Create the team no one wants to leave.

Let’s get this swirling hurricane of project requests, client questions, and task deadlines running so smooth we can throw in a game of four-square and sip another cup of coffee.

I love the beautiful chaos that is creative agencies! Marketing pros working smart strategy, creatives developing adventurous campaigns, and account managers serving clients with delight. It might be messy. But it’s manageable. And with the right tools, maybe even magical.

Let’s unlock every ounce of your team’s potential and create that remarkable team no one wants to leave.

Here’s how we build a strong team.

  • Team Assessment

    Team Assessment

    Assess the strengths and opportunities of your current team – including roles, processes, and relationships to develop a customized plan for the future.

  • Relevant Structure

    Relevant Structure

    Define the right and best possible roles and responsibilities for your unique marketing or creative team, whether you’re an army of two or 20.

  • Streamlined Process

    Streamlined Process

    Customize the steps and stages from project discovery through brand and marketing strategy into creative development and implementation.

  • Strategic Application

    Strategic Application

    Clarify how your larger brand and marketing goals impact each element of your planning, creative and messaging.

  • Passionate Teamwork

    Passionate Teamwork

    Inspire respect, humility, celebration and courage while amplifying strengths and skillsets so each team member has the opportunity to excel.

  • Ongoing Support

    Walk alongside your new team as long as needed to provide feedback, guidance or custom workshops to ensure long-term success.

How can I come alongside you?

To serve your team best, I can customize a solution just for you. But here are a few ways I can work with your team to meet your goals.

  • Consulting Advisor

    A short-term or part-time consultant supporting a specific area of development through a project-based commitment with customized solutions for your team

  • Interim Agency Director

    A part-time or fractional agency leader committed to assessing current needs and building the ideal structure, processes and training needed for your team

  • Workshop Coach

    A workshop coach leading team members through a strategic 60-90 minute session on one of the most common hurdles or opportunities for agency development

April Birtwistle

Marketing & Creative Consultant

As an agency owner and account executive for over 20 years, I have a deep understanding of the common challenges internal and external agencies face as they balance strategy, budgets, timeframes with creative personalities. I want to help you unlock every ounce of your creative team’s potential to be more efficient, more effective and more excited to come to work every day.

  • "We brought April in to help our Creative & Marketing teams. She was extremely helpful in clarifying the obstacles in our processes and gave us a framework to implement our strategy in a more robust way. A HUGE added bonus was the grace and energy she brought to the process! Can’t recommend April and her team highly enough!"

    Bill Roberson Creative Director/Brand Strategy/Corporate Marketing, Co-Lab Creative. 12-person, internal, non-profit creative agency

  • "Time and time again I have seen April help teams and leaders craft actionable strategies, assemble the absolute right creatives and develop innovative processes to meet the needs of clients. Whether its marketing strategy, a full re-brand or any level of collateral, April’s proven process is fun and engaging and you’ll want to implement this for your own team."

    Kurt Birky Agency Director, The M Group. 40-person, internal, non-profit marketing & creative agency

  • "D. N. Birtwistle Creative is a powerhouse of originality and strategic thinking. On every project, April is as interested and invested as her customer, committed to integrity and devoted to a mission to spark change. Her custom team-building approach has always resulted in extraordinary results for me on everything from multi-million dollar new market launches to rebuilding a $100 million brand. I remain astonished at the great work accomplished with DNB at my side."

    Jon Burgess Chief Marketing Officer / Compassion Experience Development / Air Force Academy Branding

  • “I’ve worked with and known April for over a decade. April is strategic, thoughtful, and fearless. She isn’t afraid to ask tough questions and she always has your best interest in mind. DNB combines the best assets of any marketing firm: beautiful design, strategic reach, research-based market analysis, personal touch, and ownership of your product or brand. Their expertise and campaign management have allowed us to exceed our Giving Day goals. I trust DNB completely. Their unique space in the nonprofit market will serve you well, trust me.”

    Gary Alan Taylor Vice President of Donor Development

  • “April takes time to get to know what matters to you. She’s patient, she’s invested, and she won’t allow you to settle for a position that won’t help your organization or business reach its goals. I can honestly say that, as much as I sincerely love our new identity and website, I’m most grateful for the strategic decisions she helped us make for how we would conduct business in the world, for what kind of growth was right (and wrong) for us. Before we sat down with April, we were saying yes to everything and spinning our wheels. Now when I sit down at my desk in the morning, I know what it is I’m working to build at Dark Horse Insight. If you trust April to guide you through a similar process, you too will be prepared to approach each new day with the same clarity and focus.”

    David Lucas, Principal, Dark Horse Insight. Market Research & Qualitative Discovery.

Let’s chat.

Or should I say, let’s get this buttoned up?