Kimberley Dawn Torrie
Creative Growth Director & Mentor / Coach
New Zealand / Remote
www.studiodawn.org
www.stretchy.social
www.caike.club
instagram @studiodawn_nz @stretchy.yoga
advertising portfolio
Q What do you do?
“I run Studio Dawn, a creative growth studio.”
In practice that covers a few things: brand strategy and creative direction for businesses, fractional creative direction for brands that need senior creative leadership, creative-director-for-creatives support for designers and studio owners who want another senior eye on their work, and mentoring for creatives working out their next move.
It's all underpinned by one belief — people, brands and businesses are often capable of more than they can currently see, and sometimes they just need the right perspective to reveal it, then killer branding, design and narrative to take that vision to the world.
Alongside it I run Stretchy, a movement and social connection community that grew from 0 to 1,800 people in a year, so there's a strong thread of human, community, values-led thinking running through everything I make.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
It's been a big fun ol' zig zaggy road to this point!
It's a creative concoction of a Design degree and 14+ years in the advertising & branding industries across New Zealand, London, Australia & Bali. Working in the big name agencies on all the big name clients.
Then always having the desire to be my own boss. So 5 years go I went freelance to then in turn be able to create my own creative & community businesses - Picky (A stock & mock image marketplace) then Stretchy (Like a run club, for yoga). Creating something from idea, to positioning, to business, to showing up in the real world has been my greatest learnings in the industry.
THEN weave in a 10+ year journey into yoga. Through ongoing yoga teacher training I've really woken up my power of creativity & understand my purpose, role and unique offering to the world. I'm continually interested in the innate growth & creative potential we can unlock when feeling safe, regulated, confident and calm. It's a space I'm continuing to educate myself in and is now shaping my creative coaching & mentoring offering. And fast becoming the most interesting part of what I get to do.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Just be me, no one else.
I've tried many approaches to "being a creative" and in turn just being me and selectively choosing work which feels aligned is my greatest superpower.
What sets me apart is combining that with building from zero (I've done it more than once, Stretchy included) and a genuinely non-linear, multi-passionate way of working — I connect creativity, community, human potential and mindset rather than treating brand strategy as its own isolated box.
Q What are you working on right now?
Shifting from "Freelance Creative Director that does lots of other different things" to Studio Dawn. A creative growth studio with clear & distinct ways of working with Businesses, Brands and Creative People.
Right now I'm especially curious about the intersection of creative and branding, growth and human potential, mindset, and how AI can catapult our thinking.
To put the above into action myself, I'm reshaping Stretchy (the social yoga club) by creating a "social payment platform". Essentially, the more people who join to move together, the cheaper it gets for all. It's been a fun test into really weaving AI into this business.
Alongside this, growing Caike Club, an IRL AI learning and creative-thinking space in Auckland.
And developing a mentoring stream for creatives, founders and freelancers, built on my own methodology.
Q What’s your style?
First & foremost. The idea is everything.
Second. I believe my work, no matter the medium or output, should evoke a feeling for those experiencing it. Joy is my preferred feeling for the world but not every project requires that! Then combine this with killer design craft, a juicy tone of voice and a clever savviness to the idea.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
The good growth outcome is more important to me. Wherever I am feeling most pulled to in terms of what (good) impact I can foster for others / their business / brand / society is the place where I focus my energy.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
For so long I was really fearful of AI and what it would do to our industry. It really made me stop & simmer on progressing from a freelancer to Studio Dawn. However I'm now embracing it and seeing it as the golden opportunity of my working life so far. Gotta lean in.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
$20/hour tasks are now handled by AI.
I'd instead invest that money into my professional development, into the business or myself - through yoga, meditation time, sauna or other mindful or movement practices. Calm & regulated to keep me creative & vibrant.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Wind back to my early days in Creative Agency land. I really was so anxious & stressed all the time, and it majorly came at the detriment of my health, mindset and in turn, creative output. I would teach myself earlier to have more confidence in my work, my abilities, my vision and to just have more fun. It always works out.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
The intersection of mindset and creativity — specifically how human potential, brand-building and AI-accelerated thinking connect.
A few people whose work sits right in that intersection for me:
- James Hurman (Previously Unavailable — brand and strategic thinking)
- Lacy Phillips (built her entire brand, product and methodology — The Behavior Method — around this exact idea)
- Anna Mack (future of work)
- Daisy Fancourt, a researcher at University College London studying how arts and social connection affect the human mind and body — her "fifth pillar of health" idea (arts as medicine, alongside diet, sleep and exercise) is close to what I believe about creativity and human potential.
- I'd also love Dario Amodei's take on human potential, given his work leading Anthropic.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Business & brand opportunities:
- Project work & fractional creative direction, particularly for brands in wellness, movement, sustainability, education, tech. Working with ambitious founders & businesses to grow their impact.
Creative-Direction-for-Creatives & mentoring opportunities:
- Partnering with designers, freelancers and studio owners who want another senior eye on their work
- Mentoring for creatives - sharpening their thinking, mindset and confidence.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
For Brands & businesses - my ideal projects collabs would focus on helping to launch new businesses, products and services to the market. Helping to pinpoint the the potential market gap, the how we bring it to life with joy & humanity – from defining the name, tone, visual identity right through to the product / service, customer experience and launch.
For Creative-Direction-for-Creatives - I'd love to partner with Creatives world wide to give them fresh perspective on their projects & client work. Or perhaps even their creative business themselves. It gets tricky when working in isolation for even the best creatives, so teaming up to offer fresh insights would be really beneficial.
Mentoring for Creatives (or wannabe Creatives) – I'd like to help support & guide creatives of all ages & stages. Whether they're looking to uplevel, shift into a new role, branch out on their own, find more confidence & joy in their work, or again, just seeking external mentorship and advice. Here to chat.
Q: What is your rate?
Here's the clincher! The NZ Dollar is at a low right now, so you'll get senior level value without the international senior level price tag. (Can I say that?! haha).
For Brands & businesses:
- Studio Projects from NZD$7500 - $50,000+ (+GST) - Fractional Creative Direction - Daily rate from NZD $1400 (+GST)
For Creatives & businesses:
- Creative Direction for Creatives - from NZD$200 /hour to Daily rate from NZD$1400(+GST)
- Mentoring - from NZD$250 per session (+GST). Packages available.
However open to other ways of pricing based on overall value to each party. So if you're a start up starting up we could discuss subscription or retainer pricing etc. Based on value & growth potential.
*GST = NZ's Goods & Service Tax, it's an additional 15% charged on top of the invoice
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Say "hey" to Kimberley at kimberley@studiodawn.org Or fill out our discover form at studiodawn.org.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Bel Hawkins – Poet, Ideas Queen, Cultural commentator, gem of a copywriter.
Savannah Harris – Creative strategist turned Creative Creative. She can literally do it all, while giving so much love, heart and sheer willpower to her projects.
Kate Battersby – Photographer & Art Director. Whimsical and poetic still life stylist & photographer of your dreams. She once described an her inspiration for a pink backdrop to me as "the sort of colour on your grandmother's cracked lips" and I've been in love with her ever since.
Ruth @ Rule Design – Just a genius go-getter and business badass. She'll whip up your SEO and create the most incredible websites for you.
Jane King – Brand marketer & good human extraordinaire. She's created "Creators Aotearoa" - a platform which connects creative marketers with charitable causes.
Yiselle Yost – Simply divine photography & delicious styling. Steal her for your socials, your events and everything in between.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Play. Move. Look. Travel. Stay curious.
This member profile was originally published in July 2026.