Amelia Torode

Founder

The Fawnbrake Collective
London

“Innovation isn't comfortable, it isn't always neat and it doesn't always work on schedule. Try to create a culture and structure that not only allows for this, but also elevates and celebrates it”

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Fascinated by brands, technology, culture and ideas, Amelia Torode has been described as a “trailblazer in the advertising industry, a brilliant strategic thinker and leader.” An early digital pioneer, she has always sought to bring interactivity into the heart of the planning and creative process rather than an add-on. Torode worked at agencies including WPP, VCCP, OgilvyInteractive New York and was chief strategy officer at TBWA\London before leaving traditional agency life in 2017 to launch The Fawnbrake Collective. She describes the new venture – which gives clients access to senior talent as required – as “more of an operating system for brands than an agency.”

How do you define innovation?
A rolling series of smart experiments that push boundaries and move things forward.

Which brands and/or agencies are most innovative around PR and marketing?
The usual suspects: Google, Red Bull, Nike, Rapha, Brewdog.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.'
Leaving the world of large corporate holding companies.

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation? 
My co-founder, Sera Miller.

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
I swim in the wonderful (cold) Brockwell Lido.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
Innovation isn't comfortable, it isn't always neat and it doesn't always work on schedule. Try to create a culture and structure that not only allows for this, but also elevates and celebrates it.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
In another life I might have been a teacher.

Favorite book/movie/podcast/article that's not related to PR/marketing/business?
"Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" by Walker Evans. Evans was an incredibly innovative and insightful American reportage photographer working in the mid-20th century. His pictures are stunning. He once wrote: “Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.” I love that sentiment.

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