Creative Directors

I’m trying to quit smoking. But every time a freelance gig falls through, I have to smoke a cigarette. Help me quit smoking. DM for portfolio.

Creative Director teams: I have a CD partner who refuses to work in anything but their copy doc. This results to way more effort and work on my end, having to work in their copy doc and the presentati… more

Any insights/tips on use of AI tools for creative directors? Specifically I’d love to hear about AI tools that helped your team with productivity, production tasks (where’s the AI asset re-sizer tool?… more

I've been in a CD role for a few years now, but the company, the work, the clients, just aren't what I want anymore. Most days, I feel like an overqualified graphic designer.

Because the curren… more

I'm a fully Bilingual Creative Director with 25+ years leading teams and building campaigns that drive measurable results; brand growth, demand, and revenue. I work through a structured, concept-d… more

Wanted to float an idea here. I am getting no traction in this job market. (I know a lot of people are in the same boat. Not downplaying that at all.) I have tons of strong in-house experience, though… more

Is it standard practice for agencies to split the Creative Director role into CD (Copy) and CD (Art)? What’s the rationale behind that structure, and how does it improve the work or the process? And i… more

You came up with the campaign as a freelancer but they did their own tv executions. Still put it in the book?

Hi! Does anyone have a short-form / social video production agency they would recommend? Looking for a place that can deliver social video at scale while not compromising on quality. Any recommendations wel… more

Does your agency have a proprietary AI tool, and if so, what does it do? Is it basically a re-skinned ChatGPT or does it actually bring anything useful?

I’m a relatively new full-time CD still figuring things out. I’m overseeing up to 10 projects at once that each have various deliverables and tentacles. I don’t yet have a good system for keeping track of all the… more

Mostly looking for ECD/CCO input but all relevant opinions welcome. How do you balance/delegate/schedule/manage the extracurricular aspects of a Creative Lead role? The inspiration shares, proactive i… more

Speaking to a small 5-10 person consultancy about a Fractional ECD role - 1 day a week. Any ideas on what my rate should be? Should I be billing higher than a typical freelance day rate?

Hello Fishbowl community,
I was recently laid off due to a slowdown at the creative boutique agency I worked for. I’m looking to connect with CDs interested in teaming up on freelance or full-time projects, or just gra… more

Are creative portfolios just Google Slides decks now?

I’m getting sent more and more of them and think it’s kinda smart. This whole job is decks anyways.

Is it time to stop paying for Cargo? It certain… more

In your agency, how are AI accounts managed? Does each employee have a login? Are you sharing one login? I lead a small independent with 20 employees and we’re struggling to figure out how best to use… more

Have any of you taken any courses on AI that you’d recommend? Looking to beef up my credentials.

About to make another step up in role leading entire creative dept and equally excited/terrified with imposter syndrome... What are some memorable and impactful practices you’ve experienced from ECDs … more

Imagine you're a CD who also does creative work. In the last year you've contributed significantly to several major pitch wins. One of your own proactive ideas was very successful earning your client many… more

I kinda hate full team brainstorming but my new agency loves brainstorm activities and having account service in every session. Any fun activities you all like that I can rotate in?

Updating job descriptions for HR/leadership so I can make the case to promote two of my teammates. Thought some of you would have good insight. In your mind what are some of the main differences betwe… more

i started my first CD job last month at a new agency, i’m struggling with not working into briefs? i love shaping the work and supporting teams but i lowkey feel like i’m slacking off. is this normal? how did you… more

How much do internal recruiters/HR talk to their peers in other agencies you think? Legally they’re not really supposed to discuss more than “I would/wouldn’t hire them again” but it’s gotta be a dark… more

Hey I’ve gone freelance recently and been picked up more than I was expecting which is encouraging. I’m London based and doing a mix of CD, brand strategy and brand design. Expect that brand design will keep me t… more

thoughts on zero capitalization and minimal punctuation in texts, slacks, dms etc? i feel like i’ve noticed it most from genz creatives and it makes me so self conscious i’ve started to respond in kin… more

Have you ever taken a job that saw you go from doing mostly leading accounts to making and executing the majority of the time, under a CD title?

How did like it? Did you feel it curbed your growth to … more

Adweek just posted an article, As AI Advances, Staff-Level Jobs at Ad Agencies Decline.
Is anyone else seeing Ai taking over jobs? I've seen software that sizes out 500 banner sizes for you and yo… more

Has anyone here ever stepped down from a Creative Director role back into a Senior Creative position and continued working at the same company? I’m not just considering it—I’ve decided to step down. I… more

Client wants animatics. I haven’t done them in years. Any suggestion on companies that are good and aren’t crazy expensive?

ACDs in NYC- what are you making these days?

Hi fellow CDs. I’m in the midst of dealing with an anxiety inducing waiting game for a meeting to be scheduled. The conversation will be around growth, structure, business needs — it seems some sort o… more