Art Director - Film & Entertainment

Location: London

Work Pattern: Hybrid - min 2 days in office per week

Reporting to Creative Director, and dotted line to Head of Creative Services.

We’re looking for an Art Director who sees every brief as a chance to make something memorable. Someone who can think boldly, design beautifully, and lead others to do their best work. You bring ideas to life with craft, curiosity and taste, and you know how to turn creative ambition into something that truly connects.

About Us

We’re Substance, a global creative agency built around brave ideas, sharp design, and a love of pop culture. With offices in London, Los Angeles, Singapore and Buenos Aires, we create work that moves fast, feels fresh and gets noticed. Our roots are in entertainment, our passion is storytelling, and our independence fuels everything we do.

The Role

As Art Director, you’ll partner with the Creative Director to set the creative vision for social and digital campaigns that define what fans talk about. You’ll guide a talented team of designers and motion artists - inspiring, challenging, and collaborating to produce exceptional visual work for some of the world’s biggest entertainment brands.

You’ll Be

• A natural leader who thrives on collaboration and creative problem-solving.
• A conceptual thinker who loves jumping into brainstorms and shaping ideas.
• Obsessed with design craft, typography, and visual storytelling.
• Fluent in the tools of the trade (Adobe Creative Suite including motion skills).
• Be both an Art Director and a hands-on Motion Designer, capable of concepting at a high level while also rolling up your sleeves to design, animate, and experiment directly.
• Excited by entertainment, pop culture, and what’s next in digital creativity.
• Confident presenting to clients and selling the power of a strong visual idea.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the ideation and visual direction of digital and social campaigns.
• Develop look-and-feel guidelines, art boards, and treatments that set the creative tone.
• Oversee design and motion across all campaign assets, ensuring quality, consistency, and boldness.
• Work closely with designers, editors, and motion designers to bring ideas to life.
• Get hands-on when needed, designing, animating, and pushing creative boundaries.
• Help refine studio workflows and elevate creative standards across the board.
• Collaborate with clients and internal teams to make great ideas real.

Experience required

You’ll have a few solid years behind you in a creative or digital agency, with a portfolio that shows both taste and ambition. You’ve led projects, mentored designers, and shaped campaigns that made an impact, visually, emotionally, or culturally. You’re fluent in design and motion, confident presenting ideas to clients, and comfortable switching between hands-on creation and big-picture direction. Most importantly, you care deeply about the craft, and about pushing it somewhere new every time.

What We Offer

• A collaborative, ambitious and genuinely friendly creative team.
• This is a hybrid working role, with regular days in our London office, overlooking the Thames.
• A focus on personal growth, with training, mentorship and opportunities to shape the future of our creative department.
• And plenty of perks that support balance, curiosity and creativity.

Ready to make work that people actually talk about? We’d love to see your portfolio.

Perks

• Competitive Salary
• 23 days holiday + Loyalty Scheme
• Hybrid / In-office / Remote flexibility
• Vitality Healthcare package (gym, optician, dental discounts)
• Pension Plan
• Perkbox discounts