Sam is an adept writer, editor and strategic thinker who values long lasting relationships with his clients. He has experience managing issues and the media under high pressure, having worked on high-profile crisis management responses in the public sector. He has a strong understanding of digital media, online culture and community, issues framing, social media strategy, problem definition and communications risk analysis. He’s an expert at helping clients engage more meaningfully with their stakeholders and understand their operating environment through stakeholder, media and digital communications audit.

Mary has worked as a photographer in New Zealand since 2006. In the last four years her focus has shifted to process marketing for corporates and NGOs, research and strategy around visual messaging, and how it can be more effective. Mary specialises in how to simplify and present communications to the public in a way that can be easily digested, especially in a crisis, and can show how engaging the public through arresting visuals can increase community participation when needed. Mary is completing a Masters degree in International Security, focusing on diversity in problem-solving, and how security-focused and crisis communications can support public compliance with the requests governments make of their citizens, by humanising the processes and showing how decisions are made.

During our time in Wellington we have had the chance to meet and work with some spectacular people. This means that when our clients need something that falls outside our area of expertise, we don’t pretend. Sixteenth Letter calls in:

• The Navigators; quant/qual research and data analytics (especially valuable for behaviour change and social marketing) provided by Matt Benson and Penny Turner.
• Empire Films; beautiful short- and longform video production; shooting, editing and feedback loops to get it just right, provided by Jono Tucker.