Creative Director - Video (L.A. or D.C.) - Full-time, Freelance, or Contractor

Creative Director

Bryson Gillette is a Los Angeles, California and Washington, D.C.-based, minority-owned, intentionally diverse communications firm. With expertise in strategic communications, media relations, crisis communications, and political consulting, we develop tailored strategies to help clients tackle their most pressing communications needs. We are a mission-driven organization that partners with companies, candidates, and individuals fighting to make the world more just, safe, healthy, and prosperous for all. We are also a fun, smart, collaborative group who care about the world around us and seek to make positive change at home and across the country. We are experts without egos and creative without control issues. Come work with us and you'll learn a lot, make an impact, and have fun doing it. We are an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, and/or veteran status.

This role is based in Los Angeles or Washington, D.C.

Strategic Oversight & Systemization

• Lead end-to-end creative development across formats from longer-form storytelling to short-form "cut downs" (social, Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts).
• Oversee concepting, scripting, and production, guiding creative teams and contractors from idea through final delivery.
• Bridge strategy and production: translate campaign goals into creative briefs, provide clear direction to editors and motion designers, and ensure every asset supports broader campaign objectives.
• Manage external creative partners from production crews to freelance editors ensuring quality, efficiency, and alignment with client goals.
• Collaborate closely with paid media strategists to align creative direction with targeting, budget, and performance goals.
• Stay ahead of digital and cultural trends from platform shifts to new creative formats and proactively bring fresh ideas to the team.
• Bring a creative vision to new business proposals, helping to envision, design and sell overarching campaign concepts to prospective clients.
• Be willing to teach and mentor the team around your expertise.

Data & Analytics Turning Insights Into Impact

• Monitor and interpret creative performance data across platforms to understand what's resonating and why.
• Design and evaluate A/B and multivariate creative tests.
• Translate insights into creative action: adjust scripts, visuals, and copy based on audience engagement, retention, and conversion trends.
• Partner with clients and internal teams to connect creative performance to campaign objectives and ROI.
• Build or maintain performance dashboards to track creative outcomes and report learnings across clients.
• Stay fluent in analytics and ad platform tools and emerging creative optimization technologies.

What Skills and Experiences You'll Bring:

• Experience working across public affairs campaigns, nonprofits, political campaigns and private sector brands or the ability to navigate those worlds confidently.
• Comfort directing editors and creative contractors; you know how to communicate a clear creative vision and how to get the best out of collaborators.
• Deep understanding of social and paid media performance metrics and the ability to interpret results and optimize creative accordingly.
• Experience designing and analyzing creative tests (A/B or multivariate) and iterating based on data.
• Familiarity with analytics and visualization tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Creative Center, Looker, Tableau).
• A collaborative mindset and strong communication skills you can translate creative ideas into strategy and strategy into visuals.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and an instinct for spotting cultural and digital trends before they go mainstream.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• A growth mindset.

What Would Be Great to Bring:

• Motion graphics or animation experience.
• Comfort with UX, landing page creative, or integrated digital storytelling.
• Experience producing for broadcast or linear TV.
• Fluency in multiple languages or experience creating multilingual content.
• Experience working on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and/or social or racial justice advocacy.
• Client relationship experience.
• Good sense of humor.

Compensation & Benefits:

• The salary range for this position is an annual salary of $90 - 125k. For clarity, this is the starting range for the position; it is not an indication that you are capped at that range once you're in the position.
• Bryson provides insurance coverage for employees and their dependents, which includes a PPO health plan, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) Plan w/ Employer Match.
• Flexible Time-Off policy with no vacation caps, after 90 day period.
• Generous, paid parental leave.
• Discretionary, year-end bonuses.

How-to-apply:

Interested candidates should submit the following to Ral Hernndez, Vice President, People via the following link.

Please upload:

• Resume
• Cover letter answering the following questions (in no more than one page, 11 point font):
• Why this role excites you
• A campaign or creative project you led that you're proud of
• How you stay ahead of emerging trends in digital media
• Creative portfolio (or links) that demonstrates your best work especially pieces that were iterated based on performance data.