Associate Creative Director - Film & Content

Burson is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. Burson is part of WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP), the creative transformation company. Learn more at www.bursonglobal.com.  

OUR TEAM

In Studio, we create ideas and bring them to life. We’re a multi-disciplined team, creating content for integrated marketing campaigns, brand experiences and brand identity. We currently have a team of around 40; a mix of Creatives, Brand and Digital Designers, Editors and Content Producers and Creative Project Managers, supplemented by freelancers when specialist skills are needed or workload dictates.

Everyone that succeeds here enjoys the diversity of clients and projects and is driven to do great work that will have a positive effect on our clients’ businesses.

THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

As an Associate Creative Director you are an accelerant and catalyst for our Studio’s creative agenda – the elevation and excellence of craft.

You will help lead and grow key client accounts, continuously evolve Studio’s offering and be integral in developing the skills of the team. You are a strategic visionary with a relentless passion for innovative work, who knows how to get your ideas heard, and isn’t afraid of getting your hands dirty while inspiring the team.

You’ll be supporting our Creative Directors and be empowered to lead client relationships whilst being responsible for, working on briefs, overseeing creative work and inspiring our team. You will be passionate about setting the creative standard for our film and content team and be instrumental in ensuring that standard is consistently met. In addition to this you will work hand in hand with our Head of Content Production to scale and grow the offer within the business as well as the team itself.

You are a senior creative with a remarkable talent in film and content specifically who strategically brings an artistic vision to life, from concepting and brainstorming the idea all the way through to crafting and executing it. You lead the team and direct the work from inception to completion, ensuring that at every stage we are challenging ourselves to provide the client with the best
work. Always.

As well as having thorough understanding and appreciation of the technical aspects of filming and photography, you are also an encyclopaedia for the newest most exciting trends in the industry and are always finding ways to introduce them into your work where relevant. You aren’t afraid of technological advancements and AI and are excited by the prospect of harnessing them into your every day.

From initial brief you condense a client problem by providing a creative solution, understanding the issue that the brief is trying to solve and being able to present different creative options that answer the brief and are deliverable on budget and in time. You have the experience and patience to help others through this process and to educate constantly. Once a route is agreed on you will guide the team through the development of the work ensuring that it is brimming with creativity and will wow the client.

Additionally, to your day to day as the spearhead for our film creative work, you are also responsible for leading and managing a team of Art Directors, Editors, Shooters and Animators. You will be a passionate mentor and work hard to help your team advance professionally and create the best work possible.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES

Client:

• Creatively have the artistic skill and imagination to produce original and outstanding work.
• Confident in challenging a brief and helping others to understand the importance of a great brief as a starting point.
• Continuously aware of the client’s objective and committed to not losing sight of that.
• Able to come up with and develop your own ideas as well as to direct others in idea generation, providing supportive and constructive feedback.
• Understand what the client wants, be able to communicate clearly, explain ideas and have engaging presentation skills.
• Think about PR and its news worthiness - what’s the story and does your idea build on it.
• Always be on the hunt for inspiration, outside of the immediate task in hand. Where do you get your references from? Look beyond the obvious, consult others and continue to educate yourself on emerging trends and skills.
• Have a point of view on your work and help others to be able to articulate their point of view on their own work.
• Passionate, curious, and obsessive about the detail – you inspire others to value these traits too.
• Support the Creative Directors and studio team to produce exceptional creative work across multiple deliverables.
• Able to take a lead role on a pitch, drive the creative output, ensure the deck is first class and can present a winning presentation.
• Hold strong, respected and valuable client relationships.

Commercial:

• Partnering with the Head of Content production you are commercially astute and work to provide the best creative within the time and budget parameters.
• Lead by example, working on briefs, displaying first class creativity, team collaboration and production intelligence
• Drive creative direction for multiple projects, ensuring the team delivering commercially
  ambitious work.
• Have outstanding management skills to lead a team, communicate ideas, and embrace challenges and new methods of working.
• Always present ideas that can be delivered on budget and to the client’s deadline.
• Excellent understanding of production. Able to understand what is going to be achievable further down the line and how this is possible.
• Throughout the process you remain commercially aware and are accountable for helping to make sure everyone stays on budget and on schedule.
• Push yourself, and others. Try new approaches and be up on trends. Introduce the team to Photographers, Editors , Animators, Directors etc.
• Support the Producers by assisting them in the scoping and costing client and new business opportunities.
• Able to prioritise and juggle your projects efficiently and to manage time with your line
  reports effectively.

People & Culture:

• Manage and develop your line reports in a structured and supportive way. Encourage them to stretch their talents, build their knowledge and reach their goals.
• Take direction from your line manager constructively and remain ready to learn.
• Inspire and lead the teams in ideation and execution.
• Nurture talent within the teams and throughout the agency.
• Actively support and encourage people within the team to participate in the creative processes and to take pride in the work.
• An overall collaborative partner; works as an integral part of a dynamic team, as well
  as independently.
• Support Burson cultural initiatives such as Equall, Roots, Parent network and Big Night
  In etc.
• Inspire, mentor and coach junior members of the team as well as support senior members
  of the team.
• Act as a Burson ambassador internally and externally, network and promote the teams and the agency.
• Demonstrates the Burson cultural behaviours across all areas: culture creator, master storyteller, technology speculator, idea catcher and campaign architect.

OUR LONDON OFFICE

Burson employs over 450 people in the UK, and our stunning Southwark offices run over two floors as part of the larger WPP Campus, Rose Court. We have access to a beautiful roof terrace with panoramic views across London and a bar/restaurant area, which is a great spot for client meetings and socialising with the wider agency and other WPP OpCo’s. 

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