Pablo Colella

Cultural Audience Psychology Consultant

Pablo Colella is a Cultural Audience Psychology Consultant, behavioural researcher and founder of Disconnected Bodies, an independent consultancy established in 2006 specialising in audience psychology, programme evaluation, behavioural research and cultural strategy. Over the past twenty years he has worked with museums, heritage organisations, local authorities, festivals, charities and cultural partnerships across the UK, Europe and Africa, helping organisations better understand participation, strengthen community engagement and make evidence-led decisions.
 
His work challenges traditional approaches to audience development by arguing that people should be understood psychologically rather than demographically. Drawing upon behavioural science, lived experience research and participatory methodologies, Pablo has developed a suite of proprietary frameworks that help organisations explore why people engage with culture, what prevents participation and how meaningful relationships with communities can be built over time.
 
He is the creator of Sandbox™, a behavioural audience intelligence methodology developed through more than two decades of applied consultancy, alongside the Behavioural Audience Profiling™ methodology, Audience Journey™, Behavioural Evaluation Framework™, Strategic Maturity Index™ and the Five Pillars of Modern Cultural Strategy™. Together, these frameworks support audience development, programme evaluation, organisational learning and long-term cultural planning.
 
Alongside consultancy, Pablo undertakes independent research into cultural policy and place. His recent publications include the UK Local Authority Cultural Strategy Review (2026) and the London Borough Cultural Strategy Review (2026), comparative studies examining how local authorities are using culture to strengthen participation, wellbeing, place-making, skills development and public value. His research contributes to wider conversations around the future of cultural strategy, behavioural evaluation and evidence-led policymaking.
 
Pablo has advised organisations funded by Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and local government, delivering more than 200 research, evaluation and audience development commissions. His work has informed exhibitions, heritage programmes, festivals, regeneration initiatives and community-led cultural projects, reaching more than 180,000 research participants and contributing to programmes engaging millions of people across live and digital cultural experiences.
As host of the Disconnected Bodies Podcast and a regular writer and speaker, Pablo explores the intersection of behavioural psychology, cultural participation, leadership and public value. His mission is to help organisations move beyond measuring audiences to truly understanding people, creating more inclusive, meaningful and lasting cultural participation.