Communication leads the way for Jonathan Pattinson

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Pattinson

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Jonathan Pattinson’s accomplishments are many, but his ability to connect with various people made them possible. From working with underprivileged children to guiding celebrities down the red carpet, Pattinson has found ways to connect with everyone. His work with CEOs of huge companies and revolutionary systems created at his creative consulting firm has changed how businesses are run. Human connection and creativity work together in Pattinson’s mind and inform his strategies.

At the start of his career, Pattinson worked in residential children’s homes with young kids who had experienced traumatic events. While this job did not earn him the accolades his other positions would in the future, it was a significant time in Pattinson’s life. He got a crash course in human behavior and formed bonds with different types of personalities from working with these children. During this time, Jonathan was volunteering at Bottletop, an innovative charity fundraising through fashion and music products and events, after writing his dissertation on the organization. He would then move on to become a full-time employee.

In 2005, Pattinson rose to Managing Director of the organization. At Bottletop, he worked with patrons and music and fashion industry leads. While these people were from completely different backgrounds and led wildly different lifestyles from the children at the residential homes, Pattinson noticed that the same skills came into play. He leveled his expertise in behavior and communication to raise funds for Bottletop successfully in creative ways. 

After accomplishing various feats at Bottletop, including leading a tour of the British Isles, running a monthly nightclub, and helping design and sell sustainable fashion lines, Pattinson embraced his creativity as a leader in the creative agency Life Integrated. His work with the HUGO BOSS brand led to worldwide innovations and became P&G Prestige’s largest digital plan with 43 million unique users. It was recognized by FWA’s “Website of the Day,” and Luxury Daily’s “Top 10 Video of 2011.” Pattinson created the idea, program, and build for augmented reality in-store units, which were implemented globally in HUGO BOSS, Boss Black, and Boss Just Different stores. He went on to develop interactive in-store travel retail units for Dolce & Gabbana locations across Europe as well.

This creative innovation is typical of Pattinson’s projects as a Cultural Design Strategist. He founded his creative consultation firm, Reluctantly Brave, in 2012. The award-winning consultancy was run by Pattinson for eight years and worked with major brands in the United States and the United Kingdom. Companies like Kellogg’s, Starbucks, Nandos, Thomas Reuters, Walgreens Boots Opticians, and Sainsbury’s relied on Pattinson’s team for creative advice. One of the firm’s greatest accomplishments was winning a National Diversity Award for its work on the Young Braves program, which partnered with Starbucks, Nandos, Boots, GHD, and more. 

Pattinson has been a part of the Talent Relations Committee at the Academy Awards for the past ten years. In this role, he welcomes esteemed guests and walks selected actors and directors down the red carpet at awards shows. He also manages the press room, comprising over 500 global press members. Pattinson became involved in the Oscars red carpet by pioneering sustainable fashion and still works toward this goal today.

Despite his many years of experience as a cultural design strategist, Pattinson feels like he is just getting started. His career has been illustrious, but he still has plenty of energy to give. Pattinson’s sharp, creative mind and understanding of people from many different walks of life give him a unique perspective that many would be lucky to have on their team.