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Summary

A seasoned Creative Director with a 20-year track record of leading creative teams to deliver innovative and effective campaigns across diverse industries. Recognized for a keen ability to drive marketing objectives, create tailored content, and shape brand experiences that evoke emotion and drive growth. Demonstrated expertise in mastering and applying AI technologies, including ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Dall-E, to optimize workflows and produce high-converting creative assets. Committed to fostering collaboration, innovation, and business insight within teams to meet and exceed project goals. Notable accomplishments include winning an Effie Award for a bank acquisition/name change campaign and and creating economic development campaign that netted the state a 23% increase in jobs.

Currently specializing in managing a talented team of designers to create cutting-edge merchandising designs that consistently boost sales and profits for clients in the music and entertainment sectors.

With a recent focus on AI technologies, I’ve dedicated over 1,000 hours to mastering tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Dall-E. I apply these skills to create high-converting creative assets, optimize workflows, and make data-driven decisions.

Effectiveness

Effie Award – Co-managed creative team in developing a bank acquisition/name change campaign for a regional bank resulting in an increase in deposits and virtually no loss of customers (versus 10% attrition considered average in a bank merger)

Created TV commercial that increased tourism inquires 17% and won an International marketing award

Created economic development campaign that netted the state a 23% increase in jobs created by new businesses and a 15% increase in new business startups, at a time when new business creation experienced a seven percent drop-off nationally.

Led creative team in designing beverage packaging design that increased sales 826%

Created financial print ad which brought in over $1.5 million in CD money and opened 172 new bank accounts.

Led confidential launch initiatives, maintaining security and secrecy throughout the duration of the project, resulting in a successful and smooth launch

Managed production budgets totaling $500,000, consistently staying within scope and on track, resulting in a 5% cost savings.

Created a search engine application for Twitter that helped identify a drive-by shooter – leading to their arrest.

Experience

Creative Director

Futureshirts, Nashville, TN 06/2022 – PRESENT

  • Oversee strategy and workflow for a team of 5, leveraging a consistent approach to relationship building, recognition, and communication to generate continuously improving performance.

Creative Director

Kristof Creative, Nashville, TN 11/2001 – 06/2022

  • Led confidential launch initiatives, maintaining security and secrecy throughout the duration of the project, resulting in a successful and smooth launch.
  • Managed production budgets totaling $500,000, consistently staying within scope and on track, resulting in a 5% cost savings.
  • Built strong relationships with multiple partners, resulting in a streamlined and efficient production process.
  • Developed and managed projects consisting of over 10,000 assets, resulting in a comprehensive and successful final product.
  • Managed a diverse team of creative professionals, including Art Directors, Graphic Designers, Illustrators, Copywriters, Web/Mobile developers, 3D Designers, Video Editors, and Social Media contractors.
  • Created effective marketing and campaign strategies for print, digital, and social media resulting in a 30% increase in engagement and a 20% increase in sales.
  • Designed and developed mobile applications and WordPress designs, resulting in a 25% increase in user engagement.
  • Taught creative problem solving workshops, resulting in a 15% increase in participant innovation and idea generation

Projects; Annual reports, Book Covers, Branding, Brochure design, Email Newsletters, Flyers, Infographics, Landing Page design, Logo design, Long-form video scripts, Magazine and newspaper advertising, Outdoor campaigns, Packaging designs, Posters, PowerPoint Presentations, Presentation folders, Radio commercials, Trade-show booths, and Website development.

B2B and B2C Clients included; Banking & Financial Institutions, Education, Entertainment and Film, Food & Beverage, Global Research & Advocacy, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Public Relations, Sports, Travel & Leisure

Freelance Senior Art Director

Intouch Solutions 12/2021 – 01/2022

  • Print campaign development and using my UI/UX skills in Adobe XD to design and create website and mobile designs for a Pharmaceutical client. Fluent understanding and experience using Microsoft team

Creative Director / Director of Graphic Design / Instructor

Nossi College of Art, Nashville, TN 09/2016 – 02/2020

  • Discovered financial discrepancy, resulting in annual savings of $27,000 for the school in marketing expenses.
  • Directed creative team in creating a comprehensive advertising campaign for a local educational non-profit, resulting in $18,000 in donations, 40% more programs taught, and reaching 95.87% more students.
  • Managed Bachelor degree programs for Graphic Design and Web & Interactive
  • Recruited and managed 18 Adjunct instructors, resulting in a more diverse and experienced teaching team.
  • Managed creative team, interns, and external vendors, resulting in a streamlined and efficient production process.
  • Taught all levels of advertising, branding, graphic design, typography, social media, and marketing courses, resulting in a 20% increase in student skills and knowledge.
  • Rewrote curriculum to include cross-discipline projects, preparing students to manage real-world projects and resulting in a 11% increase in student engagement.
  • Rewrote 10 courses, updating requirements to meet current industry skills and standards, resulting in a more relevant and applicable curriculum.
  • Discovered gaps in program curriculum and created three new courses to fill them, resulting in a more comprehensive and well-rounded program.
  • Introduced Design Thinking and UI/UX processes into courses as a foundation for creative development, resulting in a 21% increase in student creativity and problem-solving skills.
  • Created video tutorials for teaching Instructors how to use Moodle LMS, resulting in a more efficient and effective learning management system.
  • Successfully led, developed, designed, and launched new brand campaign for the college, consisting of print, outdoor, digital, video, social media, collateral, and experiential elements, resulting in a 20% increase in brand awareness.

Mr. Kristof is a true professional. He took over the Graphic Design Department at Nossi College three years ago and instituted many changes to advance the quality of the program. On top of managing the department, teaching courses and revising syllabi, Mr. Kristof acted as the in-house Creative Director for the college Marketing Department. During his tenure at Nossi, he created a unique brand identity and brand position for the college, tapping into the essence of why a creative chooses an art college for their education. I’ve worked with many designers over the last 25 years. Mr. Kristof taught me how important communication THROUGH design really is.

— Cyrus Vatandoost, Executive Vice President, Nossi College of Art

Associate Creative Director

Arnold Worldwide, McLean, VA 04/2001 – 11/2001

  • Effie Award – Co-managed creative team in developing a bank acquisition/name change campaign for a regional bank resulting in an increase in deposits and virtually no loss of customers (versus 10% attrition considered average in a bank merger)
  • Managed creative team consisting of four Art Directors and one Copywriter

Accounts; Mobil Oil, Mobile On-the-Run, STIHL, PNC Bank, McDonalds, and Citizens Bank

Associate Creative Director

AdMine.com, Herndon, VA 04/2000 – 12/2000

  • Managed and directed a team of 10 creatives, resulting in a more efficient and effective production process.
  • Conceptualized, directed, and wrote copy for 52 campaigns in 8 months, including print, outdoor, television, and radio, resulting in a 30% increase in brand awareness and a 20% increase in sales.
  • Designed and executed online requests for creative, including the development and writing of creative work plans, resulting in a more cohesive and effective online presence.
  • Created and initiated advertising sales program, generating online sales and promoting business services, resulting in a 17% increase in online revenue.
  • Developed and implemented an internal process for managing creative advertising submissions, resulting in a more organized and streamlined process.
  • Created and managed online production tips and procedures for the submission of creative content, resulting in a 11% increase in efficiency.
  • Developed internal production network of file structure and organization, streamlining processes and increasing efficiency by 32%.
  • Managed daily operation of production department, resulting in a smooth and efficient workflow.
  • Worked directly with Mark Ein, CEO of Venturehouse Group, a venture capital firm that funded Admine.com, resulting in a successful partnership and successful project outcomes

Art Director > Senior Art Director

The Ramey Agency, Jackson, MS 06/1995 – 10/1998

  • Developed and directed successful advertising campaigns for clients in various industries, including Tourism, Banking,
  • Financial, Car Audio, Healthcare, and Travel.
  • Spearheaded economic development campaign that resulted in a 23% increase in jobs created by new businesses and a 15% increase in new business startups, at a time when new business creation saw a 7% decline nationally Created financial print ad that generated $1.5 million and opened 172 new accounts.
  • Earned Fortune magazine’s “Best Read Ad” award for year-end, double-issue investment guide.
  • Won four “Best of Class” awards and one “Superior” award from the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) annual conference
  • Received a “Platinum Award” from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association for a 30-second TV ad, which competed against over 1,650 entries from 55 countries.
  • Managed and mentored a creative team of junior designers, art directors, and production artists.

Accounts; American Diabetes Association, Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development, Mississippi Division of Tourism, PROMUS Hotel Corporation, Southern Audio Systems, St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital, Taste of the Nation, Union Planters Bank, and USA Pawn.

Achievements

Creative Honors

  • London International Advertising Awards
  • New York Festivals
  • Creativity Annual
  • Communication Arts Design Annual
  • Collegiate Advertising Awards – Awarded 1 of only 7 Gold awards amongst all colleges in the nation.
  • Numerous local & regional ADDY’s

Personal Achievements

  • Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America
  • Jay Chiat and Lee Clow endowed scholarships based on creative portfolio
  • 2nd Degree Black Belt, American Wado Karate-do Black Belt Association

Education

BFA, Advertising

Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

 

AA Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement

Palomar College, San Marcos, CA

 

AA Liberal Arts

Palomar College, San Marcos, CA

 

Police Reserve Academy Graduate

Palomar College, San Marcos, CA

Computer and Technology Skills

Audio & Video

Adobe Clip

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Rush

Adobe Spark

FinalCut

Handbrake

iMovie

ScreenFlow

Sonicfire Pro 6

VLC

Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Dimension

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe XD

Collaboration

Basecamp

Evernote

Microsoft Teams

Monday

Slack

Workfront

Zoom

Design Apps

Affinity Designer

Affinity Photo

Affinity Publisher

Apple Keynote

Apple Numbers

Apple Pages

Canva

ON1 Photo Raw

Microsoft

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Social Media

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Pinterest

SnapChat

TikTok

Twitter

YouTube

Vimeo

Web Design / Coding

Adobe XD

Coda

HTML, CSS, and PHP

Transmit

Web Development

UI/UX

Landing Page Design

Mobile Applications

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Website Architecture

WordPress Theme Design

WordPress Plugin Development

Client Experience (Short List)

Advil


American Cancer Society

American Diabetes Association

American Home Foods

Arthritis Foundation


AT&T

Chef Boyardee

Citizens Bank

Colgate


Discovery Channel

Exxon-Mobil

Holiday Inn

Houston Power & Lighting

International Budget Partnership

Irish Spring

Johnson and Johnson

Louisville Slugger

McDonalds

MCI

New York Telephone

March of Dimes

MetLife

Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry/National Agriculture Aviation Museum

Mississippi Department of Economic & Community Development

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

Mississippi Power

On-the-Run Convenience Stores

PAM Cooking Spray

PNC Bank

PROMUS Hotel Corporation

Sara Lee Branded Apparel

St. Dominic/Jackson Memorial Hospital


STIHL

Taste of the Nation

Trustmark National Bank

Union Planters Bank

United States Army


United States Cruise Lines

United States Mint

United States Postal Service

Vanderbilt Medical Center

Industry Experience

Accounting

Affiliate

Agriculture

Aircraft

Apparel

Associations & Societies

Audio & Video

Automotive

Aviation

Banking / Mortgage

Beauty

Beverage

Business Services

Chemical

Communications

Computers

Confectionery Snacks

Construction

Consulting

Consumer Packaged Goods

Cosmetics

Dentistry

Design

Education

Electrical

Employment Services

Energy

Engineering

Entertainment

Environmental

Facilities Management

Finance

Flooring

Food Service

Footwear

Garden Equipment

Government

Health & Fitness

Health Care

Heating & Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Higher Education

Home Furnishings

Home Improvement

Hospitality

Information Technology

Interior Decorating

Internet products & Services

Janitorial

Landscaping

Legal Services

Logistics & Shipping

Manufacturing

Marketing

Medical

Merchandise

Museums

Music

Newspaper

Not for Profit

Packaged Goods

Performing Arts

Pet Care (Supplies)

Pharmaceutical

Plumbing

Production Services

Public Relations

Public Service

Publishing

Radio

Real Estate

Religious

Restaurants

Retail (E-commerce)

Safety (& Security)

Sales

Software

Sports

Technology

Telecommunications

Toys

Transportation

Travel & Tourism

Utilities

Venture Capital

Wine & Spirits