Early life and education
Michel Steers is a Dutch engineer, entrepreneur, and graffiti artist who transformed his passion into a large-scale, respected business. Founded in 2005, Graffitifun under his leadership has become Europe’s largest graffiti workshop provider. With his engineering background, his emphasis on structure, training, reliability, and social responsibility, Steers has built a company that bridges art, education, community, and business in a unique way.
Michel Steers was born in 1989 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He grew up in Amsterdam Zuidoost, in the Holendrecht neighbourhood, where he was exposed to urban life and street culture from a young age. He pursued a higher education in civil engineering (HBO bouwtechniek), becoming an engineer and even running his own engineering firm before fully devoting his energies to the world of graffiti and street art.
Founding of Graffitifun
In 2005 Michel Steers founded Graffitifun, a company offering exclusive graffiti workshops and related activities. What started as a personal project evolved into an organised enterprise with a mission: to make graffiti accessible, respected, and educational. The early years involved balancing engineering work and his passion for art, building the business slowly but steadily.
Growth and business model
Under Steers’ leadership Graffitifun has grown into what is considered the largest graffiti workshop provider in Europe. The company now employs over 40 professional graffiti artists. Workshops are not only for birthday parties but also for schools, companies, events, festivals, murals, and street art installations. Graffitifun operates widely in the Netherlands and Belgium and beyond into other European nations.
Michel Steers emphasises a model of reliability and professionalism. The company offers backup artists so that workshops are not canceled, uses its own fleet of vans for transportation and logistics, and maintains owned or exclusive wall spaces (“Hall of Fame” locations) for graffiti art.
Recognition, training and social contribution
Graffitifun under Steers is officially recognised as a learning company (erkend leerbedrijf), meaning that young people can intern or receive training through the organisation. This offers educational value beyond mere entertainment. The business takes social responsibility seriously: offering opportunities for youth, giving them creative outlets, and promoting respect for public space.
Steers has built the business without reliance on government subsidies. The enterprise’s scaling has been driven by persistent daily effort and passion, combining technical/engineering discipline with artistic expression.
International presence and services
As of 2025, Graffitifun offers its services across many European cities. Locations include Amsterdam and Utrecht (notably at “Hall of Fame” walls), as well as in Belgium and other countries. Services include graffiti workshop parties (graffiti kinderpartment or kidsparty), school workshops, corporate team-building sessions, mural work, street art festivals, events, and more. Graffitifun also produces its own branded spray cans, has clothing lines, and owns a fleet for logistics. Graffitifun work with artists like Sket185, Deeffeed, Donovan Spaanstra and more and in many countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and more.
Leadership style and philosophy
Michel Steers combines his engineering background with artistic passion. His style of leadership is hands-on and committed. He takes personal responsibility for ensuring that the company meets its commitments, including workshop quality, reliability, and client satisfaction. Key values he pushes are professionalism, enthusiasm, reliability, and the importance of creativity being accessible to all.
Steers also believes in changing public perceptions about graffiti, transforming it from a misunderstood and often stigmatized practice into a respected art form. He encourages participants to understand art history, graffiti culture, respect for public and private property, and collaboration.
Achievements and milestones
- Founded Graffitifun in 2005 in Holendrecht, Amsterdam Zuidoost.
- Expanded to a team of over 40 artists and built international operations.
- Developed exclusive graffiti workshop locations such as Hall of Fame in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
- Recognised as market leader in graffiti workshops in Europe and best choice in the Benelux region.
- Developed various workshop formats: children’s parties, school programs, corporate events, murals.
Challenges and strengths
One of the challenges Steers has faced is changing the societal view of graffiti. Graffiti is often associated with vandalism rather than art. Under his guidance the company works to educate clients, participants, and communities about responsible artistic expression.
Strengths include a strong organisational base, official registrations, financial independence, consistent quality control, and innovation in formats and services. The backup artist policy, own logistics, and training company status reduce risk for clients and ensure reliability.
Outlook and future plans
Michel Steers envisions further expansion of Graffitifun, both geographically across Europe and in terms of service offerings. Innovations such as digital graffiti experiences, augmented reality, and larger mural projects are part of the strategy. Continuing to deepen educational collaborations and maintaining high levels of professionalism remain core to his plans. He still goin on to help other artists and people to work with him, into grow by themself and give them a nice change to work in a creative art sector.