Screenwriter
What drives me is writing stories and characters that feel recognizable, and that resonate with a wide audience.
I love writing — whether it’s delving into an existing story or developing one from scratch, I find both equally rewarding. My background as an assistant director on set gives me a unique perspective on actors and dialogue that I bring into my writing. Over the years I’ve worked in different roles, from dialogue writer to story editor, and more recently I’ve moved into head writing and leading projects.
I’m not afraid to work within genres, or to change things up when something isn’t working. I love a clear vision to write within — it lets me push right up to the edge of what’s possible. And thanks to my time on set, I’m comfortable writing within a budget and having a practical conversation about how a script actually works on screen.
I invest heavily in a strong foundation of beats and treatment, so the key questions are already answered before we reach the dialogue phase. I can work in Dutch and English because I spend my teenage years in England.
In addition to my work at Meerkat Stories, I’m available as a freelance screenwriter for producers, broadcasters, and streaming services looking for a writer who thinks beyond the page.
I work on trust and clarity: solid agreements upfront, involvement throughout the process, and a sharp eye for what a story truly needs.
What I do
- Writing treatments, pitch documents, and scripts
- Developing original projects
- Contributing as a screenwriter within larger writing teams
- (Co-)developing series and films from idea to strong foundation
Background
Eva Aben (1975) moved to England with her family at the age of eleven. After a teacher at the European School advised her to watch as much TV as possible to master the English language quickly, she watched every episode of Fawlty Towers until she understood every joke. This is where her love for TV and film originated.
In 1993, she moved back to the Netherlands to study Cultural Anthropology. It turned out to be a short detour. A practice-oriented course in camera direction at the media academy in Hilversum suited her much better. What followed were twelve years as an assistant director on series across all genres, including Westenwind, Meiden van de Wit, Voetbalvrouwen, and Flikken Maastricht.
In 2010, she completed two script editing courses, for beginners and advanced students, at the BBC in London. Two years later, she worked as a screenwriter adapting jokes for three seasons of Komt een Man bij de Dokter. Since then, as a script editor and screenwriter, she has worked not only on major series such as Heer & Meester, Celblok H, and the comedic ratings hit De Luizenmoeder, but also on numerous children’s series, including Het Verborgen Eiland, Het Geheim van Eyck, and Verborgen Verhalen.
In 2021, no fewer than three new series aired on television that Eva contributed to as a screenwriter: Swanenburg (KRONCRV), Adem In Adem Uit (Net5), and Tenminste Houdbaar Tot (AVROTROS).
In 2024, the second season of Tenminste Houdbaar Tot aired on AVROTROS. In 2025, KRONCRV the four-part series Ik Val Niet Ik Dans, for which Eva wrote the script.