Media
Articles and interviews
Featured in the media
My professional career, activities, and status as a foreigner have led to me being featured in the media on several occasions. Below is a selection of articles and interviews that have documented my journey over the years.
Unfortunately, much of the archival material has disappeared from digital platforms. Despite my efforts to save copies and request the original files from the media, the content from over a decade ago is no longer available online.
This is why, if you value your memories, it’s best to hire professional photographers and videographers to document your events.
Social media footnote
Over the past few decades, social media has become the primary place where everyone shares their photos and information. Unfortunately, it’s not a lasting replacement for a traditional photo album.
These platforms are run by companies that want to make money. Their business model is set up in a way that your information is both manipulated and sold to third parties.
Furthermore, information on social media is often fleeting. Older content slowly but surely disappears into the background, and search functions are often so poor that finding something from ten years ago can become an endless scroll. It’s also possible for a company to go bankrupt or decide to change its system, making old information inaccessible or causing it to disappear entirely.
Campus Magazine
8 December 2007. Interview in Campus Magazine, University of Murcia. In Murcia, I started working as a database and web programmer for several new technology and Internet companies, but also increasingly as a designer.
In 2003, I worked at one of the region’s major canning companies, where I specialized in graphic design for packaging and advertising, as well as photography of canned and fresh products. Since then, I have never stopped using my camera. Since 2006, I have been working for a leading development and construction company in Murcia as the Head of Advertising and Marketing. Part of that work is dedicated to photographing the construction sites and architecture of their buildings. My passion for photography becomes most evident on weekends. This is when I don’t let go of my photographic equipment in my favorite area of the Murcia region: the high villages of Moratalla.
Open en read the interview: Campus Magazine 8
No me llames guiri (Don’t call me a foreigner)
August 2009. Jerome van Passel appears in an episode of the show “No me llames guiri” (Don’t call me a foreigner). The program, which aired for a couple of years on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. on 7RM (TV channel: 7 Región de Murcia), followed a format similar to TVE’s popular “Españoles en el mundo” (Spaniards around the world).
The photo, taken in the Cuevas de Zaén (Bajil), documents the filming of the episode, which explores the experiences of foreigners residing in Murcia. In this chapter, presenter Ernest Berkhout and Jerome van Passel explore various points of interest in the Murcia region, including Santo Ángel, the city of Murcia, El Sabinar, and Bajil in Moratalla.
Here is the link to watch the video: No me llames guiri.
Interview on Cadena SER radio station
April 8, 2012. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in numerous radio interviews. However, one of the most memorable was the one on Cadena SER Radio Murcia on April 8, 2012, where I shared the studio with the renowned Murcian photographer y amigo Joaquín Zamora.
On that occasion, we discussed photography in general and its role in documenting Murcia. As is typical, we emphasized the importance of photography in the conservation and preservation of cultural heritage and history, both at a general level and specifically within the Murcian region.
El Sabinar 0611
Agust 2012. The “El Sabinar 0611” exhibition, featuring the work of photographer Jerome van Passel, has now arrived in the village of El Sabinar in Moratalla.
In television broadcast by 7RM, several local residents who appear in the photographs were featured. The broadcast highlighted how the exhibition captures the essence of their community, showcasing familiar faces and scenes from daily life.
The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for the community to see themselves reflected through the lens of an artist. It’s a celebration of local life and a testament to the strong connection between the photographer and the people of El Sabinar.
Good morning, Murcia: Disappearance of Dutch girls
15 October 2014. Interview with Jerome van Passel , a Dutchman living in Murcia who has been involved in the search for two young Dutch women who disappeared in Panama.
Original track in Onda Regional: Desaparición jóvenes holandesas
Photographers paint with light
March 28, 2012 – Manuel Herrero. He’s Dutch, but the love of a Murcian woman captured Jerome van Passel in the village of Santo Ángel, where they live with their two children. He left his job as a department head for DHL’s Technical Service in his home country. His specialties are IT and photography, the latter of which has earned him several awards.
Until April 20, he’s exhibiting a selection of photographs at the General Archive of Murcia under the title “El Sabinar 0611.” Read more (Spanish).
Pilgrimages
January 30, 2016 – De Telegraaf. You don’t have to be religious to go on a pilgrimage. But many walkers are “searching”—for themselves, the meaning of life, or simply for peace. Who wouldn’t want to get away from it all once in a while?
The most famous destinations are Rome and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. However, few people complete such a long journey in one go, according to Jerome van Passel. Jerome has a very peculiar profession for a Dutchman: he is the mayor of a small village in Spain, Santo Ángel (Murcia). He has not only made pilgrimages himself but also help to plan to organize one as mayor next year.
“I don’t know anyone who has done this for religious conviction. My Spanish relatives, acquaintances, and friends do it because it’s a special experience, for health reasons, and for the beautiful nature and international social contacts. It’s just a pleasant experience,” says Mayor Passel.
The True Cross of Caravaca de la Cruz
March 17, 2017 – Karline Vandenbroecke. In this article, Karline Vandenbroecke walks the Camino de la Vera Cruz in the Murcia region. On the stretch between Murcia and La Contraparada, she walks with a group of Spaniards from the village of Santo Ángel. We had arranged this in advance with the mayor of this village in Murcia, Jeroen van Passel.
Last year, there was an interview about pilgrimages with this Spanish Dutchman in De Telegraaf. The pilgrimage to Caravaca is a natural choice as a walking destination for Spaniards in the province of Murcia. In Santo Ángel, the group only set off after a prayer, but otherwise, it is mainly about the group experience. Magazine website: www.santiago.nl. Magazine: PDF format (Dutch) – photographs: Jerome van Passel
Vidas de ida y vuelta – (Lives of coming and going)
December 16, 2018 – Marta Semitiel. On the occasion of International Migrants Day, La Verdad highlights the stories of two people from Murcia and three foreigners who left their home countries in search of new and better opportunities.
It represents the typical story we associate with immigration by default. But that is not the only one. Jerôme Van Passel, “the foreign mayor” of the village of Santo Ángel, as he likes to call himself, is also an immigrant.
This Dutchman has been in Murcia for twenty years and has served the town for three. He also has experience as a translator between the National Police and many foreigners. Perhaps that’s why he doesn’t hesitate for a moment when he says, “There are first, second, and third-class immigrants. I’m lucky enough to be first-class. I even have a different queue when I go to the Foreigner’s Office because I’m from Northern Europe, and for that reason alone, I’m often valued more than some Spaniards. And I think that’s terrible.” You can find the Spanisch article here: Vidas de ida y vuelta
Jerome Van Passel: Direct glances into the heart
August 11, 2019 – (Mi mascota y yo) Fernando Perals. It’s no coincidence that life brings two special beings together. Just as it’s no coincidence that destiny, sooner or later, helps those who need it most, when they need it most.
Jerome Van Passel is Dutch on three of four sides. The last side has been breathing Murcian air for a few years now. He was the mayor of the village of Santo Ángel from 2015 to 2019. Yes, a gentleman from the Netherlands—a fact that makes him special. Along with him, always by his side, you can find ‘Bruno,’ a mixed-breed dog, a cross between a bracco and a boxer, who has just turned eight.
“A family of hunters had several dogs, and one of them got pregnant. The puppy wasn’t good for hunting, so they were going to take him to a shelter. My wife and son crossed paths with him, and now he’s one of us,” says Jerome. Read more (Spanish) Jerome Van Passel: Miradas directas al corazón (La Verdad de Murcia)
Ailoviu
February 2018. The afternoon magazine show on La 7rm, hosted by Antonio Hidalgo, brings together love, friendship, music, and surprises.
In this particular episode, the show features an interview with Jerome van Passel and residents of the village of Santo Ángel. The segment offers a look into the community’s daily life, highlighting their deep connections and friendly atmosphere. The interview provides an opportunity for the residents to share their stories and traditions, offering viewers a glimpse into the charm of this Murcian village.
Watch the interview here: The interview on Youtube (Spanish)
Astrade charity run
On January 13, 2019, a charity race was held, organized by Canal 7 Televisión Región de Murcia.
The race went from La Alberca to the Santuario de la Fuensanta in Algezares. Jerome van Passel and Juan Jesús González Gurillo collaborated on the organization. The funds raised were donated to social aid, specifically to the Association for the Care of People with Generalized Developmental Disorders in the Murcia Region.
My name appeared on a television contest
It is not often that you are featured in the questions on a television quiz show. On the program ‘El Pinchazo’, presented by Antonio Hidalgo, these two participants were asked if the person in the photo (Luis van Gaal, football coach of FC Barcelona, among others) was the former mayor, Jerome van Passel, of Santo Ángel. Watch the moment on video: Television contest
El Pinchazo
On March 2, 2020, I participated in the TV program “El Pinchazo,” a quiz show hosted by Antonio Hidalgo. El Pinchazo is a question-and-answer television show produced in Spain by Grupo Secuoya and was presented at that time by Antonio Hidalgo. I was invited by Antonio Hidalgo to join after my name was mentioned in a previous episode. I had the good fortune to play the game with my good friend Juan Jesús González Gurillo. Here you can watch my participation: El Pinchazo – 02052020
Motorbike races
14/11/22 – Onda Regional. Today we hear from Jerome van Passel and several representatives of the Santo Ángel neighborhood association, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is particularly concerned about young people who often take part in street drinking parties and motorbike races. Listen to the full broadcast
Motorcyclists causing disturbance
15/11/2022 – Hablando Claro de TVE. A gang of young motorcyclists is causing great disturbance to the residents of Santo Ángel with the motorcycle races they have been staging in this district. These races take place at night, with the resulting noise preventing residents from sleeping and causing fear due to the high speeds reached by these vehicles.
Interview on TVE’s program ‘Hablando claro’ (Spanish) on 15 November 2022. The full program (Spanish) can be viewed at: www.rtve.es/play/videos/hablando-claro
Going in-depth with Jerome van Passel
January 30, 2025. Three months after the DANA storm (Valencia), we speak with Dutch-born teacher and photographer, and former mayor of Santo Ángel, Jerome van Passel. He participated in the rescue of victims with the Dutch foundation Reddingshonden after a period of what he describes as “bureaucratic chaos.”
Listen to the whole broadcast on Onda Regional: Entrando en profundidades. The anchor is: Alejo J. Lucas
To be continued
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of appearing in numerous media outlets, from television shows to radio interviews and newspaper articles. This page offers an overview of some of those features, documenting different moments and projects throughout my journey. I plan to continue updating this section sharing new stories and experiences.
Would you like to know more?
Through this button, you can see a number of exhibitions I have participated in.