Growing our own talent has always been central to how we build ThreeTenSeven. As a B Corp, we believe in sustainable growth, and that starts with giving great people room to step up within.
This autumn brings three changes across our Creative and Strategy teams:
- Joss Ward steps up to Associate Creative Director, leading ideas alongside our Creative Director and setting the standard for the creative team.
- Erik Winterburn moves up to Senior Designer, taking full ownership of projects from concept to delivery.
- Em Blalock returns from maternity leave as Strategist, focusing on campaigns and marketing while continuing to work across branding.
Joss Ward, Associate Creative Director
Joss has been behind some of our most important recent work. A standout is Real Life for Clinical Partners, a film series bringing people with lived experience and clinicians together to talk honestly about mental health and neurodivergence.
Joss has also led major brand and campaign projects for the University of Leeds, plus the Weaver Network for West Yorkshire Combined Authority. We created the name, strategy and identity for the region's new integrated transport brand, unveiled by Mayor Tracy Brabin in May 2025.
As ACD, Joss will lead our ideas alongside Creative Director Chris Skelton and set the creative standard across the studio. That puts more senior creative leadership on every account, so we can take on bigger, more ambitious briefs and give clients a stronger partner from first idea to final delivery.
“I'm so excited to be stepping into the ACD role, working closely alongside Chris and the wider team to deliver even more amazing work for our inspiring clients — getting to work with some incredible Yorkshire based creatives, on projects that make lives in the region and beyond that little bit better. There's going to be some cool shit happening here and I can't wait for people to see it all.” — Joss Ward
Erik Winterburn, Senior Designer
Erik joined us as a Designer in February 2024, bringing strong typography skills and a belief in design as a force for good. Erik's major projects since include brand and campaign work for Fastrack, Kent County Council's rapid bus network, various pivotal projects for the University of Leeds, and a rebrand for AuDHD Psychiatry that's launching soon.
As Senior Designer, Erik will take full ownership of projects from concept to delivery and help mentor our junior creatives and interns, which gives clients more experienced hands on the detail of their work.
“I’m looking forward to taking on more responsibility with projects, really helping define the direction.” — Erik Winterburn
Em Blalock, Strategist
Em is back with the Strategy team after maternity leave, and it's brilliant to have her in the studio again. Em moved from Account Manager into strategy in 2024, drawing on an academic background in health coaching and behavioural science.
Em's major projects include the launch of MindMate's Neurodiversity Information Hub and Trauma-Informed Practice Hub, supporting young people, families and professionals across Leeds. She's also worked on major brands and campaigns for West Yorkshire Combined Authority, including the Weaver Network and the Fair Work Charter. The Charter launched with 43 early adopters in November 2023, and within a year 302 organisations had registered and 192 were certified (source).
Back in the team, Em will continue to work across all aspects of strategy, with a focus on marketing. That brings behavioural science into more of our campaign work, helping clients shift what people actually do, not just what they know.
“I’m excited to get into the detail of our clients, understand their audiences and competitors, and use that to find opportunities to grow their brands and create campaigns that people remember.” — Em Blalock
Growing from within
Investing in our own people makes us better for our clients. It gives them confidence in our capacity and deepens what we can offer, from brand identity to integrated campaigns. It also gives our team clear routes to grow, which matters to us as a B Corp.
Creative Director Chris Skelton says, “Joss and Erik have been critial additions to the team over the past few years and they’ve both delivered some outstanding work. The new roles give them room to lead, to shape how we work with clients and to help the next generation of creatives grow.”
Managing Director Rachel Burrell-Cook says, “It's always been a principle for us that we'd grow talent from within instead of just hiring in, but it all depends on finding those developable gems and putting in place conditions for growth. We could see from Day 1 that Joss and Erik are packed with potential, and all we had to do was support them and make space for them – and I'm so pleased that that's exactly what we've done. The team is stronger for it, as we've got ever-growing brains in the creative team, as well as brilliant client history, not to mention great role models for the team of how you can win if you put your mind to it. Em has been a brilliant case study of that, too: we knew from the start she was super smart, insightful, ambitious, so we were thrilled to help her move from Account Exec to Account Manager and now Strategist AND mum – we're lucky to have her, and happy to have her back!”
