Available now - Auckland, New Zealand
Creative Director.
Brand Strategist.
Builder.
I’ve spent almost 15 years helping businesses figure out who they are and how to show up in the world. I’ve run a design studio, built brands from scratch, launched a mental health podcast, grown a global community, and planned a SaaS product from concept to developer-ready spec.
● Founder, Fuel Media (2014–present) ● Government & private sector ● NZ & AU remote
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Not just one thing… the whole picture
Most people are either the creative or the strategist or the builder. I’ve spent my career being all three – it took me a while to realise how unique that is.
Brand Strategy
6+ years of brand workshop facilitation. From single-operator trades businesses to hospitality groups with multiple venues. A structured methodology refined through hundreds of real conversations.
Web Design & Development
WordPress and Shopify (UX/UI design). Responsive, conversion-focused builds across hospitality, legal, education, government, trades, and creative industries. Strategy through to launch.
Product Strategy & Design
I planned a complete SaaS product from zero – 65+ page spec covering UX/UI, AI integration, customer journey, pricing, and go-to-market. Developer-ready.
Visual Identity & Design
Logo design, identity and brand guidelines, graphic design, typography, and layout. Complete brand systems from national government initiatives to local business.
Content, Photography & Media
Commercial photography, podcast production, and multi-platform content strategy across web, social, video, and email. I’ve built content ecosystems for my own brands and for clients.
AI-Integrated Creative
Daily AI user across strategy, marketing, product design, and development. Built AI-powered delivery pipelines and designed AI conversation systems for a SaaS product.
NOTABLE WORK
Selected projects
Government, organisational, and brands I built from scratch. These represent the range and depth – the full portfolio lives at Fuel Media.
PERSONAL PROJECT / NATIONWIDE
Fuel Impact
A free fuel cost calculator built during the 2026 NZ fuel crisis – showing Kiwis exactly what the price surge is costing their household in real dollars. Idea to live in under 12 hours. 528 vehicles, fuzzy search, commute helper, international support. Used by thousands of Kiwis and Australians. Featured on Stuff and CarExpert.co.nz.
3000+
Users in first 48hrs
520+
Vehicles in database
2
Media Features (Stuff/Car Expert)
12
Hrs - Idea to Live Product
Product Strategy
Product Design
Product Development
UX/UI Design
Content Creation
GOVERNMENT / NATIONAL
First Steps NZ
Nationwide mental health and wellbeing initiative – MBIE, Ministry of Health, Auckland Chamber, and the EMA. I led the full creative engagement: brand strategy, identity, website, meta ads campaigns, content, photography, and social. I was also proud to be a contributor to the platform, writing on mental health for business owners.
Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Web Design & Dev
Content Creation
Social Management
PRODUCT STRATEGY / MY OWN BUILD
Bearing
A guided, AI-powered brand strategy platform delivering a living Brand Bible, and Brand Intelligence – through a proven seven-question methodology (taken from my real world workshops). From a blank page to a 65+ page developer-ready specification – product architecture, UX?UI design, AI engine, technical stack, pricing, customer journey, marketing, and roadmap.
60+
Page planning document
21
Sections defined
7
AI conversation flows
35
Step customer journey
Product Strategy
Brand Strategy
UX/UI Design
AI Integration
Go-to-Market
Technical Architecture
GOVERNMENT / AUCKLAND
Activate Tāmaki Makaurau
I was an approved supplier on a $60 million Tātaki Auckland Unlimited business support programme, helping Auckland businesses affected by COVID-19 lockdowns. During this time I worked directly with business owners on brand positioning, marketing strategy, and digital presence as part of a government-funded advisory and implementation programme.
Strategy & Consulting
Marketing
HOSPITALITY
Good Spirits
Nine venues across two cities needed one unified brand. I ran strategy workshops with key team members at each venue to define the umbrella brand and the individual identity of every establishment. Then I visited each location to photograph the spaces, the food, the drinks, the people, and the atmosphere… capturing the feeling of actually being there. From there I designed and built their full website, bringing everything together under one roof. A 12-month project, delivered ahead of time and on budget.
Brand Strategy
Photography
Web Design & Dev
INDUSTRIES I’VE WORKED ACROSS
Government & Public Sector
Hospitality & F&B
Legal
Education
Health & Wellness
Financial Services
Mental Health & NFP
E-Commerce
Trades & Construction
Industrial & Engineering
Sport & Charitable
Food & Lifestyle
Data & Technology
Professional Services
My Website Portfolio
THE PERSON BEHIND THE WORK
A bit about me…
I’ve spent over a decade working across brand strategy, identity & web design, photography, and content… building things for businesses of all sizes, from solo operators to government organisations. I founded Fuel Media in 2014 as a deliberately small studio where every project gets senior-level creative direction from the same person you talk to on day one.
Outside the studio, I built Eat What You Kill – a community-driven lifestyle brand around wild food, adventure, and wellbeing that grew from a Facebook group into a global platform. That led to The Brave and The Wild, a mental health podcast I created to normalise honest conversations about the stuff people don’t usually talk about… a passion project I visit as I have time. I’ve contributed to national mental health initiatives including First Steps NZ and have written and spoken publicly about burnout, resilience, and what it actually takes to build things sustainably.
More recently, I planned Bearing… a full SaaS product from concept to developer-ready spec – which showed me that the strategic and creative thinking I’ve been doing for 15 years translates directly into product design and technology. I’m at a point where I want to bring everything I know, and everything I’m good at… into something bigger.
I’m a foodie, a photographer, and a builder of things that give back. I work best when I’m all in on one thing with the right people around me. I’m always honest about what I’m great at and what I’m not – and I’ve learned that clear, direct communication is everything. Say the hard things calmly, close the open tabs, and trust builds fast. Good work follows good communication. If I sound like your kind of person, let’s talk.
Get in touch
TOOLS & SOFTWARE
What I work with
It’s hard to list every tool I’ve worked with over the years. These are the key ones.
DESIGN & CREATIVE
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Lightroom
Premiere Pro
Figma
CapCut
WEB & DEVELOPMENT
WordPress
Shopify
CSS/HTML
WooCommerce
cPanel
DNS Management
AI & PRODUCTIVITY
Claude (Anthropic)
ChatGPT
AI Workflows
Asana
Notion
Trello
MARKETING & ANALYTICS
Klaviyo (Design & Strategy)
Mailchimp
HubSpot
Google Analytics
Search Console
Meta Business Suite
Meta Ads Manager
CONTENT & SOCIAL
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
TikTok
Many Chat
Riverside
Buzzsprout
Acast
BUSINESS & PLATFORM
Google Workspace
Apple Ecosystem
Acrobat
Stripe
Xero
PandaDoc
Slack
WHAT I’M INTERESTED IN
I’m open to the right opportunity
I’m not looking for one specific thing. I’m looking for the right thing… where the combination of what I bring actually matters.
Creative Leadership
Creative Director or Head of Design in a smaller team, studio, or startup environment. Over a decade of running my own studio means I know how to own the creative vision, lead strategy, manage client relationships, and ensure the work lands. I’m at my best when I can see the big picture and shape the direction.
Product & UX/UI
Product Designer, UX/UI Lead, or Design Lead for a digital product. I’m the strategic and creative mind, not the engineer. I’ve taken a complete SaaS product from idea to developer-ready spec: strategy, UX/UI, brand, customer journey, pricing, and go-to-market. Bearing is the proof.
Startup / Co-Founder
The right early-stage team where I can own brand, product design, and go-to-market. I bring the creative, strategic, positioning, and marketing layer most technical founders are missing. I’ve already done this for myself – now I want to do it with the right people and the right idea.
Consulting
Brand strategy, product planning, or creative direction on a project or consulting basis. Especially for founders building digital products who need the thinking before the code. I can take something from a blank page to a structured plan a developer can build from.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ME
In their words
From clients I’ve worked with over the past decade.
Tim has worked with us over the last 10 years on a number of programmes ranging from website design and development to brand design, content creation and social media management. Tim is creative, organised and has been a great resource for us, highly recommend his services.
Yvette Hellyer
Auckland Business Chamber
★★★★★
Tim Kavermann it has been fantastic going on this journey with you. All of the support and guidance from yourself at Fuel Media and Monica at Mark My Words have been amazing. A 12-month project delivered ahead of time and on budget. Not to mention a great support team that felt like you were part of our GSH family every day. Highly, highly recommend!
Natalie Ayson
Head of Brand, Communications & Innovation. Good Spirits Hospitality
★★★★★
Tim from Fuel Media has supported us for over 10 years with web development, UI design, and digital marketing projects. He listens, communicates well, works efficiently, and consistently turns our ideas into effective solutions. Tim has become a foundational partner for our business, especially given his ability to bridge the gap between high-level UI design and traditional marketing layouts.
Murray Towers
Director – Infolog New Zealand
★★★★★
Tim, you’ve been fantastic to deal with during the process of redesigning our website and subsequent relaunch of the Franklin Smith Brand. You took the vision I had and made it a reality, and it’s without a doubt that the website wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as it is today if it wasn’t for your professionalism and ability to take my idea as a non-tech person and create them with relative ease. Your communication throughout the process was also top class. I would definitely recommend you to any potential clients in the future.
Mick Donaghy
Director – Franklin Smith
★★★★★
Tim listened carefully to our vision and worked with us to bring it to life, balancing creativity with functionality. He maintained clear and consistent communication, liaising effectively with us and other parties involved to ensure a smooth build process. The final product accurately reflects our firm’s values and services, thanks to Tim’s thoughtful design and attention to detail.
Sam Bradford
Partner – Sellars Law
★★★★★
Fuel Media has been amazing to deal with! With a very vague concept of what we actually wanted, Tim stepped in and just “got it”, thus creating an amazing logo, fantastic packaging/label designs, and a spectacular website. He took our concepts and turned them into a masterpiece. I have since recommended Fuel Media to another company. If you are wanting brilliant concepts, originality and great service, Fuel Media is certainly the way to go, Tim is fantastic!
Tania Clarke
Clark & Co
★★★★★
LET’S TALK
Interested?
I am so excited to connect and discuss opportunities!
[email protected]+64 21 642 105fuelmedia.co.nzkavermann.co.nz