Tobias Rawcliffe is Head of Business Development & Growth at Hatch, a creative communications agency that works with brands that want to be seen.
He said: “Our Supercharged Storytelling approach bridges PR, social, content and experiential to create strategies that turn the dial for brands like bet365, Hyatt, Mash Gang and Leeds Bradford Airport.”
Monday
Which format is best, Week In My Life fans?
Today, I’m going for the ‘just write something and see what happens’ approach.
I’ve accidentally become a runner. (Yes, I have a tactical backpack. Don’t judge a book by its choice of baggage.) Which means a hefty chunk of my spare time is spent training for an ultra-marathon this summer.
Monday though, is for rest. The day starts with a double espresso, Jason’s sourdough, honey roast ham and two soft boiled eggs. Expect to see this edge-of-your-seat breakfast again.
Monday also means WFH. As a rule, WFH isn’t for me. Not just because of my role, I naturally feel more productive and creative around people. So, the commute, the office or days out and about are cathartic for me.
Thankfully, we’re managing quite a few very exciting new business opportunities at the minute. Which leads to a melee of intermittent calls throughout the day to ensure everything is on track to the respective deadlines and checkpoints that we set ourselves internally.
We’re beginning to redefine the way we develop and host content, events and communities that underpin the specialisms that we house at Hatch. It’s an exciting time for the agency and our partners, and we want everyone to know about it, and a handful of hours is spent mapping some of this work out.
Built a new desk in the spare room for my wife, Chloe. Husband points up early in the week, let’s see how things progress.
Tuesday
Tuesday, the timeline method.
Gentlemen, to bed! For we rise at 5:30. (If this makes no sense, watch The Trip!)
5:30AM – Double espresso, Jason’s sourdough, honey roast ham and two soft boiled eggs. Will it ever get old?
6:30AM – Commute. Daily Minute Cryptic. Daily NYTimes puzzles.
7:10AM – 12KM. Leeds City Centre isn’t renowned for its scenic running opportunities, but the canal does it’s best to provide some visual pleasure.
8:30AM – Showered and at desk, coffee #2. Catch up with the latest and greatest in the world of creative comms and marketing. Become saddened at some of the April Fools efforts. Too big to not take part, too tricky to do anything truly fresh and fun. Unless you’re Currys – the De-Boner is nice.
9:00AM – Catch up with proposal team working on an exciting F&B brand brief. Creative session this afternoon, thinking shoes heating by the radiator.
9:30AM – Tender time, and not the delicious chicken kind. We’re ahead of schedule and beginning to wrap up an Experiential submission for a very well-known Northern brand. No, I’m not telling you.
10:30AM – Wash Up Forms. We’re continuously looking at improving our processes and developing our teams, which means analysing how we all felt we performed during proposal and pitch stages. Today I’m sharing feedback on pitches gone by and sharing new forms for the latest efforts. Coffee #3.
11:30AM – Website copy. We’ve redeveloped our proposition and delivery frameworks over the last 12 months, which has been launched internally and is live across current pitches. Going down well, and it’s time to share it with the world. Watch this space.
12:45AM – Last night’s Bolognese and a walk in the sun.
13:45AM
15:00AM – Connecting and chatting with brand partners new, old and soon to be, discussing plans and why Hatch is the only suitable option to help them achieve their wildest ambitions. There is no one else. Stop looking. Hello?
17:15AM – Departure. Think about Manchester United’s chance of beating Forest on the train. It’s sad that I am even considering it. But Ruben seems such a nice man and as the saying goes, “nice guys finish above midtable”. Minus husband points.
18:00AM ’til late – Make evening meal, clean kitchen, take bins out and cut the grass. I am often not quite this proactive of an evening but now I am being exposed, and have created my own husband points measure, I am keeping busy. Manchester United lost, obviously.
Wednesday
Hump Day. Midweek. Mittwoch. Half Mast.
Today’s entry is written by AI, the future is now. Prompt – “summarise my day and include the world’s best breakfast”.
“0100: Dream processing… neural networks engaged. 0600: System reboot initiated— Double espresso, Jason’s sourdough, honey roast ham and two soft boiled eggs. 12km ran.
0830: Status: Fully operational.
The Hatch office hums with energy today as we welcome clients for a kickoff and product tasting session. It’s a hands-on deep dive into their world, where strategy meets sensory experience. Tasting notes are compared, insights exchanged, and the wheels of creativity start turning at full throttle.
Beyond the flavours, another exciting project is taking shape—a new addition to our proposition, built to supercharge the way we tell brand stories. Refining it feels like coding a new algorithm, one that aligns with our ethos but pushes boundaries.
Meanwhile, my mental RAM is still processing yesterday’s creative ideas session. Some concepts demand further iteration, others are ready to be injected straight into campaigns. It’s a balancing act of inspiration and practicality, ensuring every idea has the weight to make an impact.
Back to the bigger picture—feeding into a new business proposal strategy. Each pitch is an equation: the right mix of insights, creativity, and a compelling hook. The goal? To cut through, to engage, to win.
Outbound conversations continue, connections nurtured, opportunities identified. The data points of today could be the game-changing partnerships of tomorrow.
2300: System wind-down in progress. Tomorrow, we go again.”
Thanks Claude. Keep working on it.
Thursday
A poem. In the style of someone that needs to develop their poem writing skills but includes one in cards to his wife. Kerching.
Opening the day with Pecha Kucha pitch sessions,
some opting for stories, others teaching lessons,
From Disney to zombies, and ‘things I don’t like’,
A chance for the team to take the Open Mic.
Confidently speaking, developing a life skill,
The theme is all yours, do with it what you will.
Then a creative session challenged to engaged people who’d,
be swayed into being adventurous with seafood.
An exciting opportunity for the agency to grow,
a partnership with a client, all our talents in full flow.
While the team ponder plans for a sun-drenched Leeds pub,
Thursday lunches are reserved for the Hatch crew run club.
5k on the canal to enjoy at your own pace,
Some doing it for health, some preparing for a race.
For those new to the plod, no need to be wary,
If all else fails, it’s a pint in The Canary.
An afternoon spent analysing pitch process reviews,
What could have gone better? Even wins leave us clues,
Always improving, you always find a flaw,
becoming the agency brands want to work with,
and talent wants to work for.
Watch out, wordsmiths.
Friday
Closing with a brief and straight forward entry.
It’s been as productive and varied a week as any, as I creep up to my one-year anniversary with Hatch.
The first portion of the day is spent work on bringing our case studies in-line with our brand refresh. The trouble with having 17 years of agency experience, is having 16 years worth of experience that needs pulling into our new look and feel. Short-term pain.
It underpins the outbound work I commit to late morning, building on connections with brands within our specialisms and capabilities.
The day ends with a new business call to discuss the launch of a new, very unique, dining experience. Having recently launched the new Hyatt and rooftop Azotea restaurant in Leeds, we’re constantly topping up our hospitality experience which makes this conversation perfectly shaped for us.
Get in touch if you would like a personalised proposal in the form of a poem!
