Biographie
Simone Walraven is a radio and TV presenter, actress, filmmaker, and writer, born in Amsterdam, Holland.
Her career began in 1982 at age 15 when she worked as a newsreader and DJ at the Dutch pirate station Radio Decibel under the alias "Sipi Dubrowski," alongside future Dutch media stars like Jeroen van Inkel and Adam Curry.
After graduating from the Athenaeum in 1984, Simone was invited by the Veronica Broadcasting Organization to produce and present the weekly radio show Club Veronica Trend.
In 1985, she debuted on Dutch national television as a presenter on Schoolplein ("Schoolyard"), a program created by and for high school students, co-hosting with Alfred Lagarde.
By 1986, Simone added shows such as Oh, Wat Een Nacht ("Oh, What A Night"), a three-hour Friday night music radio show, and guest-presented on Veronica's popular music TV show Countdown, hosted by Adam Curry.
When Curry left Veronica in 1987 to join MTV in the US, Simone became the first female presenter of Countdown, known as Europe's #1 Rock Show. She also hosted five weekly international editions of Countdown for Europa Television, reaching about 15 million viewers across Europe and East Asia.
Alongside her entertainment career, Simone contributed monthly articles and columns to the official Club Veronica and Countdown magazines.
She made her film acting debut in the Dutch comedy Donna Donna as the female lead. In 1987, she also presented the live broadcast of Veronica's Muziekdag ("Veronica's Music Day"), featuring national and international artists, and hosted a Friday morning music show on Veronica Hit Radio 3 through 1988.
After turning 22 in September 1988, Simone stepped back from public life to focus on education and personal projects.
In 1989, she traveled to Central Africa to host Water In The Third World, a UNICEF documentary on building water facilities in Rwanda. She also collaborated with her future husband, Clark Datchler of Johnny Hates Jazz, contributing backing vocals to his solo album Raindance.
Her African experience inspired her to pursue higher education. She studied history at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and completed a foundation course in Art, focusing on drawing and photography.
In 1990, Simone married Clark Datchler and became a mother. Together, they ran an independent music production company for twenty years, with Simone serving as Executive Producer for Clark’s solo projects. She also honed her skills as a storyteller and film editor.
While in the UK in 2008, Simone created the online mini-documentary The Unknown Poet, highlighting the poetry of a London cab driver. Two of her short films about Clark’s environmental songs, Tomorrow and Power, were featured at the 2008 Clean Tech Media Awards in Berlin.
After launching her personal website in autumn 2008, Simone was invited by Dutch DJ Rob Stenders to join KX Radio’s all-star lineup. Broadcasting from a mobile studio, she currently hosts the hour-long music show ConneKXions every Friday morning.
In March 2009, Simone hosted The Edison Music Awards at the World Trade Center in Rotterdam.
As of 2010, Simone Walraven continues to work as a media professional in North America, the British Isles, and Holland, and serves as one of four jury members on the Dutch talent show Popstars for SBS6.
