay Pride. He participated in Ranking The Stars and First Dates.

Speaking of entertainment: Frits is a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest. As he says himself, "Every person is entitled to a few deviations and for me the Eurovision Song Contest is one of them.' In recent years he has often been present at (semi-) finals and behind the scenes in the press room.

Castro

Frits is still a busy bee: On January 1, 2019, Frits, together with Stefan de Bruijn, founded Castro. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the largest broadcaster in the Netherlands: AvroTros

Wondering what Frits and Castro can do for your company or organization? Then get in touch with us!