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:
Preferred Education:
- College Degree in related field
#ESPNMedia
The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $130,790 to $175,450 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.
