Make things happen. With people who give a damn.
In an industry full of hype, we like to keep things down to earth – and that goes for how we operate, too. No tacky slogans. No rigid hierarchy. No egos. Just a focus on doing right by our people and delivering for our clients.
With 25 years behind us, one thing’s clear: people drive our success. That’s why we’ve worked hard to become a great place to work and keep our culture positive, honest and supportive.
Sound good to you? Read on.
Spark Work Hall of Fame.
Here’s a taste of the kind of creative work we do at Spark:
We partnered with an academic criminologist to conduct a multi-year investigation into the cybercriminal psyche and operations. The resulting four-part report series – called “Into the Web of Profit” – not only landed coverage in the likes of the BBC, Financial Times and Fox News, it also led to inbound enquiries from law enforcement and policy leaders.
We teamed up with etiquette experts Debrett’s to write the rules for hybrid working, from video call manners, to dress code, and when to avoid the office (cough-cough). Launched while everyone was talking about RTO (the return-to-office) following COVID, we secured 50+ pieces of global coverage, hosted 15 media briefings, and got 115,000+ social impressions.
With just a shoestring budget, we used FOI data to create the UK’s first statistics around the cost of “porch piracy” (a.k.a. doorstep parcel theft). The likes of The Sun and MailOnline created interactive theft maps of Britain using our data, and our campaign triggered a local police force to share its own warning with citizens. From BBC Rip Off Britain to The Times and ITV This Morning, coverage rolled in, and in 2024, we won ‘Best B2B Campaign’ at the PRCA Awards (and were shortlisted for a handful of other awards).
Machine identity management (MIM) wasn’t a thing until we made it one. Using academic and dark web research, economic modelling, threat research and industry surveys, we created proof points to demonstrate the urgent need for MIM. By hammering home our narrative, we positioned Venafi as the pioneer and leader of this new category, which contributed to the company being acquired for $1.5bn.
Getting results like these for clients boils down to:
Creativity and content
Everyone says it, we mean it. We put an equal focus on creative ideas – from our lightning lunch brainstorms to unique data-driven campaigns – and turning those ideas into impactful content.
Building and nurturing relationships
We properly invest in building relationships with the media. We have a ‘media hit squad’ to act as a source of press relations intel and support; we host an annual journo social (last year we had 30+ attendees); and yes, we still pick up the phone and speak to the people we’re pitching.
And a little bit of healthy competition
Every Friday, we wrap up the week with The Coverage Cup, a live team vote to crown the week’s best media hit. It’s hotly contested! You can check out some of the coverage that won The Coverage Cup recently on our homepage.
Benefits & Perks.
Nice stuff. No nonsense.
Flexible & hybrid
Work from home three days a week and two days in our office, with flexible start and finish times.
‘Spark something new’ loans
An interest-free £1,000 loan to help you travel, complete a home improvement, buy a sport or arts season ticket, home tech, or use towards a rental or other deposit.
Mental health support
Access to mental health counselling and advice, and a subscription to Calm.
Discounts
Get money off at high-street shops via our employee savings app, as well as discounted memberships at The Gym Group and Hussle gyms.
Your birthday off
And yes, there’s cake.
Activities
From regular journalist meet-ups and Q&As, to volunteering opportunities. And the team often get together for a games night or rounders in Hyde Park – there’s always something going on.
Private medical insurance
Premium private medical plan.
Central London (Soho) office
Minutes from theatres, galleries, and great coffee.
Referral bonus scheme
Generous bonuses for successful referrals of new clients or new team members.
Our culture
- No mould to fit into: We’re a mixed bunch from all walks of life, and that’s exactly how we like it. Be yourself, no polish required. Our board is 50% BAME, 50% LGBTQ+; we provide comprehensive support for neurodivergent and disabled employees; and there is state-educated representation across the team.
- Down to earth, not corporate: Hierarchy and office politics don’t get in the way here. We’re all focused on doing great work.
- Straight-talking and collaborative: We’re honest and open, with our clients and each other.
- Privately owned and financially stable: We’ve been going strong for 25+ years. We run our business following a unique model that assigns no more than 100 hours of billable time per person each month, to safeguard time for creativity, personal development, and innovation initiatives.
Your career
- Career clarity: Every six months, you’ll have a formal review with clear goals, 360° peer feedback, and a transparent path to your next promotion. You’ll know exactly what you’re great at, and what to work on, with detailed role profiles and competency frameworks to back it up.
- Promotion-first culture: Your line manager’s job is to help you get promoted, full stop. We reward line managers for progressing their mentee, and every promotion has a deadline, not a vague “someday.”
- Training that works: Alongside external training from providers such as the PRCA and Amber Group, in 2024 alone, we delivered 316 hours of formal training ourselves, primarily interactive group workshops. We also prioritise one-to-one coaching and peer mentoring. It’s a hands-on culture where everyone helps each other develop.
- Structured onboarding: Our induction programme gets you up to speed, with the training and context you need to hit the ground running. It’s consistently rated five stars by new joiners.
What people say.
Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what our team think about us:
