Kith&Kin might be a new studio, but the ideas behind it have been taking shape for years.
When I decided to start something of my own, I knew I wanted to bring together the things I'd loved most about working in the creative industry. The people, the experiences and everything I'd learned along the way.
And a lot of that goes back to where I first started out.
A Foot in the Door
After graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University, I packed my bags and headed to London, where I joined a little creative agency called Friendly Giants.
It was a small team at its heart, supported by a brilliant network of trusted collaborators. Because there were so few of us, we all got stuck into pretty much everything that came through the door. One day it could be a brand identity, the next a campaign or something completely unfamiliar. It was a wonderful place to learn, and I was lucky to be surrounded by people who were exceptionally good at what they did.
I'll always be grateful to Gavin and Sam, who founded Friendly Giants and gave me my start in the industry. They took a chance on me straight out of university, and I still very much consider them my mentors today.
What made Friendly Giants special was the people. Everyone brought something different, and there was a real sense of being in it together. I look back incredibly fondly on the projects we worked on, the challenges we tackled and the friendships that came out of it.
Those people will always have a special place in my heart.
Another Side of the Industry
From there, I moved to Mr. President, a London advertising agency working with some seriously big brands. It was a completely different world. Where Friendly Giants had given me a grounding in branding and design, Mr. President opened my eyes to the scale and ambition of the advertising industry.
There were big campaigns, ambitious productions and the opportunity to work alongside talented people from all sorts of creative disciplines. I found myself moving further into motion, editing and production, learning how a creative idea could grow into something that reached audiences on a much larger scale.
Between the two agencies, I'd experienced a huge amount of what the creative industry had to offer. From the smallest design details to large-scale campaigns, I was building a pretty varied set of skills, and loving the opportunity to keep learning.
Finding a Different Kind of Purpose
I learnt an enormous amount at Mr. President, but over time I started questioning the kind of work I wanted to be doing. Working on campaigns for betting, insurance and alcohol companies wasn't necessarily leaving me feeling proud of the impact I was having on the world.
I wanted to put everything I'd learnt towards something I could genuinely feel good about. That thinking eventually brought me back to Cardiff, where I joined Everglow an agency built around using creativity to make a positive impact.
It opened my eyes to a different side of the industry. I began working more closely with charities, community organisations and people doing genuinely brilliant things. Some of my most memorable experiences came from getting out and meeting the people behind those organisations. Filming, observing and hearing their stories first-hand gave me a much better understanding of the work they were doing and the challenges they faced.
I saw how much support some of these organisations needed, and how creative thinking, design and production could help them tell stories that deserved to be heard.
It was the first time I really understood just how much of a difference our skills could make, and it helped shape the kind of work I wanted to take forward into Kith&Kin.
The Parts That Stayed
Of all the places I've worked, I think Friendly Giants has had the biggest influence on the kind of studio I've wanted to create.
Sadly, its journey ended sooner than we'd have liked. And while the projects and opportunities were fantastic, what I missed most was that little community of people. The collaboration, the trust and the feeling that everyone was part of something together.
It showed me just how much a small team of talented people could achieve, and how important the relationships behind the work really were. Those are lessons I've carried with me throughout my career.
I've always wanted Kith&Kin to carry a little of that spirit forward. A spiritual successor of sorts. Not trying to recreate what we had, but keeping hold of the things that made it so special.
Alongside everything I'd learned since, those experiences helped shape the kind of studio I wanted to build.
Making It My Own
Starting Kith&Kin felt like a natural next step. I'd spent years working alongside brilliant people, learning what made each studio special, and I felt ready to bring those experiences together into something of our own.
I knew I wanted to keep things small and personal. To have that close-knit feeling I'd loved so much at Friendly Giants, while surrounding myself with talented people who could bring something different to each project.
Carys is a huge part of making that happen today. They lead our creative work, bringing their own experience, perspective and ideas to the studio. Between us, there's a lot we can offer, and it's been exciting to see what we can build together.
Of course, we care enormously about the quality of the work. But I've come to realise that how people feel while making it matters just as much.
I want clients to feel like they belong. Like they're working with people who genuinely care about their organisation and what they're trying to achieve. Not simply a supplier delivering a project, but a creative partner who's in it with them.
We're still writing our own story, and there's plenty left to learn. But if people look back on working with Kith&Kin with even a fraction of the fondness I have for the people who shaped my career, I'll consider that something worth being proud of.
Because when I think about the best parts of my time in this industry, it's rarely the finished work that comes to mind first. It's the people I made it with.
Phoebe🌸
Studio Lead & Founder
