PENCILS
Shaping today’s creativity.
A strategy studio for media, culture and the creative economy.
We help institutions, funders, media organisations and creative businesses make better decisions, design stronger models and turn complex sector questions into practical strategies across Europe, Africa and the MENA region.
Europe / Africa / MENA
CREATIVE THINKING. BUSINESS DISCIPLINE.
Creative ambition. Strategic direction.
PENCILS works where culture, media, business and public policy meet. We combine structured analysis, sector expertise and hands-on operating experience to help organisations decide what to prioritise, what to build and how to make it work.
Where should we focus?
What should we build?
How do we make it work?
Trusted by.
Clients and partners across culture, media and the creative economy.
European Union
UNESCO
Institut français
British Council
Expertise France
DW Akademie
GFMD
Samir Kassir Foundation
Al Mawred / Culture Resource
AFAC
CFI
BIAT
01 / OUR EXPERTISE
Four practices. One connected perspective.
From understanding a market to redesigning an organisation, our work connects research, strategy and implementation.
01
Strategy & transformation
Sharpen your positioning, build viable models and turn ambition into an actionable roadmap.
Positioning / Business models / Transformation
02
AI & innovation
Identify useful AI opportunities, design better workflows and prototype them with explicit human control.
Use cases / Workflows / Responsible AI
03
Media & editorial strategy
Build stronger media offers around audiences, editorial value, distribution, economics and execution.
Editorial strategy / Audiences / Media economics
04
Research, evaluation & policy
Turn fragmented evidence into decision-ready analysis, programmes and policy options.
Research / Evaluation / Public policy
02 / SELECTED WORK
Complex questions. Practical decisions.
A selection of strategy, research and transformation work across culture, media and the creative economy.
CREATIVE ECONOMY / AFRICA / 2024–2025
Mapping Africa’s creative economy.
International cultural institution
A pan-African evidence base covering 18 markets and four major creative-industry value chains, built to make fragmented sector intelligence more comparable and useful for strategic decisions.
Research / Africa / Creative economy
PUBLIC CULTURAL SERVICES / TUNISIA / 2025–2026
From a library network to a national public service.
National public-library network
A strategic diagnostic and 2026–2032 transformation framework for a nationwide network of more than 440 public libraries.
Strategy / Public policy / Services
AI × MEDIA / QLM MEDIA / 2026
Designing AI-assisted editorial workflows.
QLM Media
Using a real media operation to design and prototype AI-assisted research and production workflows with verification, human review and cost control built in.
AI / Media / Operations
03 / FIELD EXPERIENCE
Strategy informed by operating reality.
PENCILS is connected to QLM Media, an independent media company building explanatory formats, editorial products and audience propositions in Tunisia and Africa.
That operating experience keeps questions of audience, production, technology, cost and execution close to our strategy work. PENCILS and QLM remain distinct organisations, and the scope of each is made explicit for every engagement.
Audience development / Editorial operations / Product innovation
04 / PENCILS
Senior-led. Built for focused work.
PENCILS was founded by Ahmed Amine Azouzi, a strategy consultant and media entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience across consulting, media, creative industries and public policy.
Each engagement has a clearly identified lead. Additional expertise is mobilised when the work requires it, keeping teams focused and responsibilities clear.
What are you working on?
A programme to design. An organisation to transform. A market to understand. A media product to develop. Let’s clarify the decision and shape the next move.