Make More Dots
DOT • noun
A UNIT OF KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE OR UNDERSTANDING. TO ‘MAKE MORE DOTS’ IS TO COLLECT MORE OF THESE; TO BE MORE CURIOUS AND/OR TO START JOINING THOSE DOTS IN WAYS THAT MIGHT ENCOURAGE THE CREATION OF SOMETHING ELSE WONDERFUL.
About
Hi, I'm Robbie and I might just be the answer to all your prayers (if you're praying for a creative brain who is down to earth, hugely experienced and ruthlessly straightforward when it comes to helping you make the most of your business, project, campaign, product or even yourself).I've worked with Hollywood studios, politicians, inventors, publishers, production companies, social enterprises, start-ups and a whole range of big organisations from Kings College London and The British Library, to Lego, PlayStation and Red Bull.I've had writing published and performed on BBC Radio 4, photography used in exhibitions and publications, adapted books into radio plays, ghost written two business books, produced podcasts, and rebranded, reworded, reworked or revived the stories oragnisations and individuals tell about themselves so they are better understood by the people that matter to them.
My background
2002-2006... studied Philosophy 🧐 at the University of York. Comes in endlessly useful cutting through the crap.
2006-2016... Creative and strategy director in agencies 🏢 writing and designing stuff, doing internet stuff when it was still fun, winning awards and building creative departments.
2016 until now... Creative partner 🤝, often for things that are hard to find someone who can connect the dots well enough (more below).
2019 until now... Also co-founder of Today Do This ⚡️, working with businesses to integrate sustainability into their day-to-day work by highlighting the business case for doing so.
Things I've done...
Brilliantly Easy Stupidly Difficult 🎧 - A six episode podcast I wrote, produced and presented for the 9others business network.
Your Place Comedy 🎟 - A virtual comedy club created during the pandemic to raise money for small venues in Northern England.
Mentor and advisor 💡 - Supported 1000s of businesses through the British Library's Business and IP Centre, various University programmes and startup accelerators.
Ghost writer 👻 - Written two fully fledged business books, and countless articles and guides for all kinds of industries.
King's College London Social Mobility 🎓 - Developed a strategy (and implementation plan) for clearly communicating to each department the important role the university plays in social mobility.
Real: The Physical Network 📬 - Part art exhibit, part creative campaign for Royal Mail showcasing the power of physical items in an increasingly digital world [more...]
Adobe: Creativity for All 🥚 - Another part art exhibit, part campaign for Photoshop's 3D printing features. Involved directing a video with actual live chickens [more...]
Sex on Tap 🍻- An immersive takeover of student union bars to promote safe sex at Universities [more...]
Some photography 📸
Things I can do for you...
If you've scrolled this far, you're likely thinking "OK, sounds interesting. But there's this thing I need help with and I don't know if Robbie can help with that".So let me spell out what I'm really useful for...
Finding clear and compelling ways to articulate something difficult to pin down, or a little bit complicated. I've done that for big businesses, startups, personal brands, politicians and inventors among others.
Writing words that make a concept, thought, personality, brand or any other entity much more easy to grapple with.
Developing metaphors or simple visual representations to even better explain the kind of ideas outlined in points 1 and 2.
Maybe most importantly, clearly outlining how you as a business, individual or collective go from having these neatly encapsulated ideas on a few Keynote slides to have a clear plan of action to make real progress with your goals.
And since I started my career as a graphic designer, and I can make videos, audio content, build simple websites and put together very lovely slide decks to contain any and all of the above.
Additional fun facts
I live in Glasgow 🏴 (but love any excuse for a long train journey), was a contestant on University Challenge 🎓(we lost, came back as highest scoring losers, lost again), lived and worked in Tanzania 🇹🇿 for a bit (caught malaria, broadly avoided coconut to which I am very allergic), produce sporting stats and analysis on football ⚽️ and athletics 👟 for a number of outlets, and am dad to two decreasingly small boys who can never bring enough sticks back to the house 🐣 and I own a T-Rex tooth, a small piece of Apollo 11 and some coal from the Titanic. I am open to discussing any or all of these things.I also like turning my satsuma peel into something:
Say hello
Want to talk? Get in touch...
Real: The Physical Network
(Probably) the world's first physical social network. Created to help Royal Mail explain the value of physical items in an increasingly digital world. Housed in a gallery in London, 100 members submitted all kinds of things via the post for members of the public to explore. It was also used, and here's the clever bit, for sales meetings by Royal Mail's commercial arm as a real convincer for potential clients who might otherwise throw their money at Facebook ads (it was such a success they moved the exhibition to their offices when the gallery term ended).
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Adobe: Creativity for all
To highlight 3D printing features in Adobe Photoshop, I developed an Easter based concept, by which people would be able to design eggs and have them printed for them in a gallery space in London. On the flip side, anyone with a 3D printer could get designs and make their own eggs. It was all launched with a video featuring and actual baby chick designing a 3D egg (sort of).
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Sex on tap
Sex On Tap (AKA 'The Morning After Brewery') was a piece of work for TheSite.org highlighting the need to talk openly about safe sex practices, especially around alcohol. A whole fictional, fun brand of drinks was created and put into four student unions across the UK.
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