Penny Bartram

Senior creative strategy & pitch support for agencies — for when you need an extra brain in the room

Photo of Penny Bartram, founder of whirr

Hello, I’m Penny!

I’m the founder of whirr - a new Norfolk-based startup, helping small businesses think differently about challenges they are stuck on, with practical workshops, 1:1 thinking sessions and ongoing support.

Alongside this, I’m available to marketing agencies who need short term support.

I’m an experienced, versatile marketing and creative professional with 20+ years’ experience across media brands - The Guardian, Bloomberg Media, VICE and Clear Channel - as well as at agency and brand-side.

I’m available when an agency has a tricky strategic challenge, an important pitch, a proposition that needs work, or simply needs another experienced brain and friendly face in the room.

Where you might bring me in:

  • Pitching support - refining the narrative, sharpening the story and creating standout proposals.

  • Strategic thinking support - getting to the heart of a big brief, finding the interesting angle and turning insights into a clear strategic direction.

  • Idea development - generating ideas, challenging the obvious and helping good concepts get better.

  • Tricky client challenges - bringing a fresh perspective when you’re too close to the problem.

  • Research & insight - finding the useful stuff, making sense of it and turning it into something you can actually use.

  • Business development - helping your team think about ways in for new clients and how to grow existing.

  • Workshops & facilitation - getting clients or internal teams thinking together and moving conversations forward.

  • Mentoring/Training - Building skills in proposal writing, pitching, brief analysis, gathering insights, challenging assumptions, using brainstorming tools, thinking idea first - platform second, understanding different media & platform strengths.

  • Extra strategic/creative capacity — stepping in when the team is stretched or you need another brain or pair of hands on a pitch or live client relationship.

Children riding on a swing ride at an amusement park during the daytime.

Strategic thinking
Helping to get the heart of the real problem, challenging the brief and finding new routes through a business or client challenge.

Pitching
Shaping a compelling pitch and turning complex thinking into something clear and persuasive.

Storytelling
Finding the authentic hook that makes a client's story interesting, distinctive and worth paying attention to.

Facilitation & workshops
Bringing different people into the room and creating the conditions for productive, creative thinking.

Senior client / agency support
An experienced extra brain for clients, new business, major projects or moments when an agency needs fresh thinking.

How we could work together

I can:

work on flexible monthly retainer or ad-hoc day-rate support.

Deliver half or full day facilitated client/team sessions

Be hands-on as well as strategic/advisory.

Some work I’m proud of

  • The image shows an empty red theater auditorium with two women seated in the foreground facing each other, and logos of VICE and HSBC above, with a dark background.

    INTERNATIONALISM: Making HSBC's international footprint meaningful to a younger audience. My role: Strategy · Research · Pitch · Creative Oversight

  • A sleek, futuristic BMW concept car with a gold exterior and geometric patterns, viewed from above. The image includes the BMW GROUP logo and Bloomberg branding.

    BEYOND 100: Celebrating 100 years of BMW Group by exploring the next 100. My role: Idea generation · Facilitation · Creative direction · Pitching

  • A woman with closed eyes and ear gauges looking relaxed, with a shadow cast across her face. The image features the logos of VICE and Zurich in the top left and right corners, respectively. There is a blue infographic in the lower part of the image showing data about happiness and life goals in different countries.

    NEW GOALS: Exploring how goals have changed around the globe for young people emerging from lock down. My role: Strategy · Research · Brainstorming · Pitch · Creative oversight

  • Two people wearing New Balance running shoes, standing and walking in front of a brick wall.

    RUN YOUR WAY: Extending New Balance's new running brand position to young audiences across the UK, France, Germany and Italy. My role: Research · Strategy · Brainstorming · Pitching · Campaign direction

  • Blurry street scene with people and shops, overlay with logos of Bloomberg and Credit Suisse, and text about exploring entrepreneurial thinking with Nick Giles team up.

    THE POWER OF ENTREPRENEURIAL THINKING: Exploring what an entrepreneurial mindset really means across markets, sectors and cultures. My role: Research · Strategy · Brainstorming · Stakeholder management

My background includes

Honest Ideas logo. A full-service agency based in Cambridge

Honest Ideas

Worked in a small, hands-on full-service agency team supporting SMEs, charities, start-ups, scale-ups and academic institutions. A genuinely hands-on role - from challenging briefs and shaping strategy, through to updating websites, writing SEO content, creating social content, overseeing freelancers and managing campaigns.

Account Director
VICE Media Group logo
VICE Media Group logo

VICE Media Group

Associate Strategy Director

Led strategic thinking, workshops and brainstorms for global brands including HSBC, Zurich, New Balance, Hachette, Coca-Cola and Sky. Acted as bridge between commercial and editorial teams. Developed social-first partnerships worth £100k+ by combining audience insight, editorial thinking and creative ideas.

Bloomberg Media Studios logo

Bloomberg Media

Head of Media Studio, EMEA

Led a 14-person strategy, creative, project management and client services team delivering $2m+ in annual partnerships. Developed insight-led campaigns and partnerships for major brands, while improving collaboration between sales and marketing and introducing new approaches to creative development.

The Guardian logo with white text on a dark blue background.

Guardian News & Media

Strategic Partnerships Director

Built commercial partnerships across London and New York, bringing together editorial, commercial, leadership, brands and agencies around new ideas and revenue opportunities.
Helped launch Guardian America on 18 month overseas assignment and delivered award-winning campaigns and new revenue streams for global brands including Google, Audi, VW and Vodafone.

Logo of Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor with three blue circles and black lines, and text below reading 'Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor'.

Shaped the story of the East of England's technology sector and built relationships across its business and innovation ecosystem. Developed the brand and communications strategy, including a 200+ ambassador network 40 part video series with the EDP, a touring roadshow and investor events. Role was both strategic and hands-on in production.

Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor

Head of Brand & Marketing