Creative Director

Job Description:

The Trust is The Wall Street Journal's and Barron's Group's branded content studio.

As the Creative Director for International at The Trust, you will work primarily in a pre-sale capacity, writing and articulating story concepts and their creative executions across our International market. The ideal candidate will be deeply experienced in storytelling across sectors and regions—including but not limited to: Tech, Financial Services, Government, Professional Services/Advisory, and Luxury & Travel. You'll be keenly attuned to the trends, brands, high-profile and influencer talent, products and technologies that are driving culture forward. And you will have an International mindset, understanding the cultural needs and nuances of our diverse markets across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

You will pair your story concepts with a vision for how they may come to life in the form of custom content rooted in the equity of The Wall Street Journal | Barron's and WSJ., The Wall Street Journal's influential style magazine — be it straightforward articles or multimedia executions like video series and podcasts. The ideal candidate will push the boundaries of the discipline forward, challenging teammates and clients to think beyond best practices and share "next practices" based on performance data as well as creative vision.

The primary output will be compelling concept statements and write-ups, ideas you regularly present—with enthusiasm and clarity—to external clients. To accomplish the core responsibilities of this role, you will be a team player, collaborating with internal stakeholders like sales, marketing, design, editorial, performance and media planning to flesh out your ideas.

The ideal candidate has a background and deep expertise bringing stories to life across various mediums, but video and audio experience are a priority. They will have good knowledge of film and podcast production, as well as top level experience of what's needed to tell compelling stories across these mediums—including, but not limited to, experience with storyboarding, scripting and directing film/audio and a network of vendors to draw from. The Trust's primary audience is senior decision makers, so you will be adept at crafting campaigns that meet client objectives while also maintaining tone and appropriateness for a senior audience.

You will report into the Executive Director of International Content and be based in our London office, with an expectation to be in-office three days a week, and will also require travel (days offset against in-office attendance).

Key Responsibilities:

1. Generate creative, 360-degree programs with design-forward narratives and a solid editorial approach, all in response to a steady stream of RFPs in the pre-sale phase across various sectors but with a heavy lean toward B2B.
2. Desk research for every new International RFP, including digesting white papers, tapping into industry trends, absorbing RFP details, boning up on relevant brands, and sourcing insights on WSJ's audience and content.
3. Create storyboards and moodboards necessary to guide development of beautiful, original, and creative branded content experiences from concept to implementation.
4. Lead video and audio creative from pre-sale into production.
5. Strategize ways your story concepts can come to life, thinking about a content "tilt" that makes your programs feel unique and differentiated.
6. Drive conversations with casting agencies to pitch and secure talent deals when needed for client RFPs and sold programs; understand the nuances of talent use in custom content and be able to work quickly and effectively to suggest, source and deliver talent.
7. Draft detailed mock requests (e.g. page builds, custom ad units) for pre-sale pitches that outline your vision, then work with the design team to bring the mocks to life.
8. Present your ideas on client calls, getting others to share in the excitement you feel for your vision. Requires exemplary client-handling skills.
9. In post-sale, work with designers, video producers, and development to ensure creative elements are executed as sold.
10. Carry your vision forward after a program sells, sharing your vision with the post-sale team and working with Video, Edit, Design and others to see the program to publication.
11. Partner with Sales and Integrated Marketing (IM) to navigate complex client structures.
12. Work closely with IM and Editorial to brainstorm and sanity-check your story concepts and creative executions.

Required Experience:

1. At least 10 years in a branded content or newsroom role.
2. At least 4-6 years in the B2B space.
3. Be a storyteller. Have excellent communication skills.
4. Be driven. Self-motivate and want to influence your own development.
5. Be comfortable with ambiguity. Make decisions when information is incomplete.
6. Be unafraid of constant change. Stay agile in navigating the media landscape.
7. Be knowledgeable of the creative development process.
8. Be charismatic. Present with flair and passion to C-Suite audiences.
9. Be collaborative. Synthesize multiple voices, opinions, and personalities.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Experience creating moodboards and storyboards.
2. Experience in concepting never-been-done-before story ideas with big impact.
3. Experience with video production & editing, motion graphics, and interactive design ability.
4. Strong existing relationships with casting agencies and experience negotiating talent deals.
5. Strong portfolio showing previous visual, storytelling, and creative campaign work.
6. Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite and knowledge of different CMS platforms a plus.

At The Wall Street Journal, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Business Area: Dow Jones - Media Sales

Job Category: Creative & Design

Union Status: Non-Union role