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The Challenge
Our client, a large beverage company based in Atlanta, had a growing creative team with big ambitions, but a challenge many in-house teams face—limited exposure to the pressure and pace of a pitch in a traditional agency environment. To take their storytelling to the next level, their in-house agency needed a way to immerse its team in the full lifecycle of pitching, from insight to idea to sell-in, in a way that felt supportive, empowering, and—most importantly—safe.
They wanted to expose roughly 20 team members to best practices in customer insights, idea development, and presentation, while also getting a better sense of who on the team could rise to the challenge of high-stakes creative pitches in the future.
The Wripple Solution
Based on their needs, the company was matched with Mags & Marrelli, a boutique creative agency with a reputation for insight-driven storytelling and team empowerment. Through Wripple, the agency set out to build a bespoke six-week program, co-designed by Mags & Marrelli and the in-house agency’s senior leadership team.
Through this collaboration, the pitch Academy was born. This was a hands-on training program that blended classic lecture-style instruction with a capstone project. Each week, participants built on their learning as they moved from developing a compelling creative brief, to brainstorming ideas, to building slides and presenting a final pitch to leadership.
Three upfront planning sessions helped tailor the curriculum to the company’s culture and team dynamics. The final product was both structured and flexible, leaving room for reflection, iteration, and real-time learning.
”Our role, as senior creative consultants, enabled us to effectively join the team without any of the threatening aspects that senior creatives may bring to the table. Our role was NOT to do the work. Our role was to empower them to generate ideas and present them with confidence.” - Charles Marrelli, Creative Director
The Talent
Charles Marrelli
Richard Magalik
Results + Impact
Over six weeks, team members at every level gained meaningful exposure to the pitch process in a risk-free environment. In addition to new skills and confidence, each participant walked away with a certificate recognizing their achievement.
More importantly, the in-house agency leadership team now has a clearer view of its rising stars, those who showed not only creative chops but presentation presence and strategic thinking under pressure.
Because this was the first time this in-house agency had ever run a training program like this, the learnings went both ways. Mags & Marrelli delivered a set of key recommendations for future sessions based on what worked—and what didn’t—over the six-week experience.
The Academy wasn’t just about leveling up individuals; it was about building long-term creative strength across the team.
By using Wripple, the client was able to spin up a high-impact program in record time, partnering with the right creative experts without the expense of a full agency engagement. Wripple made it easy to source, contract, and collaborate, allowing everyone to stay focused on the work that mattered.
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