Creative Director (YouTube)

Pok Pok; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health benefits

Flexible hybrid arrangements

3 weeks vacation + 2-week holiday

Job summary

Pok Pok in Toronto is seeking a foundational Creative Director to lead our in-studio YouTube production, shaping stories, directing on set, and guiding post‑production. This hands‑on, in‑person role requires 3-5 days per week in the downtown studio, collaboration with the Producer, and a playful, hands‑on approach to building sets, props, and visual mood for children’s content.

Join a small, female-founded team with flexible hybrid work, stock options, and health benefits as we grow our channel

Responsibilities

• Own the creative vision and translate Pok Pok’s voice into every video.
• Own the content strategy and decide which videos and stories to produce.
• Read and give feedback on new story ideas and scripts.
• Set visual direction for each shoot.

Job description

We’re looking for our foundational Creative Director for Studio Pok Pok! If you’re a creative visionary who can turn that vision into YouTube production excellence, we want to meet you!

About Pok Pok

Pok Pok is on a mission to raise the next generation of creative thinkers.

We're the team behind the Apple Design Award-winning Montessori app, Pok Pok, and were named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025. Our award-winning digital toys and videos empower children to think outside the box, dream big, and explore their creativity in a mindful way. We believe screen time can be thoughtful, educational, and just as imaginative as the toys we grew up playing with on the floors of our living rooms.

Pok Pok is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage people of all races, religions, genders, abilities and sexual orientations to apply. We want the products we develop to reflect the diversity of the world we live in, and it starts with our own team.

About the Role

We’re building out a core, in-studio YouTube team to run our YouTube channel’s creative and production workflows in-person from our Toronto office. Being a director is very hands-on, so this is an in-person role that requires you to be in our downtown studio 3-5 days per week. The Creative Director holds the creative vision for every video: Shaping stories with the YouTube team, directing and performing on set, and giving feedback through to the final edit.

What You’ll Do

Creative Vision & Story

• Own the creative vision and collaborate closely with the brand team to translate Pok Pok’s voice into every video.
• Own the content strategy - which videos, which stories, which topics - based on channel insights.
• Read and give feedback on new story ideas and scripts.
• Set visual direction - mood, staging, framing, pacing - for each shoot.

On Set

• “Act” with the puppets - bring characters to life on camera.
• Build and dress sets and backdrops for each shoot.
• Hand‑craft new props or assets when a scene calls for them, in keeping with our all‑handmade, no‑AI approach.
• Keep track of shot lists and operate the camera, with the Producer jumping in as a second pair of hands when needed.

Post-Production & Publishing

• Review edited cuts and give feedback to keep story, pacing and tone on‑brand
• Take care of packaging: thumbnails, SEO, and uploads.

What you Bring

• A joyful, playful, hands‑on creative energy - you love making things with your hands.
• A real feel for children’s storytelling - pacing, tone, what holds (and doesn’t overstimulate) a young viewer - or a strong eagerness to learn it deeply.
• A deep understanding of what families are looking for on YouTube.
• Comfort moving between directing a scene and performing within it.
• A maker’s instinct: handy with building sets, props and backdrops by hand.
• A strong, considered eye for visual composition and mood.
• Ease sharing the “on set” role with a Producer counterpart - this is a two‑person creative partnership, not a solo show.
• Enough organization to run a shoot day solo - shot lists, basic camera operation - when a second pair of hands isn’t needed.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Background in animation, filmmaking, or children’s media.
• Illustration, prop‑making, or set‑building experience.
• Familiarity with Montessori or early‑childhood approaches to play.
• Comfort with YouTube analytics, SEO, or channel growth.

More About Us

We’re a small team of passionate, experienced creators based in Toronto. We love pets, music, travel, video games, kids, cooking, yoga, building robots, going to museums, talking about things we’re watching right now and playing with old toys. We’re from all walks of life and are convinced that’s our secret sauce. We’re a female‑founded company, too!

Other Awesome Things About This Role:

• You’ll have the unique opportunity to build, grow and make your mark joining a fast‑growing start‑up early on.
• Work from our beautiful brick‑and‑beam office in the downtown core within walking distance to the Eaton Centre, St. Lawrence Market and Union Station.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• 3 weeks of paid vacation plus a 2‑week holiday office closure, because life outside of work matters.
• Competitive compensation including employee stock options and health benefits.
• We love field trips, playtesting with kids in our community, toy research, science centres and museums. We have no fun at all.