my life story

Once upon a time (a very long time ago) an improv comedian picked me out of the audience at Latitude to ask me 3 questions about myself, which he’d use to form the basis of an adlib rap. Back then I was a digital journalist, and when I told him this, all his Christmases came at once. Because then (a very long time ago) digital was inferior to print. And what followed what a 3 min roast on the singular theme of me not being good enough to be a print journalist (he didn’t even bother with the other two facts). 

Well WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?

In my (e)book, digital has always been king. As a kid I loved Smash Hits and Just Seventeen obviously, but as a professional - the draw of digital’s immediate feedback loop trumped all else. As an online journalist I needed to create inventory and to create inventory I needed an engaged audience. And with no media spend, I really needed to know how to create content that resonated, no shortcuts or cheating.  

And I could hop in the backend anytime I liked to check page views, unique users, dwell time. And refine, perfect, hone, refine, perfect and hone. It was completely addictive; being able to see exactly what your audience wants, in real time.

So when I stumbled into advertising 11 years ago as a wide-eyed content editor, I was baffled by the concept of media spend. What, you just pay money to get people to see your stuff? Isn’t that… cheating?

And it’s that ethos I still carry with me today, 8 years into Creative Direction - a laser focus on who a brand’s audience is, how they behave, where they show up and how they like to be spoken to. No short cuts or cheating. A little cash helps to get the wheels in motion, of course.

I create entertaining audience-first content that earns attention. Content that knows you want to scroll on, so what can we do to stop you for a minute? And while we’ve got you, we might as well be fun and funny and silly (if the brand permits). 

Anyone who’s worked with me knows I find it hard to take anything in this business too seriously, but my dedication to good quality output, and working with people fairly, supportively, collaboratively is always, consistently, serious. 

If you’re looking for a Creative Director who’s nosy about audiences and loves digital, I’d love to hear from you. 

But don’t take my word for it. listen to these people that i’ve worked with in the past, who i like and i hand-picked to say nice things

From a Big Cheese

Peggy is an eloquent and elegant creative leader who is loved by client and team alike. I admire (and have relied on) her ability to listen intently, collaborate and improve the work.

I’m not particularly easy to work with in pitches or on important client output and often called on Peggy to work and lead on those opportunities. I wanted the assurance it would be done well, no doubt on delivery and truly, no ego. High standards and an ever positive leadership style.

I have always enjoyed watching her present, you will too. If only her ego matched that of some of her peers. Snap her hand off. You won’t regret it.

- Jacinta Faul (Former Managing Director of Gravity Road)

From a Strategist

Peggy's a Strategist's dream to work with - when you brief her, she asks insightful and decisive questions that accelerate her arrival at smart solutions, but she never gets caught up in trivial nit-picking - her editorial background means she's a natural collaborator who actively seeks out and acts on feedback, always looking to iterate and optimise - I've never known her to run out of creative energy, or stubbornly refuse to widen her aperture - she presents her work with intelligence and charm and is ready with a robust defence when challenged - her experience means she gets to solutions quickly, with little fuss and a lot of fun.

- Ruairi Cullen (Executive Strategy Director)

From a Junior Designer

Perhaps because of her frequent trips to the Transport Museum, or maybe for some other reason, Peggy is a great campaign driver. She notices opportunities to go off the beaten path, and occasionally even politely honk at the client if their feedback feels off - all for the sake of better creative (and maybe also on behalf of more junior people in the team who can’t always speak up).

Now, I’ve never seen her garden, but she spoke about it so fondly that I’m convinced she tends to her ideas the same way: with care, curiosity, and a level of attention to detail that occasionally made even the designer (me) feel a little embarrassed for not noticing something she had.

Peggy also often gave great visual suggestions, even when she’d caveat them with “you’ll hate me for this design comment.” In fact, I usually wouldn't.

Despite being senior, she still felt like a teammate, open to ideas and not at all precious if you brought something better.

She’s confident without shouting, with a sense of steadiness and always positive, even when there’s not a lot to be positive about. 

- Eva Bubvytyte (Junior Designer)

TL;DR

  • I create entertaining audience-first content that earns attention

  • I can’t take any of this too seriously (can you?) so might as well make it fun

  • I love collaborating with, managing and supporting people. I really do believe in good, fair treatment for all

Not AI-generated

Not AI-generated

From a Producer

Peggy is without a doubt a producer's dream. She's a quick witted, nimble problem solver and always finds a really smart response to any client challenge without compromising the creative integrity of the work. On top of that she's great fun and a lovely colleague. Any agency (and therefore client) would be lucky to have her working on their team. 

- Lou Hake (Executive Producer)