Senior Creative Director

Hypebeast Limited; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Hypebeast is seeking a Creative Director to lead ideation, strategy, and execution for US client pitches and campaigns, while expanding our creative network nationwide through Hypemaker.

You will oversee senior, midweight, and junior creatives, collaborate with design, copy, and production teams, and ensure work meets Hypebeast’s storytelling and cultural standards. This role requires a hands-on leader who can pitch, mentor, and deliver premium work.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of creative experience in agencies, publishers, brands etc. relevant to Hypebeast’s cultural space.
• Strong understanding of youth culture centered around Hypebeast’s space including talent, brands, trends, publishers and platforms.
• Wide understanding of platforms Hypebeast operates on, both established and emerging.
• Be an ambassador for the brand and show a portfolio of diverse creative work.
• Confident communicator and leader capable of directing talent.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Senior, Midweight, and Junior Creatives.
• Collaborate with in-house and freelance designers, copywriters and production teams.
• Refine client briefs with Sales, Production, and Account Management.
• Oversee creative development and execution of culturally-rooted campaign proposals.
• Own end-to-end process of creating pitches including decks or pitch documents.
• Support VP of Brand Partnerships in converting commercial leads into winning pitch material.
• Communicate pitch proposals effectively in meetings and video calls.
• Ensure productions meet Hypebeast’s storytelling and cultural standards.
• Take responsibility for creative output and quality across projects.
• Provide feedback on all parts of the creative process.
• Be nimble—lead a small team or several creatives depending on the brief.
• Oversee delivery of all assets with final sign-off.
• Manage inter-departmental relations to ensure smooth workflows.

Skills

Creative leadership

Brand storytelling

Pitching & presenting

Cultural awareness

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

AI platforms (image/video/copy)

Job description

Hypebeast is a leading global platform for contemporary culture and lifestyle, and a premier destination for editorially-driven news and commerce. Founded in 2005, it became a publicly listed company in 2016, and today boasts a global readership across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and more. The Group has expanded its publishing brands to a wider scope, encompassing Hypebeast and its multiple content distribution platforms, creative agency Hypemaker, and e-commerce and retail platform HBX.

Hypebeast is seeking a Creative Director to lead creative ideation, strategy, and execution for client pitches and campaigns in the US, while also developing our creative network across the country. The role is primarily focused on branded content campaign ideation and development for Hypebeast, as well as white label client projects through Hypemaker, Hypebeast’s 360º in-house cultural and creative agency, which helps brands effectively connect to audiences within different cultural playgrounds.

Hypebeast & Hypemaker’s Creative Services Include:

• Cultural Insights and Data
• Creative & Cultural Strategy
• Creative Direction
• Digital Content Production
• Brand Collaborations
• Events and Experiential

What We’re Looking For:

• 10+ years of experience leading creative and creative teams at a culturally relevant brand, platform, publisher, or creative/media agency.
• A confident, capable leader who thrives on diverse creative challenges in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven leadership in executing world-class creative projects with teams of various sizes resulting in a variety of outputs.
• Deep understanding of all facets of the creative lifecycle from pitch to production to post and how teams contribute to them.
• A connoisseur of culture, an eye for visual trends, and an insightful, strategic, approach to projects.
• A player and a coach: somebody that can roll up their sleeves to ideate, pitch, and execute when needed, but also able to lead at a distance while providing guidance and direction.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor a team of Senior, Midweight, and Junior Creatives.
• Collaborate and direct in-house and freelance designers, copywriters and production teams.
• Collaborate with Sales, Production and Account Management departments to dissect and refine client briefs.
• Oversee creative development and execution of culturally-rooted campaign proposals that win business.
• Own the end-to-end process of creating cultural or strategy-driven pitches including decks or similar pitch documents.
• Support the VP of Brand Partnerships and wider brand partnerships team in converting commercial leads into winning pitch material.
• Work in tandem with the brand partnerships team to effectively communicate the pitch proposal at in-person meetings and/or on video calls.
• Ensure productions meet both Hypebeast storytelling, visual, and cultural standards and client expectations.
• Take responsibility for the creative output and quality of projects you and your team are across.
• Provide feedback on all parts of the creative process from creative to strategy to design to copy.
• Be nimble - operating as a one-person team or as a leader of several creatives delivering on large scale projects depending on the brief or campaign.
• Oversee the delivery of all assets created by the creative team, with final sign off on all edits.
• Manage inter-departmental relations to ensure smooth and efficient working practices that deliver the best results.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of creative experience in agencies, publishers, brands etc. that are relevant to Hypebeast’s cultural space.
• A strong understanding of youth culture centered around the Hypebeast space including relevant talent, brands, trends, publishers and platforms.
• Wide understanding and affinity with the various platforms Hypebeast operates on, both established and emerging.
• Keen awareness and passion for Hypebeast’s/Hypemaker’s cultural space. Be an ambassador for the brand.
• A portfolio of successful creative work in a diverse range of formats and sectors.
• A confident communicator and leader who’s able to foster and direct talent.
• Solid understanding/experience of production costs and industry standards to help manage expectations both internally and externally.
• Creative Craft: Strong command of Adobe Creative Suite and core design and production fundamentals, the craft that turns concepts into finished, premium work.
• AI Literacy & Integration: Fluent with generative AI platforms across image, video, and copy to accelerate concepting, rapid prototyping, and campaign visualization.
• Production & Deck Craft: Exceptional storytelling and deck presentation skills, with the ability to seamlessly blend AI-generated assets with polished design to pitch and win business.

$140,000 - $160,000 a year

The expected annual base salary range for this role is between $140,000 to $160,000. The salary range is subject to change and may be amended in the future. Experience, education, relevant skill set, location and other factors are considered when determining the salary offered.

This position is based and located in New York. Candidate must be eligible to work in the US.

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