Collaborate
A small firm, deliberately.
Churchill Strategy is led by one senior strategist and built out, engagement by engagement, with independent specialists chosen for the place and the problem.
These are not salaried roles. This page is for independent practitioners who work with us on a project basis.
How the work is staffed
One lead. A bench, not a payroll.
- 01 One lead, always The same senior strategist runs every engagement from the first conversation to the final handover. Nothing is delegated downward, and no one is briefed the night before.
- 02 Specialists per engagement Designers, researchers, photographers, facilitators and writers are brought in for the specific place and problem — chosen because they are right for the work, not because they are on a payroll that needs filling.
- 03 Named, not hidden Clients know who is working on their project. Collaborators are introduced by name rather than absorbed into a firm.
Who we bring in
The disciplines this work needs.
- Brand and graphic design
- Photography and video
- Web design and build
- Research, survey and community consultation
- Facilitation for boards and stakeholder sessions
- Writing, editorial and media relations
- Illustration and character work
- Wayfinding, signage and environmental graphics
The conditions, plainly
This is not brand work in a vacuum. It runs through boards and councils, community consultation, cultural sensitivity, multiple languages and approval chains that can take months.
If you have worked that way before, say so — it matters more here than a polished portfolio.
Introducing yourself
One email. No portal.
If your discipline is on that list and the conditions sound familiar, send a short note. Keep it brief — three things are enough.
What to send
- What you do, in a sentence
- Two or three pieces of relevant work
- Where you are based, and whether you work remotely
We keep a standing list and reach out when an engagement needs your discipline. That may be some months, and it may be quiet in between — it is not a reflection of your work.
Our side of it
We pay properly and on time, and we do not ask for spec work.
Scope, fee and timeline are agreed in writing before anything starts. If a project is cancelled after you have begun, work completed is paid for.
Students & practicum
A paid placement, once a year.
Edmonton trains good designers, planners and marketers, and place work is difficult to learn anywhere but inside it. We take one student placement a year, paid, working on live engagements rather than invented exercises.
If you are studying design, planning, marketing or urban studies and this is the work you want to do, write in the autumn for the following year.
winston.pon@churchillstrategy.caThe strategy behind
the victory.
53.5461° N · 113.4938° W — Edmonton · Alberta · Canada