Associate Creative Director Concept Development

As a branded content and marketing Associate Creative Director, you create creative campaigns and concepts at the highest level. You should have a track record of creating famous PR-able or award-winning work for brands, ideally with a sports theme. You’re on top of current sports and ESPN trends and demonstrate a strong desire to shape culture and bring the most innovative linear/social/digital solutions to our clients. You have a passion for sports in general, including women’s sports. You should be able to manage and work with a team of Art Directors, Copywriters and Designers, you'll be a part of a collaborative environment where creativity can flourish. By building relationships, with clients and our internal teams, you'll develop work with creative insight, authority, and professional leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Work with creatives and ensure the creative output, while reporting into the Senior Creative Director.
• Lead the conceptualization and development of creative strategies for branded content and marketing campaigns in a specific portfolio, aligning with overall brand objectives and target audience insights.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including ESPN Creative Studio, marketing, synergy, content production, and social, to ensure seamless execution of creative concepts.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and cultural shifts to inform innovative content and marketing approaches.
• Present work both internally and externally at a high level.
• Nurture and inspire a team of creatives, providing guidance and mentorship to foster a culture of excellence and creativity.
• Oversee the creation of high-quality content assets, including video, graphics, copy, and interactive media, maintaining brand consistency and messaging integrity.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide constructive feedback to optimize creative output and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with external agencies, freelancers, and production vendors as needed, ensuring deliverables meet quality standards and deadlines.
• Monitor and analyze campaign performance metrics, leveraging insights to refine creative strategies and enhance future initiatives.
• Act as a brand ambassador, championing creative excellence and fostering a collaborative, innovative work environment.
• Drive thought leadership initiatives, representing the company at industry events, conferences, and speaking engagements.

Qualifications:

• Outstanding Portfolio: You demonstrate exceptional originality, innovation, and multi-disciplinary thinking across your work.
• Leadership Skills: You are a leader who can organize, motivate, and improve the creative output of those around you.
• Creative Vision: You see the bigger picture and define a creative vision for accounts and the group, leading to PR-able and award-winning work.
• Big Idea Thinker: You go beyond the executional or tactical and come with campaign driven thoughts that work across media.
• Production Expertise: You understand the critical importance of the production process and are an expert in making sure it delivers exceptional work.
• Mentor: You are able to pass on your experience to others through generous and patient mentorship of more junior members of the team
• Proactive: You use your initiative and proactively come up with new ideas to push forward the creative work and develop new opportunities
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in creative marketing, preferably in sports, entertainment, or related industries.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven leadership experience with the ability to inspire and manage a creative team.
• Strong project management skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with a talent for building relationships across diverse teams.
• Proficiency in creative software (Adobe Creative Suite), as well as an understanding of emerging technologies and platforms.
• Solid understanding of brand development and multichannel marketing models.
• Adept at working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment while maintaining attention to detail.
• Deep knowledge of the sports industry and a passion for storytelling.
• Must have a portfolio that demonstrates a history of successful marketing campaigns and productions.

Basic Education:

• High School Degree

Preferred Education:

• College Degree in related field

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