about us about us
about us about us
MORE THAN A AGENCY
Brandpusher & Storyteller is a strategic advisory lab founded in Hamburg by Carina and Ilja C. Grendel. We help brands navigate transformation and push their narratives beyond limits — from strategic positioning to high-impact, media-driven execution.
Two founders. One focus. As a lean, agile force, we unite sharp strategic thinking with creative firepower — hands-on, senior-led, and built to deliver real market impact.
BRAND MEETS STORY
Where strategic brand pushing meets emotional storytelling, we create narratives that are not just heard, read, or seen — but experienced and remembered. For us, PR is not an add-on; it must be conceived from the very beginning, fully integrated, and strategically orchestrated.
The result: powerful earned media momentum that strengthens brand campaigns over the long term. Our focus is on channel-specific storytelling — ensuring messages are not only crafted, but read, shared, and carried forward.
Ilja Grendel
CEO & Founder
Carina Grendel
CCO & Founder
Ilja C. Grendel
Ilja C. Grendel is a brand and communications strategist with more than 20 years of leadership experience across agencies and corporate environments.
He advises startups, innovative products, and new-to-market ventures, as well as established brands during phases of repositioning, consolidation, and transformation. His work focuses on evaluating brand strategies and positioning and translating them into effective change processes.
His expertise includes strategic brand alignment, the integration of complex brand architectures, and the streamlining of multi-brand strategies into clear, efficient, and high-impact structures.
Ilja has strategically shaped and sustainably developed brands, organizations, and communication processes — with a strong focus on brand leadership, strategic clarity, and the translation of brand purpose into impactful communication across markets, media, and audiences.
Carina C. Grendel
Carina C. Grendel is a communications strategist with deep media DNA and a strong creator mindset.
She is one of the few communications advisors who truly understands the interplay between brands, media, and public perception from almost every angle — whether from the perspective of media, industry, or agency. Having operated on all sides of the ecosystem, she brings a rare, holistic understanding to strategic communication.
Her career began as a radio and TV presenter before she transitioned into strategic advisory roles. This 360-degree background forms the foundation of her work today.
With a strong PR focus on lifestyle as well as regulated industries such as tobacco, consumer goods, and pharma, she develops journalistically driven campaigns that connect with societal discourse, scale across media, and remain culturally and lifestyle-relevant.
Ilja Grendel
CEO & Founder
Ilja C. Grendel
Ilja C. Grendel is a brand and communications strategist with more than 20 years of leadership experience across agencies and corporate environments.
He advises startups, innovative products, and new-to-market ventures, as well as established brands during phases of repositioning, consolidation, and transformation. His work focuses on evaluating brand strategies and positioning and translating them into effective change processes.
His expertise includes strategic brand alignment, the integration of complex brand architectures, and the streamlining of multi-brand strategies into clear, efficient, and high-impact structures.
Ilja has strategically shaped and sustainably developed brands, organizations, and communication processes — with a strong focus on brand leadership, strategic clarity, and the translation of brand purpose into impactful communication across markets, media, and audiences.
Carina Grendel
CCO & Founder
Carina C. Grendel
Carina C. Grendel is a communications strategist with deep media DNA and a strong creator mindset.
She is one of the few communications advisors who truly understands the interplay between brands, media, and public perception from almost every angle — whether from the perspective of media, industry, or agency. Having operated on all sides of the ecosystem, she brings a rare, holistic understanding to strategic communication.
Her career began as a radio and TV presenter before she transitioned into strategic advisory roles. This 360-degree background forms the foundation of her work today.
With a strong PR focus on lifestyle as well as regulated industries such as tobacco, consumer goods, and pharma, she develops journalistically driven campaigns that connect with societal discourse, scale across media, and remain culturally and lifestyle-relevant.