Biografia
Reinout Oerlemans has spent 25 years in the media and entertainment industry. Starting his career as an actor and on-air host, he quickly shifted to become a highly successful producer and director of global unscripted and scripted content.
In 2009, Oerlemans debuted as a feature film director alongside Academy Award-winning producer Hans de Weers, delivering the decade’s highest-grossing Dutch film, STRICKEN (Komt Een Vrouw Bij De Dokter, starring Carice Van Houten). In 2011, he introduced the first 3D film to Dutch cinemas, Nova Zembla, featuring supermodel Doutzen Kroes in her screen debut, which sold nearly a million tickets across the BENELUX region.
His passion for drama led Oerlemans to become an award-winning producer in scripted films, with credits including The DINNER (directed by Menno Meyes, writer of The Color Purple and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), New Kids Turbo (selling over 1.5 million tickets in Holland, Germany, and Belgium), and JACKIE (starring Oscar-winner Holly Hunter).
In 1989, while studying law at the University of Amsterdam, Oerlemans was discovered and cast as a lead in the first Dutch daily prime-time drama, "Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden." After six years on the show, he became one of Holland’s top TV personalities, hosting shows such as the initial seasons of Dutch American Idol, Strictly Come Dancing, and his own talk show PULSE on RTL, the country’s largest commercial network.
In 2001, Oerlemans founded the production company Eyeworks with the goal of establishing a global TV presence. Eyeworks expanded to 16 companies across Europe, Scandinavia, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and the US, becoming one of the world’s top five independent production companies.
He created hit formats like Test The Nation, aired in over 50 countries; Who Wants to Marry My Son, licensed in 16 territories; the scripted series COPS Maastricht with 100 episodes; and Celebrity Splash, produced for ITV and ABC and sold to 25 territories.
In February 2014, Oerlemans sold Eyeworks’ non-US operations to Warner Bros. Television Group. Following the sale, he relocated with his wife, former professional cyclist Danielle Overgaag, and their four children—Thijmen, Fiene, Ben, and Kate—to Los Angeles to pursue his ambitions. He took on the role of Chairman of Eyeworks USA, which he rebranded as 3 Ball Entertainment in January 2015, honoring the original US company, 3 Ball Productions, acquired by Eyeworks in 2006.
3 Ball Entertainment ranks among the largest reality TV producers in the US, with credits including the hit series Extreme Weight Loss (also known as Obese in 150 countries worldwide) and Bar Rescue (100 episodes for Spike), among numerous others.
Oerlemans’ success across film and television, both domestically and internationally, has enabled him to move fluidly between mediums. Driven by passion and persistence, he is poised and determined to make a significant impact in his next venture within American cinema.
