Gert Verhulst facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gert Verhulst
Gert Verhulst in 2017
Born	Gert Tony Hubert Verhulst (1968-01-24) 24 January 1968 (age 57) Berchem, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Education	autodidact, Refused at the Antwerp Academy of fine Arts.
Occupation	managing director of studio 100 (1996–present) presenter, entrepreneur, singer, director, actor, millionaire & business magnate
Years active	1987–present
Awards	Gouden Pier Kloeffe, Manager of the year by Trends

Gert Verhulst (born on January 24, 1968, in Berchem, Belgium) is a famous Belgian TV presenter, businessman, singer, director, and actor. He is a very important person in children's entertainment in the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). Gert is well-known for creating Studio 100, a company that makes popular shows and theme parks for kids. Many people see him as a cultural icon in Flanders because of his big impact on children's entertainment.

Gert Verhulst's Early Life and Career

Gert Verhulst and Samson performing in a Christmas show in 2009.

Gert Verhulst knew from a young age that he wanted to be famous. In 1987, he tried to get into the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, a school for arts, but he was not accepted. He later said this was a good thing for him. Later that year, he got his first job at a TV station called BRTN (now known as VRT). He worked as a continuity announcer, which means he introduced TV shows.

The Start of Samson & Gert

Gert wanted to make the announcements before children's TV shows more fun. He thought it would be cool to have an animal puppet with him. He met a puppeteer named Danny Verbiest, who created a puppet dog named Samson. Samson is an Old English Sheepdog.

Samson first appeared on TV on September 2, 1989. People in Flanders quickly loved Gert and Samson. Because they were so popular, they got their own TV show in 1990, called Samson. The show started on September 2, 1990. In the show, Samson, Gert, and their friends often found themselves in funny and messy situations. The show also included games, fan mail, and cartoons like The Smurfs.

Other TV Shows Gert Hosted

Gert Verhulst also hosted a language game show called Zeg eens Euh! (which means "Say Uh!"). This show was on TV on Fridays from 1992 to 1997. The game was like a British radio game called Just a Minute. In the game, a group of famous people had to talk about a topic for one minute without using a forbidden word. Many Flemish celebrities were on the show. The show was very popular, with many viewers.

In 1997, Gert moved to another TV channel called Vtm. There, he hosted other shows like Wat zegt u? (What do you say?) and Linx. In the summer of 1998, he hosted Sterrenslag (Star battle) for a few weeks. In 1999, he started a dialect game show called Watte? (What?).

Studio 100: A World of Entertainment

Gert Verhulst and Samson at a Plopsa theme park.

Gert Verhulst and Walter Baele at a book fair in 2009.

Gert Verhulst started Studio 100 in 1996 with Danny Verbiest and Hans Bourlon. They first worked together in 1989 when they created the Samson en Gert show. Studio 100 began with just the Samson en Gert program. They soon decided to create a new show to help their company grow. They chose Kabouter Plop (Gnome Plop), which started airing in 1997.

In 1999, Studio 100 grew a lot. They launched four new projects in Flanders, including a musical, a movie, and two new TV shows. Studio 100 also bought Meli Park, which became a theme park.

Today, Studio 100 owns many Amusement parks in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. These include Plopsaland, Mayaland Indoor, Plopsa Coo, Plopsaqua, and Holiday Park. The main office of Studio 100 is in Schelle, Belgium. They have very large recording studios there, where big events like the pre-selections for the Eurovision Song Contest are held.

Studio 100 also has offices and animation studios in other countries, like Paris, Sydney, and Munich. They own a company called Flying Bark Productions, which helped them create shows like Master Raindrop. Studio 100 works with many TV channels around the world, selling their shows and movies in over 110 countries. For example, the show Maya the Bee has been sold to TV channels in more than 150 countries.

Gert Verhulst's Family Life

Gert Verhulst with the mayor (Walter De Donder) during a Samson en Gert show in Plopsaland in 2017.

In 1998, Gert married Valerie Calliau. They had a son named Victor (born 1993) and a daughter named Marie (born 1995). Marie Verhulst is also an actress, just like her father. Gert and Valerie separated in 2003.

Later, Gert had a relationship with Karen Damen from the popular girl group, K3. They broke up in 2005 after four years. From 2008 to 2011, Gert was in a relationship with Ellen Callebout. In 2012, he had a short relationship with Josje Huisman, another singer from K3. After a few months, they separated. Gert and Ellen Callebout later got back together and married in 2019.

In 1999, Gert bought a large house in Kapellen, Belgium. It used to be a home for children in need, but he made it his private home.

Music Albums and Singles

Gert Verhulst has released many music albums and singles, mostly with Samson.

Albums

• "Samson & Gert 1" (1991)
• "Samson & Gert 2" (1992)
• "Samson & Gert 3" (1993)
• "Samson & Gert 4" (1995)
• "Samson & Gert 5" (1995)
• "Samson & Gert 6" (1996)
• "Samson & Gert 7" (1997)
• "Samson & Gert 8" (1998)
• "Samson & Gert 9" (1999)
• "Samson & Gert 10 – Het beste uit 10 jaar Samson en Gert" (2000)
• "Samson & Gert 11 – De wereld is mooi" (2001)
• "Samson & Gert 12 – Oh la la la" (2002)
• "Samson & Gert 13 – Jiepie ja hee" (2003)
• "Hotel op stelten" (2008)
• "20 jaar Samson & Gert" (2010)

Singles

• "Samsonrock" (Samson & Gert) (1991)
• "Verliefd zijn" (Samson & Gert) (1991)
• "Wij gaan naar de maan" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "10 Miljoen" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "Samen delen" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "Samen op de moto" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "Wij komen naar jou" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "De snijdersbank" (Samson & Gert) (1992)
• "De bel doet 't niet" (Samson & Gert) (1993)
• "Repeteren" (Samson & Gert) (1993)
• "Piraten-Potpourri" (Samson & Gert) (1993)
• "Samson toch!" (Samson & Gert) (1994)
• "Wat ben ik blij" (Samson & Gert) (1994)
• "Wij zijn bij de brandweer" (Samson & Gert) (1994)
• "Als je heel erg veel verliefd bent" (Samson & Gert) (1994)
• "Bij Heidi in Tirol" (Samson & Gert) (1995)
• "In de disco" (Samson & Gert) (1995)
• "Druk" (Samson & Gert) (1995)
• "Wereldberoemd" (Samson & Gert) (1995)
• "Wie gaat er mee?" (Samson & Gert) (1996)
• "Aap in Huis" (Samson & Gert) (1996)
• "De mooiste dag" (Samson & Gert) (1996)
• "Wij weten wat liefde is" (Samson & Gert) (1996)
• "Het spook van de opera" (Samson & Gert) (1997)
• "Jimmy de cowboy" (Samson & Gert) (1997)
• "Mannetjes van Mars" (Samson & Gert) (1998)
• "Wakker worden" (Samson & Gert) (1998)
• "Wij willen voetballen" (Samson & Gert) (1998)
• "Roeien" (Samson & Gert) (1998)
• "S.O.S." (Samson & Gert) (1998)
• "Piloot" (Samson & Gert) (1999)
• "Storm op zee" (Samson & Gert) (1999)
• "Bim bam bom" (Samson & Gert) (2000)
• "De mooiste dromen" (Samson & Gert) (2000)
• "Vooruit" (Samson & Gert) (2000)
• "Yeah yeah yeah" (Samson & Gert) (2001)
• "De wereld is mooi!" (Samson & Gert) (2001)
• "We zijn op elkaar" (Samson & Gert) (2001)
• "Oh la la la!" (Samson & Gert en de 6 Teens) (2002)
• "Olé pistolé" (Samson & Gert en de 6 Teens) (2002)
• "Radio" (Samson & Gert) (2003)
• "Lieve Samson" (Samson & Gert) (2006)
• "Naar zee" (Samson & Gert) (2007)
• "Heet" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Vrede op aarde" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Vrienden voor het leven" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Vrolijk liedje" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Ik ben verliefd" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Alles is op" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Oh lalala" (Samson & Gert) (2008)
• "Sinterklaas en Zwarte Piet" (Samson & Gert) (2009)
• "Springen in de zee" (Samson & Gert) (2009)
• "Kerstmis Kerstmis" (Samson & Gert) (2013)
• "Wij gaan vliegen" (Samson & Gert) (2013)
• "Tingelingeling" (Samson & Gert) (2014)
• "Zwaaien" (Samson & Gert) (2014)
• "Hiep hiep hiep hoera!" (Samson & Gert) (2015)

TV Shows and Movies

Gert Verhulst has been in many TV shows and movies, both as an actor and as a producer or director.

As an Actor (Television)

As a Producer (Film)

As a Director (Film)

More About Studio 100 Shows

See also

In Spanish: Gert Verhulst para niños