C A L V I N I N N E S
Fandom isn't a research area to me.
It's how I've always moved through the world.
I help brands, agencies and organisations understand the most loyal, passionate and commercially underestimated audiences on the planet, and turn that understanding into work that actually lands.
Lived, not learned
25 years in creative and strategy, plus a lifetime as a sneakerhead, ex-skater, gamer, film geek and comic book nerd. I understand these communities from the inside out.
Strategy & creative
I don't hand you an insight and leave you with it. Running both creative and strategy across major agency groups and independents, I bridge cultural understanding and work that gets made.
The room changes
Whether it's a keynote, a TEDx stage or a workshop with your team, people leave thinking differently. Not just about fandom, but about loyalty, community, and what it really means to earn an audience.
Built for this moment
Culture is fragmenting. Niches are getting smaller and communities more intense. That's not a problem, it's an opportunity, and for brands willing to go deeper, the rewards are unlike anything mass marketing produced.
I'm a fandom and pop culture strategist, a role that always needs some explaining. The short version: I help brands understand why people connect so fiercely with the things they love, and how to be worthy of that connection.
My career started in design, moved through creative direction, and spent nearly a decade running my own agency. Twenty-five years working with major agency groups and independents, as both creative and strategist, an odd combination that turned out to be exactly the right one. I kept noticing the same gap: briefs asking for culture and community marketing, and very few people who knew how to deliver it properly.
Turns out the reason I could see the gap was the same reason I could fill it. I'm a sneakerhead, an ex-skater, a comic book nerd. Pop culture and fandom aren't research areas for me, they're just how I move through the world. That, combined with two decades of real creative and strategic experience, is what makes the work land differently.
Today I consult with brands and agencies on fandom and culture strategy, speak at conferences and corporate events, including Cannes, Golden Drum and a TEDx, and run workshops for teams who want to move from understanding fan culture to actually applying it.
The organisations I work with span global brands, independent agencies, broadcasters, entertainment companies and leadership teams across sectors. What they have in common is a genuine desire to understand why people connect so fiercely with the things they love, and how to be worthy of that connection.