OVERVIEW
Creative Director/Photo Art Director with over 20 years of Digital & Print Art Direction & Photo Art Direction experience. Lead creative from start-up companies to Forbes 500 Companies. Strategize and concept ideas into brand focused solid deliverables. Lead meetings with Senior Managers, Sales Directors, Clients & Buyers. Interview, hire, and supervise personnel and freelance talent. Oversee photo shoots, location, model & crew selections. On-time performance, strong organizational skills, attention to detail & client’s brand. Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment under tight deadlines. Strong sense of urgency & creative problem solving.
EXPERIENCE
King & Cross Companies, Distribution December 2018 - Present
Lead five outside freelance creatives and two full-time employees to direct product design from idea to final product. Direct all photoshoots, catalog design, web development, and social media design. Art direct video shorts for member websites and social media posts. Record and edit weekly pod-casts, newsletters, and blogs. Accountable for two budgets and a fast-paced time-line.
Contract Creative Director June 2017 - November 2018
Jilly’s Cupcake Bar and Café St. Louis, MO
Design new on-brand visual elements to convey messages effectively. Maintain consistent use of graphic imagery in all materials. Generate computer graphics, page layout, web development & photography for Jilly’s stores, Ads, Outdoor and Social Media
Contract Creative Director October 2015 – January 2017
Amerimark Direct Cleveland, OH
Full-time Art Direction for Time for Me Catalog and Feel Good Store Catalog Re-Design. Craft the overall look and feel of the brand direction for multiple marketing channels. Schedule and plan all photoshoots, including choosing models, location, hiring freelance staff & photographer. Present creative concepts to management that align with business goals. Understand client feedback and communicate that feedback to creative staff and outside vendors.
Worked with Client and Creative Team to drive all schedules assuring timely, quality creative.
Marketing & Creative Director June 2014 –November 2015
Stray Rescue of St. Louis St. Louis, MO
Leader of brand awareness, marketing, design, event planning & fundraising. Slashed marketing budgets, breathed new life into creative strategy & marketing. Broke shelter records consistently beating monthly adoption & donation goals. Planned & implemented materials for adoptions, merchandising advertising, and event collateral.
Marketing & Creative Director June 2013 – June 2014
Magnet Works/Studio M Fenton, MO
Leader of a 3-person team in a fast-paced, team-oriented & entrepreneurial environment. Steering Committee Member directed company growth, strategy & global decision-making. Developed design deliverables:
Catalog winning “Best in Industry” at Atlanta Market, Showroom winning “Best in Category” at Atlanta Market.
Lead re-branding to effectively convey messaging and company Brand. Managed computer graphics, page layout, web development & photography for 4 quarterly Catalogs; reaching 25k customers, Packaging, Advertising, PR, email marketing, Social Media & Trade show Design.
Creative Director April 2012 – June 2013
Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier St. Louis, MO
Leader of a 4-person department in an adaptable, multi-tasking environment. Member of Senior Management Team with a key role in re-branding & national decision making. Maintained consistent use of branded graphic imagery in all materials. Generated computer graphics, page layout, web development & photography for Retail & Wholesale Catalogs. Art Direct Photoshoots. Luxury package redesign, Advertising, PR. Retail & Wholesale, Social Media, Trade show & Store Graphics.
Freelance Art Director February 2010 – April 2012
Bissinger’s Chocolate | Color Art | Hereford Printing | Caleres
Designed & produced marketing websites, print collateral & digital art for the above list of clients.
Creative Director February 2005 – August 2010
Soft Surroundings St. Louis, MO
Lead, Mentor & Direct 12 Person Staff for a National Multi-Channel Retailer. Produced 6 million Soft Surroundings catalogs per quarter. Managed copywriters, designers, photo teams, web developers & printers on budget. Art directed & oversaw quarterly on model & still catalog photoshoots.
Contract Creative Director 2004 - 2005
Calares (Brown Shoe Company) St. Louis, MO
Buster Brown | Bass | Via Spiga | Naturalizer | Carlos Santana | Doctor Scholl’s
Approved Designer's concepts before implementation. Art Directed: Photo Shoots, Signage, National Advertising, Booth Design, Presentations, Direct Mail, Web Development, Look Books & Catalogs on-time, & on budget.
VP Marketing & Creative 2003 - 2004
Cerf Brothers Bag Company (Columbia Sportswear) St. Louis, MO
Built in-house creative team to meet company goals, deadlines & budgetary challenges.
Created: signage, booth design, catalogs, order forms, and packaging.
Head Creative Bear 1999-2003
Build-A-Bear Workshop St. Louis, MO
Leader of the creative team, which successfully grew this multichannel retailer into a 275+ store international chain.
“Keeper of the brand” accountable for all verbal & visual branding elements.
Creative Director 1996 - 1999
Edison Brothers Stores St. Louis, MO
Lead staff & brand personalities for a 7 chain, 2,600 store organization.
Senior Designer 1995-1996
James River Corporation St. Louis, MO
Created & Produced Multi-Commodity Packaging for a National Client Base.
Art Director 1990 - 1995
3M Media St. Louis, MO
Produced Outdoor (billboards, mall graphics, and mass transit) design for National Clients.
Graphic Designer 1989 – 1990
The American Soybean Association St. Louis, MO
Artist/Photographer 1989
Middle Eastern Archaeology Dig Archaeologist, Dr. Fuller
Syria | Turkey | Jordan | Iraq
EDUCATION
1987-1999
St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley
Associates Degree in Applied Science with an emphasis on Advertising Design
Associates Degree in Photography • 3.85 GPA
Skills
Adobe Creative Suite
Illustrator
Photoshop
InDesign
Sound Booth
Bridge
Capture One
Excel
Word
PowerPoint
HTML
Photography
Color Correction
Product Development
Fixture and Store Design
SEO
SEM
Affiliate Marketing
Pay Per Click
Podcast Creation
Smart Phone Application
Packaging
Out of Home Media
Retail Creative Solutions
2010 - present
2010 - present