Author, copywriter and story consultant of British origin based in Berlin since 2013
I craft narrative, usually involving words or their creative removal.
Often in dialogue with emerging technologies, always with a critical ear to the zietgeist, I tell stories inspired by community experiences. In a career spanning more than 20 years and three European cities, my mixed media narrative work has appeared at multiple international awards shows including Cannes Festival of Creativity, Drapers Awards, EMEA and the Clios.
My debut novel FOLK is available from April 2025 on preorder from its UK publisher Velocity Press. An earlier version of the book, which charts the collapse of a youth group in post-Thatcher Britain against the pulse of the UK’s free party scene, was longlisted for the Mckitterick Prize.
Other recipients of the prize, which is awarded annually by the British Society of Authors to a first novel (published or unpublished) by a writer aged 40 or over, include Douglas Stuart, Mark Haddon and Louise Kennedy.
Often in dialogue with emerging technologies, always with a critical ear to the zietgeist, I tell stories inspired by community experiences. In a career spanning more than 20 years and three European cities, my mixed media narrative work has appeared at multiple international awards shows including Cannes Festival of Creativity, Drapers Awards, EMEA and the Clios.
My debut novel FOLK is available from April 2025 on preorder from its UK publisher Velocity Press. An earlier version of the book, which charts the collapse of a youth group in post-Thatcher Britain against the pulse of the UK’s free party scene, was longlisted for the Mckitterick Prize.
Other recipients of the prize, which is awarded annually by the British Society of Authors to a first novel (published or unpublished) by a writer aged 40 or over, include Douglas Stuart, Mark Haddon and Louise Kennedy.
Studio Stef Macbeth
Established in 2018, my writing studio in the heart of Kreuzberg (10 minutes walk from Berghain︎︎︎) is where I work with local and international clients and creative partners.
Our approach fuses storytelling, craft and system design to deliver tangible audience engagement and real brand equity fast and fuss-free.
I am always open to working with new and returning clients and project teams, both large and boutique.
For rates and services drop me a line: stef.macbeth@gmail.com
You can also find me on social media if you search “Stef Macbeth”.
Glasgow, ‘The Friendly City’
I studied Philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow and was awarded the Edward Caird Medal in 2005.
On graduating with a Masters, I joined the team at Sub Club︎︎︎ coming on board as an in-house writer and co-promoter. Working closely with a tight-knit group of artists and staff at the club, I helped steer one of the UK’s most influential independent venues through a period of transition, securing both commercial futureproofing, artistic integrity and a strong sense of community.
London, ‘That’s the place for me!’
A move to London in 2006 led me to the creative department at JWT︎︎︎ where I developed copy and integrated campaign concepts for brands such as Rolls-Royce, Visit Ireland, Deutsche Bank, Kraft Food and Starbucks.
As a side hustle, my love of emerging music and artistic communities found an outlet with the Global Soundtracks podcast which ran for 26 episodes between 2009-10.
In 2010 I took on a senior creative role at Story Worldwide, an independent agency led by the singer from Gang Of Four︎︎︎ where I learned to lead pitches, (re)write briefs, manage teams and make workshops a lot more lively.
A speculative project I initiated and ran about brand storytelling in the digital age was the centrepiece of an Internet Week︎︎︎ session hosted by Story and attended by Fortune 500 company executives and several key figures in the tech industry.
Around the same time I worked on a landmark digital campaign for The Havens︎︎︎. Made on a shoestring budget using sequences shot at a real warehouse party, the native YouTube campaign (one of the first examples of interactive video) raised awareness around themes of consent that would later inform contemporary #metoo︎︎︎ discussions.
In 2012 I was invited to co-author the copywriting syllabus for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Berlin, ‘I ride and I ride and I ride’
Since moving to Berlin in 2013 I have divided my time between commercial, artistic and grassroots projects. This includes a literary adaptation of a Don DeLillo novel with the artist Douglas Gordon and a one-off commission for Borealis Festival with a London-based creative technologist alongside members of Chicks On Speed.
On the more commercial side, I have written and developed concepts for new and established brands including Carlsberg, Kontist, Blink Labs, and luxury whisky maker Royal Salute︎︎︎. For the latter, I worked on some cute micro-limited edition batches which were sent directly from the master distiller to key customers around the world (with handwritten labels). I was also responsible for a well-received regular customer newsletter.
Between 2015 and 2018 I was employed full-time at Berlin based fashion platform Zalando, where I led several brand activations including one with James Franco and another with Levi’s. I also returned to employer branding, having worked on award-winning campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Metropolitan Police, Starbucks and Deutsche Bank when I was in London. In 2017 I co-led a specialist employer branding unit at Zalando, building a team of 12 and helping to establish core competencies and best practices, while also launching a major brand campaign. Finally, during this time I contributed to several lighthouse projects including Project Muze︎︎︎an ai enabled customization tool created in partnership with a team at Google.
I continued to work with Zalando for several years after I left the company, creating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) guidelines and campaigns, pandemic/crisis messaging, and a range of guides and best practice materials for the social media team.
Since going freelance in 2018 I have built up a solid international client base, as well as a growing network of creative and strategically savvy people I can call on for projects.
Recent additions to the studio catalogue include long-term communications consultancy and activation for global paint maker Beckers Group, brand work for Papyrus, several brand storytelling projects for SEGRO, and a pioneering supply chain transformation story for the global coffee sector.
Established in 2018, my writing studio in the heart of Kreuzberg (10 minutes walk from Berghain︎︎︎) is where I work with local and international clients and creative partners.
Our approach fuses storytelling, craft and system design to deliver tangible audience engagement and real brand equity fast and fuss-free.
I am always open to working with new and returning clients and project teams, both large and boutique.
For rates and services drop me a line: stef.macbeth@gmail.com
You can also find me on social media if you search “Stef Macbeth”.
Glasgow, ‘The Friendly City’
I studied Philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow and was awarded the Edward Caird Medal in 2005.
On graduating with a Masters, I joined the team at Sub Club︎︎︎ coming on board as an in-house writer and co-promoter. Working closely with a tight-knit group of artists and staff at the club, I helped steer one of the UK’s most influential independent venues through a period of transition, securing both commercial futureproofing, artistic integrity and a strong sense of community.
London, ‘That’s the place for me!’
A move to London in 2006 led me to the creative department at JWT︎︎︎ where I developed copy and integrated campaign concepts for brands such as Rolls-Royce, Visit Ireland, Deutsche Bank, Kraft Food and Starbucks.
As a side hustle, my love of emerging music and artistic communities found an outlet with the Global Soundtracks podcast which ran for 26 episodes between 2009-10.
In 2010 I took on a senior creative role at Story Worldwide, an independent agency led by the singer from Gang Of Four︎︎︎ where I learned to lead pitches, (re)write briefs, manage teams and make workshops a lot more lively.
A speculative project I initiated and ran about brand storytelling in the digital age was the centrepiece of an Internet Week︎︎︎ session hosted by Story and attended by Fortune 500 company executives and several key figures in the tech industry.
Around the same time I worked on a landmark digital campaign for The Havens︎︎︎. Made on a shoestring budget using sequences shot at a real warehouse party, the native YouTube campaign (one of the first examples of interactive video) raised awareness around themes of consent that would later inform contemporary #metoo︎︎︎ discussions.
In 2012 I was invited to co-author the copywriting syllabus for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Berlin, ‘I ride and I ride and I ride’
Since moving to Berlin in 2013 I have divided my time between commercial, artistic and grassroots projects. This includes a literary adaptation of a Don DeLillo novel with the artist Douglas Gordon and a one-off commission for Borealis Festival with a London-based creative technologist alongside members of Chicks On Speed.
On the more commercial side, I have written and developed concepts for new and established brands including Carlsberg, Kontist, Blink Labs, and luxury whisky maker Royal Salute︎︎︎. For the latter, I worked on some cute micro-limited edition batches which were sent directly from the master distiller to key customers around the world (with handwritten labels). I was also responsible for a well-received regular customer newsletter.
Between 2015 and 2018 I was employed full-time at Berlin based fashion platform Zalando, where I led several brand activations including one with James Franco and another with Levi’s. I also returned to employer branding, having worked on award-winning campaigns for Rolls-Royce, Metropolitan Police, Starbucks and Deutsche Bank when I was in London. In 2017 I co-led a specialist employer branding unit at Zalando, building a team of 12 and helping to establish core competencies and best practices, while also launching a major brand campaign. Finally, during this time I contributed to several lighthouse projects including Project Muze︎︎︎an ai enabled customization tool created in partnership with a team at Google.
I continued to work with Zalando for several years after I left the company, creating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) guidelines and campaigns, pandemic/crisis messaging, and a range of guides and best practice materials for the social media team.
Since going freelance in 2018 I have built up a solid international client base, as well as a growing network of creative and strategically savvy people I can call on for projects.
Recent additions to the studio catalogue include long-term communications consultancy and activation for global paint maker Beckers Group, brand work for Papyrus, several brand storytelling projects for SEGRO, and a pioneering supply chain transformation story for the global coffee sector.