Helping brands
tell a richer story

For over 25 years, I’ve led the creation of high-impact editorial-style digital, social and video content that has helped a wealth of high-profile brands tell a richer, more engaging, more impactful and more meaningful story: increasing awareness, enhancing sentiment, changing hearts and minds, and ultimately encouraging real action.

Please feel free to check out my skills and experience, take an in-depth look at my career history, or see some samples of my previous work.

Two photographers capturing images of a yellow sports car on a mountain road with snow-capped peaks in the background.
From big video productions to small intimate hand-crafted content. Toby Waller has over 25 years of experience working with big brands, talented video crews, and expert creative collaborators across digital, social and video.
Whatever story your brand is telling, it almost certainly revolves around people. Toby Waller has over 25 years of experience guiding creative teams in the creation of award-winning digital, social and video that helps tell a richer narrative.
Want award-winning content that helps your brand tell a richer story? Toby Waller has led creative teams that have won major marketing industry awards from Campaign, Drum, Digiday, Magnetic Spotlight and the Association of Online Publishers.
Putting people at the heart of the narrative. Toby Waller has over 25 years of experience in using personal stories to bring complex products – like cars and tech – to life in a more intimate and engaging way.
More focused brand storytelling. However big the narrative, it's all about the details: and Toby Waller has over 25 years of experience in leading award-winning creative teams that focus on the fine craft of digital, social and video content.

Creative skills & experience

Content strategy,
creation & execution

• Leading the creative direction for rich story-led editorial-style multi-channel content campaigns, from planning to delivery

• Campaign development: dissecting a brief, identifying objectives, cultivating ideas, pitching strategies

• Understanding audience behaviours, and what storytelling and language can foster the right response

• Writing, commissioning, creation and editing of all types of content: digital, video, social, audio and print

• Organising, briefing and directing video and photo shoots: including scriptwriting and storyboards

• Filming, shooting and editing of social and vlog-friendly videography and photography

• Using insight and analytics to adapt content types and tone for different audiences and channels

• Ensuring best-in-class creative output that is compelling, accurate, SEO-friendly and legally compliant

• Broad knowledge of automotive, travel, film, culture, media, technology, design and lifestyle

Team management
& project delivery

• Leading and developing creative teams of writers, designers, videographers and social managers

• Ensuring clear shared creative focus and direction, while fostering individual innovation and collaboration

• Briefing and managing freelance writers, designers, photographers, videographers and presenters

• Managing budgets and schedules, ensuring projects are delivered on-time and cost-effectively

Managing stakeholder
& client relationships

• Understanding a brand's character, culture, tone-of-voice and commercial campaign objectives

• Leading rich collaborative creative conversations: from ideas and strategy to execution and delivery

• Working with project stakeholders on fine-tuning tone and message for best audience engagement

• Managing collaborative approval processes that are efficient, constructive and adaptable

• Working with campaign stakeholders to measure, appraise and evolve projects as required

Career history

Creative Content Consultant

Freelance
Jan 2025 to present

While taking a pro-active break to refresh my creative palette and develop new skills for the next phase of my career, I’ve been helping local arts and cultural organisations tell a more impactful story through cost-efficient hand-crafted digital, social and video. This has included Touchlines of Fortitude: a programme of Arts Council-funded exhibitions and events, using the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup to amplify and celebrate women’s voices and stories. More recently, I’ve supported the Richmond Shakespeare Society with content promoting upcoming plays and their youth theatre.

Creative Editor

Haymarket Automotive Studio
Sep 2017 to Dec 2024

Haymarket Automotive Studio is What Car? and Autocar's in-house creative content marketing agency – creating high-impact editorial-style content-led campaigns that help brands engage a sizeable UK audience of in-market car buyers in a more organic and engaging way.

I managed the team's creative output: ensuring that we understood a client's objectives in order to craft best-in-class digital, video, social, podcast and print content that would connect with the right audience in the right way – raising awareness and familiarity, enhancing brand sentiment and affinity, or encouraging a next-step action.

As well as achieving impressive results for our clients, our work gained a wealth of independent acclaim, winning marketing awards from Campaign, Drum, Digiday, Magnetic Spotlight and the Association of Online Publishers.

CLIENT LIST: Audi, BMW, CUPRA, Continental Tyres, Ford, Honda Bikes, Hyundai, Kia, MINI, Nissan, 
OVO Energy, Renault, Skoda, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Content Editor

Haymarket Network (now Wonderly)
Apr 2002 to Sep 2017

Haymarket Network (now Wonderly) is the Haymarket Media Group's customer publishing agency – crafting print, digital, social and video content for automotive, lifestyle and business brands to deploy directly on their own channels. This included a mix of B2C, B2B and internal comms. I managed projects and campaigns from pitch to execution, making sure client objectives were met, and that relationships could evolve and grow creatively.

CLIENT LIST: Abarth, Bridgestone, British Olympic Association, Citroen, Castrol, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Martini, McLaren, Powerboat P1, Renault, Stratstone, Volkswagen, World Rally Championship

National Editor

Autosport magazine
Apr 1999 to Apr 2002

Staff Writer

McLaren’s Racing Line magazine
Jan 1998 to Apr 1999

Content Editor

London Book Of Lists
May 1997 to Nov 1997