Interested in how much creatives make in agencies as you make your way up the ladder? What does it usually look like starting out versus going into director and vice president positions? Is creative still underpaid compared to other teams?

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I know of some folks in CD and VP level and I can say for certain that their earnings are quite desirable.

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Yes I figured. As they should be.

Agree with this. There’s money to be made, you just have to find the places that want to pay it. It’ll always fall short when you compare it to sales, for example, but still not a bad living.

Yeah I figured. I think definitely in agencies it is a resource that is desirable for sure.

I’ll let you know when I get to that level :)


I appreciate the insights from the community though.

Haha it will be a long time!!

Yes, creative is still chronically underpaid relative to account and strategy — and everyone knows it. Rough agency ladder:

Junior Creative: $45–60k
Midlevel (Art Director/Copywriter): $70–90k
Senior Creative: $95–115k
Creative Director: $120–150k
VP/ECD: $160–220k+

The jump to CD is where most people stall — it's a political promotion as much as a creative one, and agencies stay lean at the top.
Are you navigating the CD jump internally or weighing agency vs. in-house?

Interesting comment on the jump to creative director, I also agree that it is based on company politics. Thank you for bringing that up!!

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