About
Born in Ireland, and living in Berlin, I’ve been working in communications, brand strategy, editorial and marketing for over 12 years. I’ve worked with a broad spectrum of clients including: creatives, startups, nonprofits, small- to medium-sized companies and large corporations.
I'm a passionate advocate for change, a storyteller at heart, and a strategist with a relentless commitment to making a difference.
Over the years, I’ve found myself leaning towards impact-led projects, feeling that if I’m not making a positive impact on the world, then what’s the point?
But impact is a broad and buzzy term. So what do I actually mean by impact-led projects?
For me, impact-led projects are intentionally designed with the primary goal of creating positive and meaningful change by addressing social, environmental, cultural or community challenges.
I believe that behind every remarkable endeavour, there's a narrative waiting to be unearthed – a narrative that speaks to the hearts and minds of those who share your vision. My mission is to help you discover, refine, and amplify that narrative, transforming it into a powerful force that drives change and leaves a lasting imprint on the world.
What’s in a name?
SOD Studio, if you haven’t guessed it already, comes from my initials – Simone O’Donovan. And although they’re not particularly impressive, they are meaningful.
Growing up, I was embarrassed of being both from the bog area in the midlands of Ireland AND the fact that my initials meant a sod of turf. So much so that I tried abbreviating my initials to SO, but it didn’t catch on.
In later years, I quickly realised that the O in my initials was a source of pride and an indicator of my ancestry. Simone O’Donovan technically means “Simone grandson of Donovan.”
There are two catches there: I’m not a grandson, but rather a granddaughter, and my grandfathers were called Pearse Fahey and Patrick O’Donovan. But what it did get right is the fact that I’m from the 10th century Donovan clan – a fact that I was not so willing to write out of my history after all.
A sod of turf on the other hand, has now come to represent the biodiversity of Ireland’s bogs. 20% of the landscape in Ireland is made up of bog and is estimated to store over 1,000 million tonnes of carbon. Carbon capturing in places like the Irish bogs or the Amazon rainforest is essential to life on earth.
Suddenly, my association with a sod of turf became something I didn’t want to shake off either.
So here we are: 20 years later and I’ve decided to name my company SOD Studio.
What’s in a name, you ask? A lot.
