Creative Director whose heart lies in big brand concepting, pitching, and executing, primarily for social and digital. Currently seeking new freelance or full-time opportunities working alongside nice people who want to make cool shit.

Creative Director, Decoded Advertising // New York and Los Angeles // January 2018 - June 2023

  • Supervised a team of 8 creatives through conception, development, and production of over 40 unique video assets for the Uber One 2023 Super Bowl campaign, a social-first collection of spots utilizing dozens of celebrity musicians (Diddy, Kelis, Spin Doctors et al) re-recording their classic hits with a twist. Campaign elements were platform-specific for TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Stories, and Snapchat.

  • Developed the multi-year campaign for Visa targeting Millennial Women, “Money is Changing,” which challenged the financial transparency status quo. Designed interactive fabrications for experiential events at the Bustle Rule Breakers concert. Collaborated with research firm LRW on questionnaires and synthesized the study into a published white paper on Millennials and finances, which became the backbone of our social content. Optimized and iterated the campaign in its second year to develop a new Vis ID tying closer to the master brand guidelines and LTF.

  • Worked closely with our strategists to develop culturally-relevant and insightful creative briefs and learning plans, leading to breakthrough work such as “Money is Changing” for Visa, and “Black Women Get Us Higher” for Gorilla Rx.

  • Conceived and managed the production of 6 Snapchat lenses for Uber Eats, Uber One and T-Mobile.

  • Managed the summer internship program for creatives – discovering, developing (and eventually hiring) junior art directors and copywriters is my jam.

  • Clients: Uber One, Visa, Mrs. Meyers, Bug Botanist, T-Mobile, Penn State University

Associate Creative Director, MRY // New York // September 2011 - August 2017

  • Created #GoInSix, a multi-year brand-level campaign for Visa, which told stories in the form of short, snackable content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Vine. #GoInSix delivered 330MM earned impressions and 10x the storied engagements per post than industry standards.

  • Developed digital spots for Aflac that explain what the heck Aflac actually is, using metaphors people actually understand (not a duck to be found).

  • Oversaw the design and development of a beauty industry-inspired website and mobile app for Women's Rogaine, reducing the stigma of women's hair loss.

  • Ran our agency's competitive summer internship program and taught a workshop series for non-designers to learn basic design skills.

  • Clients: e.l.f. cosmetics / Aflac / Listerine / Band-Aid / Women's Rogaine / Neutrogena / Visa / Coca-Cola / Dasani

Senior Art Director, Freelance // New York // July 2009 - July 2011
Agencies: Various including Havas, Digitas, Ogilvy
Clients: Suave, Dupont, BP, Ritz Crackerfuls, Trisquit, Samsung, Food Network

Senior Art Director, MRM Worldwide // New York // May 2007 - September 2009
Clients: MasterCard, Bertolli, Kohl’s, Betty Crocker, Intel, Nikon

The whole kit and caboodle here.

Email: leahmcbutler@gmail.com
Phone: 804-519-4009