CREATIVE MATCHMAKERS
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CHAMPIONS OF HAPPINESS
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CREATIVE MATCHMAKERS ✶ CHAMPIONS OF HAPPINESS ✶
It has been scientifically proven that outstanding creativity is powered by happiness.
Shockingly NABS ‘All Ears’ survey discovered that 63% of UK creatives are unhappy and considering leaving the advertising industry.
77% of those are under 40 so the industry is at risk of losing a whole generation of talent!
Not to mention all the senior female creatives that are being pushed to leave their careers.
Or the creatives from under represented backgrounds that have less access to the best creative opportunities.
This is why Happy Place exists…
Happy Place is on a mission to help make the advertising industry a happier and more creative place to be
Happy Place is dedicated to connecting the most diverse, exceptional and ambitious creative talent with the most inspiring, positive and ‘people first’ advertising agencies and brands.
We're not recruiters, we're creative matchmakers who believe in the power of human connection and happiness.
Our true passion lies in finding a perfect fit for creatives and agencies so creativity can thrive and groundbreaking ideas can be born and released into the wild.
We exist to match creatives with their 'happy place' so the agencies, their brands and the creatives can all reach their full potential, make their best work and have fun whilst doing it!
Founded by a former award-winning Art Director, we have a love for creativity, a deep understanding of the advertising industry and a passion for connecting people.
Happy Place is your partner in making a brighter, exciting and happier future whether you’re an agency or a creative. Here’s to good times and great ideas…
What makes us different?
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Uniquely our founder is a former creative, with over 20 years experience in the advertising industry - 12 years as an Art Director and 8 as a Talent Director.
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Over 8 years, 100% of creatives placed in a permanent role by our founder passed their probation. Matchmaking is our passion & speciality.
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90% of all freelancers placed in 2024 were extended past their original booking. Many of these creatives were booked for 6 months or more.
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We believe in fairness for all our clients and have a flat 15% fee for every agency we partner with. It's the foundation of a happy relationship.
Who do we place?
Happy Place places exceptional creatives, at all levels from interns and juniors up to ECDs and CCOs.
We represent Art Directors, Copywriters, Conceptual teams, Solo social creatives, Gen Z specialists, Gen X specialists and everyone in between.
We also place stand-out designers at all levels too. Whether you’re looking for branding specialists, print gurus, digital designers or truly integrated designers.
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100% of permanent placements made in the last 8 years, passed their probation. Which illustrates our expertise in matchmaking creatives with agencies
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Experienced in finding talented creatives for long and short Fixed Term Contracts. Previous FTC placements include at Meta, Publicis and 4Creative
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90% of all freelance placements made in the last year were extended past their initial booking. Many of the freelancers stayed at their agency longer than 6 months.
mother
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droga5
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saatchi & saatchi
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neverland
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boomerang
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publicis
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tbwa
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analog folk
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joint
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accenture
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mother • droga5 • saatchi & saatchi • neverland • boomerang • publicis • tbwa • analog folk • joint • accenture •
agency experience
What makes a Happy Place?
We know each and every agency is different, just like every creative is unique. Getting the right match is so important for both to be happy, succeed and create great ideas. As well as being experts at finding the perfect pairing, these are things that we believe can be the foundations for an agency to be a Happy Place to work in. And what we look for in agencies we partner with.
Nice people (obviously)
Flexible Working
Extensive Mental Health policies
Fair Maternity & Paternity benefits
Menopause support policies (Menopause workplace pledge)
Investment in DE&I
IPA’s ‘People First Promise’ badge of honour
Campaign ‘Best places to work’ award
B Corp certification
At the heart of Happy Place
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Creativity
Happy Place is truly unique as it’s built on 20 years experience in the advertising industry. Fiona the founder has enjoyed 12 years as a award winning art director and 8 years as a renowned creative talent director.
She’s worked on every type of brief you can think of, both as a creative and as a talent director which means she really know how to match the right creatives to each brief.
She possesses a deep-rooted understanding of the creative process, agency dynamics, and the unique qualities that define exceptional talent.
Her experience allows her to identify not only established stars but also emerging creatives with immense potential. This insider's perspective enables her to create perfect matches between creatives and agencies.
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Happiness
Happy Place is built on the insight that happiness is the catalyst for extraordinary creativity.
We pride ourselves in creating a positive and supportive environment where both creatives and agencies can find each other and thrive.
Our mission is to create fulfilling partnerships between amazing agencies that value the work and their people equally, and ambitious creatives that want to find their happy home where they will make their best work.
We make matches that inspire groundbreaking ideas and drive industry success. Ultimately Happy Place exists to help make the creative industry a happier and more creative place to be. And we promise the whole process either as a creative or as an agency will be a happy one.
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Inclusivity
DE&I is intrinsic to Happy Place. We are passionate about creating a more inclusive advertising industry and have a proven track record of championing underrepresented talent with our founder having co -founded JOLT Academy; the first ever inter-agency diversity creative placement scheme.
We believe that happy and diverse teams generate the most innovative and impactful ideas.
Our commitment to inclusivity means we actively seek out creatives from all backgrounds to give fair and equal access to amazing opportunities in the advertising industry.
Partnering with us as a client means you’ll have access to our unrivalled freelance and permanent Diversity Directory. And as a creative you’ll have access to the most supportive agencies.
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Expertise
Our founder’s two decades in the advertising industry means we have unparalleled knowledge of the industry’s top talent and up and coming creatives.
Having worked both as a creative and client for renowned agencies and a vast network of over 7000 creative professionals, Happy Place is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional creatives for any role.
For advertising agencies, her extensive experience across all creative disciplines ensures Happy Place can find the most ambitious and talented creatives that will be a perfect fit for your team.
And for creatives, her extraordinary amount of creative knowledge and agency experience means Happy Place will help find you your next creative home where you’ll be your happiest and make your best work.
The face behind Happy Place
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Hey there, I’m Fi the founder of Happy Place. 8 years ago I made the switch from being an award winning art director to helping match awesome agencies and amazing creatives.
Every talented creative should be able to find their Happy Place in the advertising world where they can make their best work.
And every ‘people first’ agency should be able to discover and bring in the very best creative brains to make stand-out work for their brands.
Here’s to good times and great ideas!
Fiona Smith - Founder of Happy Place
fiona@creativehappyplace.co.uk / 07709022787
Time for some trumpet blowing…
“Fiona is simply the best! We met about nine years ago, and from day one, she has been an incredible partner, adviser, and all-around generous person. Whenever I needed to hire, Fiona always found the perfect match, not just someone generically good, but someone with the specific skills I needed. What sets her apart is her genuine focus on cultural fit and understanding the nuances of each role. She’s not one of those recruiters chasing numbers, she really cares about finding the right fit for both sides…She just gets it!”.
Ronaldo Tavares
ECD
”Fi is a special one. She gets it. Gets what I hear you cry? Fi gets the balanced needs of both clients and freelance clients. She gets the need for not just placing people willy Billy, but properly understanding both parties to get the chemistry right. I have nothing but praise for her work and invisible presence creating an effortless natural balance in a placement process that can be shortsighted and prone to failure (certainly according to other creatives I hear from across our community).”
Peter Heyes
ECD
“Fi is one of the best recruiters I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. As a former creative herself, she truly understands how creatives think and has a unique perspective on the industry from both sides.Her calming, friendly approach and deep industry knowledge put me at ease throughout the process. She’s incredibly supportive and always focused on finding the right opportunities that align with what you want to do and where you want to go. Work with Fi, she's the best.”
