CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Reporting to: Executive Creative Director
Department: CreativeEmployment type: Full TimeTravel: 25-50%Location: Berkeley, or Remote

WHO WE ARE

TENCUE is one of three agencies operating within The Opus Group (Opus, MAS, and TENCUE). TENCUE is a full-service, multi-modal experiential marketing, production, and consulting agency focused on live interactions, both in-person and digital.

Our mission is to create compelling, world-class events at the edge of possibility – allowing organizations to inspire and educate their audiences wherever (and whenever) they are by crafting strategically led, creatively driven, and precisely executed interactions and gatherings that spark imaginations, empower people, and ignite change.

We deeply understand how people connect and communicate across media, platforms, and physical spaces, and we live and breathe strategic, brand, and emotional alignment.

With roots in performing arts, media, and social sciences (plus almost 30 years of experience in live corporate and cultural events), TENCUE brings a unique and powerful perspective to every project. With a culture of acceptance, mutual respect, and open-mindedness, we foster an environment where people take care of each other and feel safe, included, and vital. We operate with integrity and compassion for our teams, our communities, and the world.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

The Creative Director at TENCUE is an essential Creative Hub leader who has the proven ability to translate a client's business objectives into artistic innovation while deeply understanding the intersectionality of the two. With an events-and-experiences oriented focus, the CD is tasked with leading the creation and design of first-in-class production outcomes and works with diverse, distributed event teams in-person and via digital channels seamlessly. The CD aligns with customers, stakeholders, and talent behind a unique vision to achieve the best outcome for our clients, our communities, and ourselves.

Reporting to the ECD of TENCUE, the CD is a highly-creative and collaborative leader, a pragmatic risk taker, and a seasoned interpreter. They are actively listening and helping diagnose the clients’ needs and goals, and thrive on the challenge of guiding and encouraging them to express and execute on their vision in the most impactful and long-lasting way - moving our audiences to action. The CD must excel at communicating, translating, and carrying that vision to both creative and production teams, as well as internal and external stakeholders - while continuously streaming information, know-how, and guidance where needed. The right CD is insatiably curious, level-headed, and inclusive.

WHAT THE CD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR

Artistry and Design

Craft and develop events and gatherings (external and internal) that empower audiences in new and unique ways. The CD is essential in focusing on “the why,” going beyond what the client asks for to solve for why the client is asking, and the underlying need they have. The CD will spearhead projects and people who will become recognized industry innovators. TENCUE has a reputation as an envelope-pushing agency, and the CD will contribute to building on and extending that vision into future modes, formats, and industries.

• Be responsible for the creative direction and development process for a wide variety of shows and engagements and be accountable for the quality, integrity, and execution of creative deliverables
• Proactively monitor the excellence of creative projects being proposed and produced by participating in internal review processes and feedback sessions from both internal and external stakeholders
• Maintain consistency over the quality of the creative team’s output
• Help push the creative envelope, continually raising the bar on the value of the client’s creative while delivering successful and budget-conscious solutions to stakeholders
• Motivate, and educate creative teams in consistently produce cutting-edge work (often under tight time and budget constraints)
• Facilitating creative service programs
• Understand and communicate client’s (and TENCUE’s) missions, values, and goals at every project touchpoint

Production and Processes

The CD is tasked with driving multi-disciplinary creative teams, and to share responsibility for properly resourcing project groups and balancing project financial targets to produce one-of-a-kind events.

• Work with the ECD to develop cohesive and productive creative goals for the events and design ways to meet them
• Guide the execution of TENCUE’s creative strategies and ideation processes across multiple channels, while also collaborating and coordinating with existing project teams of creative & art directors, designers, content specialists and producers
• Represent creative standards and goals that establish a culture to foster the development of creative talents, and continuously strive to improve communications and processes necessary for optimum creative output
• Contribute to the improvement of production and creative collaboration, outbound communications, and outcomes measurement and metrics
• Recommending system solutions that manage creative process and workflow from creative brief to asset
• Maintaining (and extending) delivery (and deliverable) methodologies and best practice

Business Development

With the ECD, understand and continually distinguish the positioning of TENCUE from other providers in the market, researching new markets we may serve and new ways to serve them. The CD will guide and deliver stellar RFPs and engaging presentations that win projects aligned with our unique approach, while providing the opportunity for all employees to contribute to and participate in the process. Always thinking strategically, the CD will help prospects and existing clients define their goals and execute on their perspectives in ways that exceed the original objectives.

• Be keenly aware of the current status of the industry and the market to ensure delivery of relevant and useful solutions, messages, and differentiated event creative
• Help set the strategic direction of the creative services marketing and outreach programs
• Lead proposal execution
• Have the ability to present and clearly articulate vision & strategy behind ideas to executive level clients and internal stakeholders
• Participate in internal R&D involving trends, technologies, and alternative event and communication formats
• Engage in leading positioning, content development, and processes for Social Media, Website, Blog/Podcast, and other outreach channels and formats
• Collaborate on innovation and R&D at our creative and production partners, vendors, and suppliers
• Contribute to strategic creative- and brand-reports and communications to Opus Group stakeholders, e.g. website and brand presentation, end of year project reports, white papers etc.

Management and Leadership

Guide, inspire and facilitate the creative and creative production teams realize the maximum impact for the client and the organization. Help find and attract the best diverse, daring talent, and expedite the growth a culture of deep collaboration to craft and deliver innovative, unforgettable experiences.

• Provide thoughtful and insightful partnership for show teams from kick-off to debrief
• Monitor value-centric tasks for show creative team and track their timely completion
• Monitor creative budget, being attentive to how projects are tracking within the projected parameters
• Meet deadlines and maintain efficiency in the creative hub
• Coordinate with vendors for timely delivery of goods
• Take active role in realizing EDI goals

WHAT THE CD BRINGS (QUALIFICATIONS AND CORE CAPABILITIES)

• 7 years of proven fluency and experience producing creative and leading teams for a variety of specialty (live, digital, trans-media) engagements across industries
• Extensive event production and event creative experience a plus
• Experienced in nurturing complex, rapidly-moving projects involving senior stakeholders and interdisciplinary creative teams
• Knowledge of emergent trends and technologies related to the event and performance world
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Exceptional client-facing, people management skills and interpersonal skills
• Understand how to assist in generating the “big idea” and drawing it out collaboratively from those around you
• Experience working with Fortune 100 clients
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Self-motivated with a strong sense of purpose
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, and confident decision-making skills
• Strong time management and prioritization skills
• Proficiency with standard office apps (MS Office Suite/Google Suite/Acrobat) – familiarity of Slack, Notion, and Monday.com a plus
• Strong hands-on abilities in relevant creative applications: illustration, photo editing, video editing, motion graphics design, 3D, presentation software
• Synthesizing up-to-date technical knowledge in the creation of live and digital events across a variety of physical locations and platforms
• Ability to transform rough ideas and general concepts into actions, projects, and completed products or messages
• Strong skills in providing actionable yet supportive feedback to vendors and partners regarding their production and creative work
• Extensive brainstorm and ideation methodologies with project teams in collaborative and inclusive ways
• Must be innovative with a unique approach to persistent problems, adding value to existing products and deriving positives from negative
• Must be able to step into complicated situations, steering the vision back to goals and encouraging others to carry that vision through high-level interpersonal communication skills and collaboration
• Must be able to multitask and juggle a number of different projects at once, with the ability to jump in at any point in the project-flow, rolling up your sleeves, getting into the work and delivering, at the same time supporting creative teams to accomplish deadlines

WHAT TO EXPECT IN RETURN (BENEFITS)

• Full-time position
• Structured opportunities for career advancement
• Health and Dental Insurance
• Healthcare Reimbursement Accounts such as HSAs and FSAs
• 401K with employer match
• Flexibility in work schedules
• Commuter transit assistance
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Fully stocked kitchen with snacks & beverages
• Free technical skills development classes

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.

TENCUE does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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