Leading with Empathy

Where people strategy meets creative reality; Creative teams and environments need people & culture approaches that support the way work really happens

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Where People
Always Come First

  • The A to Z’s of HR Management for small to mid-size companies.

    • Employee relations support, investigations, and conflict resolution

    • Policy development, handbooks, and HR documentation

    • Leave management, accommodations, and multi-state compliance guidance

    • Onboarding, offboarding, and employee lifecycle processes

    • Manager coaching and performance support

    • Benefits administration support and vendor coordination

    • Fractional HR Generalist support for growing teams

  • Future-proofing with people first leadership philosophy.

    • Fractional Head of People / People leadership advisory

    • Organizational design, role clarity, and team structures

    • Culture audits, engagement strategy, and values activation

    • Change management and internal communications

    • Executive and leadership coaching

  • Modern, inclusive systems that support growth without sacrificing creativity.

    • Custom performance management and feedback systems

    • Career pathing and leveling frameworks for creative and non-linear roles

    • Manager enablement and leadership development programs

    • Learning & development strategy and training facilitation

    • DEI programming design and execution, including:

      • Inclusive leadership and manager training

      • Anti-harassment and respectful workplace education

      • Equitable performance, promotion, and development practices

      • ERG strategy, launch, and leadership support

    • DEI integration into talent development and internal culture initiatives

  • Hiring the best and the brightest that are long-term fits for your organization.

    • Strategic hiring plans aligned to business and creative goals

    • Recruiting process design and ATS implementation

    • Compensation philosophy, bands, and pay equity reviews

    • Internship and early-career talent pipeline programs

    • Workforce planning for project-based or fluctuating teams

  • Scalable infrastructure that supports both creativity and growth.

    • HR infrastructure buildouts (policies, SOPs, workflows)

    • HRIS and people tech selection, implementation, and optimization

    • Process automation and AI-enabled HR workflows

    • People analytics and reporting for leadership decision-making

    • Compliance audits, risk mitigation, and ER guidance

    • Technology training and adoption support for leaders and teams

Who
we are

Fiddlesticks is a boutique Talent and People Operations consulting firm supporting creative organizations with thoughtful, scalable, and human-centered people solutions.

Founded by Kath Fidler, SHRM-CP, a People & Culture leader with 12+ years of experience across agencies, studios, and high-growth creative teams, Fiddlesticks partners with companies that need both day-to-day HR support and strategic people leadership — without defaulting to rigid, corporate-first models.

We help creative companies build people systems that protect the business, support leaders, and empower talent — while preserving the culture and flexibility that fuel great creative work.

What People Are Saying

“I ask myself, who do I want in my professional lifeboat? I can without a doubt say Kath would be the first aboard. She's resourceful and imaginative in ways a typical "HR professional" can't even compare. A creative thinker who will always be finding new ways to navigate a changing world and move everyone forward.”

R. Fitzgerald, COO
BBDO Atlanta

“[She] create[d] and implement[ed] an annual review process for artists and staff, as well as evaluat[ed] and refin[ed] the recruiting workflows, resulting in a more streamlined, effective, and easily understood process for leadership and management.”

Jamie Moss, COO
Floyd County Productions

“Kath is a Swiss army knife, an adaptable shape shifting leader that streamlines operations by applying creativity, talent, process and technology to help us move faster than the speed of business.”

Peter Bunarek, CEO
BBDO Atlanta

“Her financial and business acumen consistently elevated our decision-making. I trusted her completely to evaluate people decisions, operational changes, and strategic initiatives through both the human and business lenses.”

Lisa Arsenalt, CEO
Look Listen

Schedule a time with us

Ready to take the next step in achieving your people & business goals? Scheduling a consulting session with Kath.

What are “Fiddlesticks”?

Fiddlesticks are instruments with Cajun origin used to add percussion to traditional fiddle music. While the fiddler plays in normal fashion, a second person uses a pair of straws, sticks, or knitting needles to tap out a rhythm on the strings over the upper fingerboard. This builds complexity with the music and contributes to a unique folkloric sound. Good collaboration means good results!