Three reasons your local party needs Studio Liberal on its side
1/ If you’re not talking about your work, who will?
You work hard all year round. Your campaigns make a real difference to people’s lives. But if you’re not communicating that impact, how will anyone know? Comms often get overlooked in the rush of campaigning, but they’re indispensable—helping drive your campaigns forward and ensuring your hard work and successes are recognised at the ballot box.
I can help give your comms the time and special treatment they deserve.
2/ Expertise on tap, without the overheads.
Local parties lack resources. Hiring a full-time comms lead is expensive, while part-time and temporary roles don’t always attract the expertise you need.
A consultant gives you both—specialist skills and the flexibility to drop in and out where needed at the drop of a hat. You also don’t need to worry about holiday pay or NI contributions.
3/ A proven model, from a Lib Dem specialist.
I’m a former communications consultant, trained to handle a broad range of comms needs and fill any gaps in your operation. But I also know exactly what it takes to run a Lib Dem campaign—as a former Lib Dem Organiser and comms lead.
And I know freelancing Lib Dem comms works—because I’ve done it before. In 2024, I was brought in by the Bristol Lib Dems to design and coordinate their election leaflets. The success of this project proved that flexible, specialist comms support can be a game-changer for local parties. You can read more about it on the Showcase page.
My story
Studio Liberal is a one-man operation—run by me, Joe Nutt. The upside of working with a one-man band? You always know who you’re dealing with. From the first conversation to the final draft, it’s me—start to finish. But before you take the plunge and ask for comms support, you might want to know a little more about the guy behind the emails. So, here’s my story…
Getting training on the first few days of the job in the Bath office back in early 2019.
RISOs, Elastic Bands & Cups of Tea
I’ve been obsessed with political comms since I was a teenager—I even did a Master’s in Elections, Campaigns & Democracy (yes, that’s a real course!). But there’s nothing like throwing yourself into the deep end of a live campaign.
In early 2019, I joined Bath & North East Somerset Lib Dems as a Campaigns Intern to help with the upcoming local elections. That meant designing endless leaflets, making far too many cups of tea for volunteers and candidates, and somehow managing to be simultaneously stood by the RISO and folding machines at all times.
But when polling day came, we pulled off a huge victory—ousting the Tories, winning a Lib Dem majority for the first time ever, and even electing a councillor in Jacob Rees-Mogg’s own backyard. Not bad for my first election.
Then, just weeks later, we did it again—securing second place in the European elections, with Bath overwhelmingly going gold once more.
Leafletting on the historic Royal Crescent in Bath during the European parliamentary elections in 2019
Setting up in Bath
Off the back of those wins, I was taken on full-time as an Assistant Campaign Manager, quickly taking the reins on local party communications.
That meant:
Designing & copy-editing a truckload of FOCUS leaflets, surveys, letters, and petitions for 37 councillors.
Running social media for the local party (I’d later manage accounts for the Council Leader, Lib Dem parliamentary and mayoral candidates).
Getting the website looking and working great, keeping it up to date, and getting us into a regular rhythm of local party newsletters.
Writing long-form blog content for the website and pitching into press engagement.
One of my first big wins? Fixing a major comms gap between the local party, Council Group & MP’s Office. I helped set up a Comms Group to coordinate messaging, align responses, and plan proactive comms, ensuring our MP and Council Administration's successes were seen far and wide.
Within months, we were running a joined-up, professional operation—just in time for…
In Sheffield Hallam in late 2019 campaigning in a by-election that never took place.
The 2019 General Election
When the snap 2019 General Election hit, it was all systems go. I took a lead role in designing and writing leaflets, letters, and digital content, and mobilising members and supporters across the region.
Beyond the core campaign, I also ran a pioneering crowdfunding social media campaign separate from the official Lib Dem operation, designed to unseat Jacob Rees-Mogg. It raised £25,000, mostly through small grassroots donations, and led to volunteers streaming down from across the country to support our campaign.
Nationally, the result was disappointing. But in Bath, we more than doubled our MP’s majority, and in North East Somerset, we tripled the Lib Dem vote share.
Importantly, in North East Somerset, we put the foundations in place for unprecedented success across the region in the 2024 General Election.
Outside the Bath Lib Dem office on the eve of the 2021 WECA election
Two and a half years and five elections later…
Then came 2020. While some were enjoying midday mojitos in the sunshine, I was ramping up our digital comms operation—rolling out a new social media strategy, giving digital training to councillors, refreshing the website, organising online events, and setting up a new system of regular email updates from local councillors to their residents.
After a year without elections, we kicked back into gear in 2021 for the West of England Mayoral race—a campaign covering 1 million people across Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire. I took a leading role in comms, messaging, and high-quality social media and leaflet production. Despite a strong effort, the lack of doorstep campaigning and a local election in Bristol on the same day meant we missed out on the Lib Dems’ first ever regional mayoralty.
After four elections in two years, it was time for me to move on—but not before one last campaign. That summer, I supported the Wiltshire Police & Crime Commissioner election re-run, before briefly stepping in as Bristol’s Interim Organiser, running the show solo for the first time.
I loved my role in the Lib Dems and learned a huge amount about political communication—but I knew I needed to step outside the party to take my skills to the next level.
Despite no longer working for the Lib Dems in 2022, I was still volunteering in Bristol.
Experience beyond the party
Determined to keep working for organisations driving social and environmental good, I joined Mindfully Wired—a small but mighty environmental comms agency focused on marine and fisheries issues.
Agency work forces you to become an expert—fast, responding to all the weird and wonderful requests you receive from clients. From developing the fundamentals like press engagement and social media to learning new skills like editing podcasts, designing websites, writing video scripts, and even creating props for publicity stunts (the kind that wouldn’t look out of place in Ed Davey’s hands), I quickly built a broad and adaptable skillset.
With five different projects on the go every week, I levelled up fast and carved out a niche in advocacy comms—leading major projects, working with the UK’s biggest supermarkets to petition international decision-makers on advancing sustainable fishing, seafood traceability, and human rights.
As I carved out this niche, I was promoted to Senior Consultant, taking on project management and strategy development for clients—learning how to deliver high-impact campaigns on a shoestring budget.
On General Election polling day in 2024 I was helping out in the Cheadle office, along with chief greeter, Ruby!
The road to Studio Liberal
Even after leaving the party, I never really left. I travelled to support our by-election victories in North Shropshire (2022) and Tiverton & Honiton (2023), and I volunteered in Bath’s 2023 local election campaign.
Then in 2024, the Bristol Lib Dems approached me with an intriguing proposal. With a local election on the horizon, they wanted to take advantage of ALDC’s three-leaflet deal in their target wards but lacked the staff or volunteer capacity to put them together. So they asked me to do it.
I handled everything from design and content collection to messaging, review, and print logistics. One of the leaflets even won ALDC’s Leaflet of the Week. (Read the full story on the Showcase page.) That freelancing success planted the seed for Studio Liberal.
For local parties like Bristol, flexible, specialist comms support proved to be a more sustainable, effective model than hiring full-time staff or relying on temporary roles that don’t always attract the right expertise. That idea stuck with me. For over a year, it sat in the back of my mind.
Now, the stars have aligned. After three years of intensive comms training, I’m ready to return to familiar waters—helping Lib Dem teams not just make do with their comms, but make them work as hard as they do.