Creative Director, T Brand Studio (The Athletic)

About T Brand Studio

Inspired by the journalism and innovation of the NY Times, T Brand Studio crafts stories that allow brands to make their mark on the world. Our skilled team of journalists, copywriters, editors, creative directors, designers, videographers, producers, program managers and developers create innovative branded advertising content and custom audio for brands that are embedded in The New York Times platform and its related media offerings.

This is a hybrid role based in our New York City headquarters, reporting to the Director, Creative at T Brand Studio. You can typically expect to come into the office 3 days per week.

About the Role, Mission or Department Overview

We are looking for a Creative Director for The Athletic with a deep interest in sports and the surrounding culture. This job is for you if:

You are a creative visionary who makes work that people want to find, become a part of and share. You can translate complex category narratives from different advertisers and brands into compelling, fan-centric, sports-focused storytelling. You understand how sports intersect with nearly every advertising category.

Equally important is experience building campaigns that sit at the intersection of athletes, fan culture, data, innovation and latest sports tech. You'll concept and write for regulated and complex categories that require accuracy, innovation and performance, including enterprise tech, financial services, healthcare, B2B business services and more.

You understand the sports landscape, with familiarity across major U.S. and global sports. From football, basketball and soccer to golf, tennis and Formula 1, you're able to recommend the right talent to fit the brief.

You are comfortable translating product features into compelling stories through a sports lens. These features include AI, cybersecurity, mobile banking, and investing tools, among others. You also understand how sports audiences engage with platforms and devices, such as financial planning, betting, fantasy, streaming, and tech devices. You are proficient in building strategic frameworks for brands that need both credibility and cultural resonance. Category fluency and strategic rigor are paramount.

Well versed in conceptual thinking, you will work on multiple projects at once with conflicting priority deadlines. You will collaborate with our strategy and media teams to create brand-defining platforms and storytelling that works across digital, audio, video and social. You will contribute to new business/sales development and create meaningful, idea-led work in multiple storytelling methods. You'll become the voice of the ideas you create, and you'll present work both internally and externally.

You think of yourself as a non-traditional creative talent who is as much an innovator and storyteller as a creative. We are constantly challenging advertising norms through the latest media and methods. You will create stories and work that people care about.

This is a unique role, in that you are an individual contributor who will manage creative projects, but you are not a people manager and will not have direct reports. However, you must bring a collaborative spirit to your work, while also providing guidance, clarity and leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Develop sports-centric creative concepts for brands across major markets, including tech, financial services, consumer goods, automotive, luxury, entertainment, and more. Ensure the work aligns with The Athletic's editorial tone while also meeting category-specific goals.
• Collaborate with disciplines across The Athletic and T Brand Studio ranging from video producers, strategists, PMs and sales teams to editors, writers and art directors.
• Craft creative storytelling solutions to solve clients' biggest communication challenges. This includes translating complex, technical or regulated subject matter. This subject matter can include financial offerings, enterprise technology or latest platforms. The goal is to translate it into compelling storytelling that fits within The Athletic's journalistic voice, visual standards and fan-first sensibility.
• Facilitate the creative and the conceptual framework for all projects.
• Frame and lead a creative vision for a client to fruition.
• Manage the concept strategy which meets the goals of the clients.
• Revise, pivot and rework ideas.
• Develop collaborative relationships with the Strategy, Media and Sales teams.
• Work with Sales and Strategy partners to navigate complex client structures. Map creative solutions to category insights across industries, including FinTech, enterprise tech, luxury, automotive, consumer electronics, streaming/OTT, and more. Ensure that branded content maintains the authenticity, credibility, and tone consistent with The Athletic's editorial environment.
• Partner with Program Management to build scopes of work and project plans that set the team up for success against creative deliverables.
• Provide clear and objective critiques of creative work.
• Present internally and externally to clients.
• Stay informed of trends at the intersection of sports, technology, finance, and pop culture. These trends include data analytics, sports betting, fan engagement tools, athlete-led financial/tech ventures, and emerging technologies influencing fan behavior. Apply these insights in ways that feel organic to The Athletic's editorial style and storytelling approach.
• Remain current on emerging star players and athletes across US and international teams
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.
• Cultivate an understanding of The Athletic's journalism and storytelling approach so that you filter branded content through that lens and make it feel native to TA's audience and complement TA editorial franchises.
• Establish clear parameters around brand and product integration.
• Master NYT ad products and formats to pitch work and creative ecosystems that harness the scope of the full portfolio of brands.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience inside a branded content studio, advertising agency or in-house brand environment.
• Experience presenting concepts to internal and external leadership and teams.
• Copycrafting and conceptual storytelling skills.
• Ease in developing ideas attached to talent in the sports space (from household names to up and coming talent) and working on set with said talent.
• Experience writing in different voices, tones, styles and lengths or experience directing compelling design, typography and visual solutions.
• Experience developing work and creative platforms that build trust, credibility and cultural relevance for brands across different advertiser categories. These categories can include: consumer goods, automotive, luxury, entertainment, travel, tech and financial services. Making sure to adapt sports storytelling to each category's unique goals and constraints.
• Translate complex or high-consideration products (whether in finance, technology, healthcare, or other regulated/technical industries) into compelling and audience-relevant creative.
• Experience across different marketing channels.
• Understand digital media audiences and their behaviors.
• Knowledge and genuine interest in the New York Times journalism and brand.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Fluency in how emerging trends — AI, data analytics, streaming, mobile experiences, fan-engagement tech, wearables and evolving media behaviors — shape sports culture and influence how fans interact with brands.
• Track record for outstanding concept ideation and award-winning creative.

#LI-Hybrid

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For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs. 

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

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