Independent creative direction & storytelling
See it. Shape it. Make it happen.
Sometimes you’re too close to the problem to spot the opportunity.
Hi, I’m Toby - an independent Creative Director, storyteller, agency founder and people person.
With nearly 30 years’ experience in creativity and business, I help founders, organisations and teams:
Connect more effectively
I bring people, ideas, and objectives together to find, shape, and present solutions with greater clarity, purpose, and impact.
Navigate creative bottlenecks
Stalled project? Outgrown brand? Tangled marketing objectives? Difficult decision? Too few, or far too many ideas?
Let’s get to the heart of the problem and find a way forward.
Make complicated ideas easy to communicate
As a playwright, I know that good stories depend on knowing what to leave out as much as what to include.
I’ll help you find the spine and cut the clutter, turning complicated ideas into something people can understand and act on.
See possibilities in problems
I believe every problem holds a solution. If yours is keeping you up at night, let's talk.
My aim is to leave you with the confidence and capability to keep things moving.
Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation.
The Hothko Approach
See the opportunity. Shape the solution. Make it happen.
See it
Creative thinking
Find the opportunity, clarify the problem and work out what needs to happen to solve it.
Shape it
Creative directing
Use creative direction to shape the opportunity, align people around it and build the momentum to make it real.
Make it
Creative making
I’ll bring idea to life through content, collaboration, production and whatever creative skills the project requires.
The impact of working together
“The way you got to the heart of the story, deconstructed everything and then rebuilt it to form a completely tailored brand is awe-inspiring.”
Harrison Leonard. Director of External Relations. Bristol Diocese.“Toby has an amazing ability to make complicated things feel simple. He listened differently, asked unexpected questions, and somehow helped me see opportunities that I hadn’t noticed before."
Cara Brooks. Create Agency Trainee."Toby helped us cut through the complexity, ask the right questions and articulate who we are. That clarity has been transformative for the company."
Tracy Tait. Marketing Director. Penny Brohn.From challenge to opportunity
Here are some founders, organisations, and ideas I've helped move from uncertainty to action.
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![Group of people in art gallery or classroom, one man with a camera, others displaying artwork and giving thumbs up.]()
Building a creative studio from the ground up
Create Studio @ Boomsasuma
Overseeing and guiding the creation of a sustainable creative studio for emerging talent.
Read more -
![Two posters in an underground passage. The left poster has a woman with glasses taking a photo, with the text "A place to work" and information about jobs in Bristol. The right poster shows a man and a woman cooking together, with the text "A place to live" and information about delivering homes in central Bristol. Several people are walking past the posters.]()
Finding a shared story for the UK's biggest regeneration project
Bristol Temple Quarter Redevelopment
Helping to find the story to unite multiple partners, communities and the wider world.
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![Two women collaborating during a meeting, viewed through a glass wall with green and white sticky notes.]()
Simplifying the offer of a complex software businesses
Ghyston
Finding the simple story behind a complex software business led to around 30% business growth in the following year.
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![Overhead view of a large group of children gathered in a room, sitting on the floor, wearing casual clothing and backpacks, with some using phones and others engaged in different activities.]()
Turning a new brand into an organisational movement
Bristol Beacon
Turning a new identity into a shared story to excite audiences, artists and staff.
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![A woman celebrating in front of posters for Old M'Ill, a wealth management and business ownership seminar, in a bright, modern room.]()
Making a hidden brand as distinctive as the people behind it
Old Mill
Helping an ambitious accountancy firm stand out by expressing the humanity behind the expertise.
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![Three women sitting at a table in a meeting room, smiling and engaging in conversation. One woman is wearing a red sweater, another has a ponytail and is wearing a gray jacket, and the third woman is partially visible.]()
Preparing a successful business for international growth
Saragossa
Giving a fast-growing recruitment business a brand with the clarity and confidence to scale internationally.
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![View of a wind turbine with maintenance workers on top, partially obscured by a tree branch in the foreground, against a cloudy sky.]()
Streamlining a complicated offer for a broader audience
Bitbloom
Clarifying a renewable energy software company's story to help drive a 1000% increase in inbound enquiries.
Read more
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![Group of diverse individuals standing close together in a somber moment, likely at a memorial or funeral service, with serious and contemplative expressions.]()
Refreshing a heritage brand for a new generation
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Helping a leading theatre school rediscover the story to inspire its next generation of students.
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![A woman with red hair, wearing a nose ring and earrings, is holding a large pizza with a crispy crust and various toppings, smiling excitedly in front of a gray wall with a neon light.]()
Capturing the personality behind the pizza
Pizzarova
Identifying, creating and amplifying pizzarova’s message and story framework to consolidate success and build growth.
Read more
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![A display shelf with various books, pamphlets, and health products. A prominent framed poster features a woman with short hair wearing a checked shirt and vest, with text related to living well with cancer. The shelf contains brochures about recipes, snacks, and healthy eating, along with natural health products like Polybalm and other wellness items.]()
Helping more people understand life beyond cancer treatment
Penny Brohn UK
Revealing the human story behind life-changing support led to increased client referrals and outreach attendance.
On helping to build Create Agency @ Boomsatsuma from scratch
"Toby brought clarity to the vision, provided an effective working model, and led the studio with calm, thoughtful creativity. Drawing on decades of experience, he is generous, perceptive, and easy to work with; he gave both our clients and our emerging team the confidence to do their best work."
Elliot Lamb. Projects and Business Development Manager. BoomsatsumaMy kind of collaborators
Present and past collaborators
30 years making things happen.
Before HOTHKO I owned two prize-winning Creative Agencies and a Photography Studio.
Need to turn a problem into a possibility?
Get in touch for a free 15-minute consultation