Creative Director

Squint/Opera is Journey's immersive design studio, bridging the digital and physical worlds through groundbreaking storytelling and emerging technologies such as Unreal Engine and virtual twins. We're the innovators behind the Empire State Building Observatory's digital reinvention, creating over 40 unique exhibits that transform 10,000 square feet into an interactive journey through history and architecture. At Battersea Power Station, we designed Lift 109, an immersive ascent experience that melds cutting-edge animations, interactive elements, and spatial soundscapes to breathe new life into London's iconic landmark. For Qiddiya City, we pushed the boundaries of virtual production, crafting a revolutionary campaign that ignited global excitement for Saudi Arabia's visionary sports and entertainment mega-development. We're at the forefront of a new era in experiential multidimensional design (MDX) and an integral part of Journey’s Experience Stack. Inspired by the concept of a tech stack, our Experience Stack draws on decades of cumulative expertise from our physical, lighting, live & immersive, and emerging technology studios to produce magical, meaningful, original work. This integration propels our partners into new realms of growth and delivers multidimensional experiences that are not just consumed but that are lived and felt through every dimension of human interaction.

About the Role:

As Creative Director, you are experienced in your craft with great imagination and leadership qualities. Storytelling and good design skills are essential components of creating beautiful and engaging work. Working alongside the Project Director, interfacing with clients and production teams means interpreting and translating briefs into creative visions that fulfill our internal creative ambitions, meet our client’s objectives, and inspire audiences.

Main Responsibilities:

• Developing creative treatments
• Developing storyboards
• Defining and resolving creative ideas before communicating to the production team to ensure efficiency of production resources
• Ability to translate briefs into high-quality and achievable creative visions within the budget
• Ensuring that all the client's objectives are met or exceeded
• Oversee the execution of the approved creative direction throughout the production process and work with the production teams to bring this vision to life
• Jointly responsible (alongside the Producer) to ensure internal and external deadlines & reviews are met, attending all project reviews
• Responsible for art directing film and still shoots where necessary or working with an Art Director
• Attending client meetings and being involved in client correspondence during production
• Provide ideas and brief references to our music provider

Outcomes:

• Creative overview of all projects in charge of ensuring that the S/O creativity is at the heart of every project and true to the ECD's vision
• Communicating the developing creative vision to the client and getting them on board with Squint/Opera’s preferred concept
• Improved team skills, participating in regular creative team meetings
• Communicating the creative vision clearly to the production team
• Accurate estimation of time required for projects

About You:

Qualifications:

• Demonstrable senior experience with a creative agency or production environment
• Previous experience in leading teams, both directly and indirectly
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, with a focus on moving image, including editing
• Adaptable to different creative approaches and styles
• Experience with film and photography shoots
• Knowledge of standard software and workflows to achieve creative goals and express vision to the production team
• Demonstrates intellectual and creative rigor, with a passion to develop in the role.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly to clients.
• Flexible can-do attitude. Adapts well to changing priorities.
• Ability to have a positive impact on others and communicate openly and directly to individuals or groups at all levels.
• Sets standards of behavior and acts as a leader and role model.
• Takes decisions which have a substantial impact on the achievement of production and quality objectives.
• In-depth knowledge of technical and creative aspects of the work and ability to reconcile these.
• Ability to understand conflicting viewpoints and resolve issues.
• Ability to manage time effectively.
• Confident and decisive, a problem-solver.
• Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively.
• Strong attention to detail, high-quality standards.
• Enthusiastic about learning and sharing with teammates.
• Help to foster an atmosphere in which creative innovation can take place.

About Journey:

Journey is a global design and innovation studio pioneering multidimensional experiences (MDX) that transform how people perceive, engage, and interact with the world. With studios in New York, London, Miami, and Dubai, we blend strategy, design, technology, and narrative to create sensory-rich journeys that ignite emotion and deepen connections between people, brands, and culture. Journey was formed in 2022 by visionary leaders who refuse to accept limits. United through the acquisitions of award-winning studios ICRAVE, Squint/Opera, 59, and VMI Studio, together, we form something new: a multidimensional design practice with unparalleled expertise across the physical, immersive, and digital realms. But we're so much more than a combination of acquisitions; we're a revolutionary framework of layered design capabilities akin to the layers of a technology stack for software companies. Like the best technology stacks, our framework continuously evolves to embrace new capabilities and creative possibilities with the future of the human experience at the forefront. This game-changing framework, the Journey Experience Stack, allows us to design for every touchpoint and create uncommonly cohesive brand universes, drawing on our collective expertise in interior design, lighting design, media design, interactive design, and content creation to deliver industry-first solutions for entertainment, healthcare, retail, hospitality, real estate, and cultural institutions.