humanworks

At humanworks, we do b2b marketing differently. Bland, boring and blah blah blah B2B isn’t for us. We’re storytelling specialists, working with forward-thinking, growth-minded businesses to put the human connection at the heart of B2B marketing.

What we offer:

Content strategy
• Editorial
• Value proposition development
• Content audits

Brand awareness
• Thought leadership campaigns
• Industry reports
• SEO Blog articles

Lead generation
• E-books
• Whitepapers
• Email communications
• Paid ads

Social media
• Social media strategy
• Content creation and ghostwriting
• LinkedIn content
• Company page management

Communications & copy
• PR
• Website content & SEO
• Landing pages
• Case studies
• Employee engagement

Video & design
• Brand design
• Website design
• Video content
• Infographics

Founder

Cosmo Creative Content

If you're a b2b marketing director in financial services, insurance, SaaS and sustainability - we work with you to deliver the thought leadership strategy and content your in-house teams can't.

Content Director

BBC Radio 5 Live

-	Senior leader of the 5 live Breakfast programme and the wider 5 live network leadership team.
-	Leading a team of 20 producers creating a network breakfast radio programme 7 days a week. Responsibility for team performance and welfare.
-	Overseeing the on-air team, managing key talent and setting the editorial direction of the programme. 
-	Leading the commissioning of the programme’s digital and social content   

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

-	Leading the recent re-development of the 5 live Breakfast programme: creating a modern radio programme with the audience at its heart. Developing new formats and a programme clock to better showcase presenter talent – driving increased engagement and audience appreciation.
-	Leading 5 live Breakfast’s acclaimed Brexit coverage: developing formats like #BrexitBarometer (a simultaneous discussion format, on-air and online). Driving significant social media traffic.
-	Leading 5 Live Breakfast’s 2019 Election coverage, including creating record levels of engagement with the 5 Live Leader Your Calls, broadcast simultaneously on the BBC News Channel (the leaders of the main political parties taking listeners’ questions). Demonstrating an ability to lead high-profile projects with multiple stakeholders.

STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS:
-	Leading a 5 live strategy to improve our reach to younger audiences. Collaborating with multiple stake-holders and creating a blueprint that has had a real impact: 25-44 measure up on Rajars Q4 2019, significantly more live listening through BBC Sounds for U35s (Q3 vs Q4 2019)
-	Leading the BBC's 50:50 project to encourage greater diversity of voices on-air.
-	Currently leading on a project to develop a unique strategy to increase live listening through BBC Sounds (Q1 2020). Working across the BBC Radio division, engaging and managing multiple stakeholders. Demonstrating an ability to identify problems across the division and bring a team together to tackle them.

Assistant Editor

Senior Broadcast Journalist

Broadcast Journalist

THEN → BBC Journalist For 17 Years NOW → Building a B2B Content Agency HOW → Transforming Your Business Into a Thought Leader

At humanworks, we do b2b marketing differently. Bland, boring and blah blah blah B2B isn’t for us. We’re storytelling specialists, working with forward-thinking, growth-minded businesses to put the human connection at the heart of B2B marketing.

What we offer:

Content strategy
• Editorial
• Value proposition development
• Content audits

Brand awareness
• Thought leadership campaigns
• Industry reports
• SEO Blog articles

Lead generation
• E-books
• Whitepapers
• Email communications
• Paid ads

Social media
• Social media strategy
• Content creation and ghostwriting
• LinkedIn content
• Company page management

Communications & copy
• PR
• Website content & SEO
• Landing pages
• Case studies
• Employee engagement

Video & design
• Brand design
• Website design
• Video content
• Infographics

_________________________________

Why choose humanworks?

We don’t think business to business; we think human to human.

That means crafting content and communications that create genuine, personal, and authentic connections between your business and your customers.

We’re a new type of marketing agency. We help you cut through the blah, blah, blah and give your business a compelling story that will help you stand out from the crowd, build your brand, and grow your bottom line.

• We’re storytellers
• We’re thinkers & doers
• We’re humans, not robots

Our content doesn’t just click with your audience; it connects your business to new leads and converts them into customers.

That’s the power of human-to-human marketing. It just works.

__________________________

Our founder:

I’m Cosmo Shield, founder of humanworks. Before you ask, yes, that’s my real name! I was a BBC journalist for almost two decades before I realised I was sick of telling people bad news every day and wanted to help a generation of businesses tell their stories in a more compelling way.

That’s the passion the humanworks team brings to every client and project. I’d love to hear more about your business.

Email
cosmo@human-works.co.uk

Website:
www.human-works.co.uk

Cosmo Shield ♾

Blume

Helping experience creators build successful brands and achieve balanced growth.

Resurface

Resurface operates at the intersection of flow science and behavioural health. Providing a revolutionary solution to a growing problem.

Resurface offers a comprehensive and progressive therapeutic ecosystem designed to empower individuals on their path to a better life. Our core offerings include immersive flow-based surf therapy retreats, personalised client support system and practitioner training academy, all rooted in The Resurface Method.

By integrating the transformative power of flow science and surf therapy, we provide individuals with a holistic approach to healing and personal growth, fostering resilience, and facilitating long-lasting positive change. 

Through our diverse range of offerings, we aim to support individuals at every stage of their journey, enabling them to thrive and flourish in their pursuit of optimal wellbeing.

Managing Director

JONA

Launching 2024. 

A new adventure ecosystem that combines a vibrant community of pioneers, captivating content, awe-inspiring adventures, and experiential hotels.

For it is in the pursuit of adventure that we truly test our mettle and discover what we are capable of. 

Adventures:
JONA curates adventures from the physical to the spiritual - from the highest peaks to the deepest oceans. Discover the thrill of exploration and the peace of being at one with the wild. We invite you to enhance your communion with nature, heal your spirit and refresh your mind.

Hotels:
JONA presents a new paradigm of direct-to-consumer experiential hotels that celebrate the joy of nature's adventures. Built on a belief that exploring the planet and mastering our inner state can significantly enhance our health and wellbeing.

We believe that growth is not only possible, but is supported and enhanced when founded on regenerative principles. 

Join a movement that celebrates the relentless pursuit of a life well-lived.

Find JONA.

Co-Founder | Managing Director

Dan Blackledge

I help experience creators build successful brands and find balance along the way. Drawing on twenty years of crafting standout brands and events, motivating teams, and coaching leaders, I use simple, proven systems to guide founders toward what matters most.

Whether you’re refining your business strategy or seeking personal alignment, I’ll help you cut through the noise and create lasting impact.

Ready to get started? Take my Experience Creator test at danblackledge.com to see how I can help.

Brand Consultant

The Beat Hotel

Co-Founder | Director (Strategy & Creative / Marketing & Sales / Event Curation)

Obonjan Island Resort

A 56-hectare, 232-key private island located off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia with stunning views, eco-designed accommodation, bars and restaurants, event spaces, wellness and sports facilities, and a large outdoor swimming pool. The destination hosted incredible events focussed on music, art, food, wellness, astronomy, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Key Achievements:
• Instrumental in growing the business from 2k-7k guests and €800k-€3m revenue in 18 months (2016-2017).
• Secured numerous high profile brand partnerships: Dazed & Confused, WWFM, The Hoxton, iD, Wanderlust, Late Night Tales, Crack, Amuse, Visual Fodder, Folk Clothing, and Camille Walala.
• Delivered intimate headline gigs with Anderson Paak, Four Tet, and Floating Points Live.
• Managed PR agencies and generated over 150 quality news pieces from The Guardian and Vice to The New York Times.
• Contracted and delivered €2m of private hire sales in 2018/2019 with clients including Baby Bathwater (US) and Black Tomato (UK).
• Exited the business in 2021.

Co-Founder | Director (Strategy  & Creative / Experience Curation / Location Dev / Sustainability)

THE HIDEOUT FESTIVAL LLP

One of Europe's leading electronic music festivals. Set on Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia, the festival site sits between mountains, trees, and the Adriatic Sea. Since its inception, the event has hosted the world's best electronic artists including; Disclosure, Skepta, Caribou, Stormzy, Ricardo Villalobos, Four Tet, Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Loco Dice, Rudimental, Andy C, Chase & Status, DJ EZ, Marco Carola and many more.

Key Responsibilities:
• Conceived a unique vision for a new electronic music festival holiday product.
• Marketing strategy and P&L with up to £200k marketing spend. 
• Curated and booked the music line ups from 2011-2016.
• Led marketing team (creative, technical/paid, execs, PR, graphic designers, web dev, videographers, photographers).
• Secured partnerships with far-reaching club brands and media including RA and Mixmag.
• Led brand identity, comms plans and content. 
• Liaised with local DMC to develop travel revenue streams.
• Led design and development of the website with integrated travel booking platform.
• Led brand and marketing team to scale the event from 5k-17k capacity and £800k to £5m t/o, with £1.4m EBITDA in 4 years. Majority sold to Global Entertainment in March 2017.

Co-Founder | Director (Strategy & Creative / Event Curation & Programming)

Canal Mills

Once a historic textile mill, we converted Canal Mills into a multi-purpose venue to host club nights, live gigs, fashion shows, art exhibitions, and food & drink events.

Co-Founder | Director (Strategy & Creative / Event Curation / Location Dev)

UNKNOWN FESTIVAL LLP

Initially founded by Sound Channel, The Warehouse Project, and Field Day; Unknown Festival took place in 2013 and 2014 in the beautiful seaside town of Rovinj, North-West Croatia. 

Over the two years, the artists featured were: Chic Feat. Nile Rodgers, Moderat, The Horrors, Richie Hawtin, Disclosure, TEED, Jungle, Four Tet, Seth Troxler, Dixon, Jamie XX, George Fitzgerald, DJ Harvey, and many more.

Wax:On Events Ltd

Founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2004, Wax:On was a club brand focussed on promoting the best electronic talent spanning house, disco, hip-hop, drum n bass, breakbeat, and techno. Over its 8 years of operation, more than 300 live acts and DJs graced the stage including; Erol Alkan, Sven Vath, Annie Mac, Four Tet, Ricardo Villalobos, Tiga, Tiefschwarz, Ivan Smagghe, Plump DJs, Andy C, Krafty Kuts, SBTRKT, Jeff Mills, Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, Roots Manuva, and many more. 

Apart from working in the cloakroom, I covered every aspect of running the company at some stage; from concept creation, booking talent, marketing, and sales, to artist liaison, handing out flyers and DJing. 

There never was a ‘last’ Wax:On event, so it might just pop up again one day.

Founder & Director

So,

At age 20 I became a night-club promoter. No, my parents were not happy about it. 

At 28 I launched a festival in Croatia called Hideout. 

And sold that festival brand to Global Media five years later.

Around the same time, me and some partners took over a 56-hectare island in Croatia and turned it into a new kind of wellness resort.

This is where I experienced extreme learning for the first time. Like when Morpheus taught Neo kung fu in The Matrix. 

All the obvious stuff. And, although it wasn’t on the agenda, I learned a bit about rats, sea urchins and how poisonous caterpillars can take out 50 contractors in one fell swoop. 

I also learned how to put out fires. Yes, real ones. And metaphorical ones. 

I lost (almost) everything. Money and mind. 
Picked up the pieces and set about creating something new.
Became a father (extreme learning round two). 

Beat Hotel, Resurface, JONA, and two young boys have kept me busy these past few years.

My belief is that learning from mistakes makes you smarter. 
Knowledge comes from experience layered over time.  
And, we can find meaning in life by participating in something bigger than ourselves. 

My idea of success:

Freedom – not needing to worry about money and having autonomy over my time.
Family Happiness – bringing balance to the chaos and bliss.
To Matter - contributing to something I want to exist even when I don’t. 

Some good bits:
- Central (First club night). No gear, no idea. Made it work. Never looked back.
- Wax:On (Second club night). 11th November 2004, Jacques Lu Cont & Mylo. Queue round the corner.
- Hideout Festival. Has seen over 100k attendees since inception. 
- Acquiring and developing a whole island. Like a Bond Villain. Got in Harper's Bazaar top 150 hotels in the world (little did they know).
- Becoming a dad. Nothing like it. Altered reality. Has eventually led to generational thinking (feels awesome).
- JONA. A new hotel brand based on a passion for adventure. It’s what lights me up these days. 


For the last six years, I’ve developed a passion for self-development. It’s become a core value and something I’ve invested in significantly.



Now, I run a portfolio of experience businesses.

I also help other experience creators build successful brands, and find balance along the way.

Whether you’re refining your business strategy or seeking personal alignment, I’ll help you cut through the noise and create lasting impact.

Check out my website to see how I can help, and take The Experience Creator Test. 

Nice one for making it to the bottom 👊🏼

taplio

The Battle

Cosmo Shield ♾

Dan Blackledge

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