Hello, this is Cat

About me and Nibbling Squirrel Ltd.

I'm Cat. Senior PM and Producer, 18+ years freelancing in advertising and new media. TVCs, branded content and stills (sometimes all at the same time).

I've worked with some of the bigger names in the industry, through companies like Smuggler, Radical Media, Pretty Bird and Across the Pond, on projects for Google, Nike, Sky, Samsung, Netflix, Barclays and plenty of others. A lot of it abroad: Europe, Africa, the USA and Asia. I'm as comfortable setting up a shoot in Nairobi as I am in north London, which isn't something everyone can say.

Trilingual (English, Portuguese and conversational Spanish), which comes in useful more than you'd think.

What my working day looks like

Budgets up to £2M as PM, producing budgets up to £1M. Bidding, deal-making, scheduling. Crew, facilities, equipment. Call sheets and risk assessments. Castings, talent, background artists, child licences, the paperwork nobody else wants to touch.

For international jobs: fixer bids, full fixer management, multi-currency, travel, accommodation, visas, carnets and customs. I sort all of it before anyone else starts panicking.

Mentoring

Since 2022, I've been working with people coming into advertising production: one-to-ones and university masterclasses. Practical stuff: how to build a budget, manage a crew, handle a difficult client, negotiate a deal. The things nobody teaches you but everyone expects you to know.

And the bigger picture too. How the industry actually works, how to build a career in it, and how to push back on the parts that are still stuck in the past.