Introduction
About Annabel
Kia ora, thank you for visiting my website. Professionally I have 18 years experience working in top-tier advertising and design agencies, for many of the household brands you love (or hate), as well as start-ups and two businesses of my own.
Personally, I’m the mother of two beautiful children, aged 4 and 6. We live in paradise — Akaroa, New Zealand, a place where the landscape fills me with wonder on a daily basis, and the close-knit community feels (mostly) like soup for the soul.
As a solo parent I’m grateful for the ability to continue doing the work I love remotely, as this gives me the flexibility my family needs, while enabling me to pursue my calling as a creative strategist.
Nothing gets me focussed more than a challenge, I’m like a dog with a bone when there’s a problem to be solved! I’ve been told by previous employers that I’m a natural leader, and I pride myself on my collaborative approach.
Background
Raised in Waiau, North Canterbury on a hill country farm I was always a creative kid, with freedom to run around trying things out, making and creating.
After Boarding School in Christchurch I attended Massey University in Wellington where I graduated with a Bachelor of Design with Honours, majoring in Visual Communication and Advertising.
After university I moved to the big smoke of Auckland where I worked on some of the first social media and user-generated-content campaigns, in the days of MySpace. After a ski-bum stint in Canada, I moved to Sydney where I hit my stride professionally in the Strategy department of M&C Saatchi.
After meeting a Dane and moving to Copenhagen where I lived and worked in design agencies and start-ups across Europe, I returned home to New Zealand in late 2023 after a total of 13 years overseas.
About Brandy McBrand
My company name is nod to the viral “name this _____” campaigns of the 2010’s where marketing teams handed over the reigns to the internet and somewhat predictably ended up with names such as Hooty McOwlface and Boaty McBoatface.
I’ve taken a punt that the high calibre of serious work I’ve been involved in previously balances out by this playful, irreverent name. I’d love to hear what you think.
Contact
Interested in working together? I’d love to hear more about the opportunity or challenge you have and how I could potentially help.