Dream Teams: Saatchi & Saatchi Creatives on Saying No to Terrible Vibes

Some creative partnerships just click. You know it when you see the work – unexpected, irreverent, smart, and effortlessly social-native. That’s exactly the energy creatives Peniel Gebreselassie and Eleanor Weitzer have brought to the industry over the past three years. First paired up organically at McCann London and now reunited at Saatchi & Saatchi, the duo have a knack for campaigns that live where culture actually happens – online, in the comments, in the chaos.

From launching a custom Xbox controller shaped like Deadpool’s butt (yes, really) to pitting human gamers against AI in ‘Overwatch 2’, their work is rooted in what they call “spicy, unconventional” ideas. And now, they’re forming something of a creative supergroup under the eye of Saatchi & Saatchi CCO Franki Goodwin.

“We met around the office,” says Eleanor of their initial meeting at McCann, “and I noticed that, oh – this person speaks like a real human and not an advertising robot. I had to get to know her.”

Peniel, meanwhile, was captivated by Eleanor’s aesthetic swagger. “She swept into our department meeting in this Cottagecore-meets-Gorpcore outfit. I was OB-sessed.”
The creative connection was instant – but unofficial. Before any formal partnership, they were already riffing on proactive ideas and exchanging DMs about campaigns that made them tick. “That was the moment we knew we could trust each other’s taste,” they say.

That trust became the bedrock of their dynamic – one that has since delivered award-winning work, a reputation for socially fluent campaigns, and a bit of chaos along the way.

Peniel comes from a fashion design background. Eleanor, a former festival and fashion photographer in the North East. Together, their creative process is a kind of high-speed ping-pong match – built on instinct, visual storytelling, and emotional clarity.

“El’s got the most obscure references from the furthest reaches of the internet,” says Peniel. “She always pushes our creative into places I wouldn’t go on my own.”

“And Peniel is all about texture,” Eleanor adds. “She cares about every detail – how a deck reads, how a line lands, how it feels. It’s that craft from her fashion background, for sure.”

They also balance each other out. “She’s got gumption,” Peniel says of Eleanor, recalling a recent shoot where Eleanor stepped up under pressure. “It’s something I admire – and it helps me be more audacious, too.”

Their proudest joint effort is the ‘Cheeky Controller’ that they created for Xbox’s Deadpool/ Wolverine release. A social-first campaign that turned Deadpool’s irreverence into a tangible product, it racked up headlines and a Grand Clio – and even made it to the top of Reddit.

“It was probably the dream brief,” they agree. “The tone allowed us to go pretty weird with it. And that’s where we thrive.”

Their benchmark for a good idea? “We ask, are we having fun? Because if we’re not, something needs to shift.” That advice comes courtesy of their creative heroes Jim Nilsson and Jacob Gjelstrup Björdal – an industry duo they credit with shaping and inspiring their own approach.

Inevitably, disagreements happen. “We have a kind of rule: be tough on the idea, not on each other,” they say. When friction arises, they lean into it – but vow to never make it personal. “We debate our side, hear each other out, and move forward. We trust each other’s zones.”

That kind of emotional intelligence is rare, but powerful. It allows for brave choices, fast turnarounds, and creative ideas that feel alive.

Outside the studio, the bond stays strong. Peniel attends Eleanor’s experimental noise gigs in Brighton. Eleanor keeps Peniel’s bookshelf stacked. (“She passes books on thick and fast,” says Peniel. “We’ve just finished ‘The Neapolitan Novels’. Next up, ‘Anna Karenina’.”)

Their creative shorthand even extends to language. “Pen says ‘bombastic’ more than anyone,” Eleanor says. “I’m more of a ‘terrible vibes’ person. And now we use that scale – terrible vibes to bombastic – to assess ideas.”

With Saatchi & Saatchi backing them – and a clear hunger to keep experimenting – it’s likely the industry will be seeing a lot more of Pen and El.

“I think we all believe in work that connects emotionally and socially,” they say. “We want ideas that make people feel something and share it too. That’s the sweet spot. We challenge each other. We trust each other. And we genuinely like working together.”

In an industry driven by egos and deadlines, that’s as close to a creative utopia as it gets.