The chosen Lead, Creative Services will support the design of experiences for world-renowned brands in addition to working on the creation of original IP, touring and semi-permanent location based experience design, international pavilion exposition design, and mixed-reality experience design. This person should be passionate about telling stories and crafting emotional experiences
that blur the lines between films and theatre. The ideal candidate believes in and practices collaborative design, open innovation, teamwork and never gives up imagining solutions to the work’s most significant challenges. The Lead, Creative Services should also help refine the overall art direction and creative process, and find efficiencies across the global ecosystem of Big Lab/NEON Creative. Acute emotional intelligence and an elevated sense of good judgment would be beneficial.
The Lead, Creative Services has strong creative intuitions, an advanced and compelling art, visual and scenic design background, and an ability to embrace change and make the best of it.
Duties and responsibilities
Creative Development
• Collaborates with Creative Directors through the process of scenic development and experience design development and implementation.
• Provides art direction and supports the presentation/pitches of new concepts and iterations to our IP partners under the guidance of the Executive Creative Director.
• Researches new creations and design sources, methods, approaches, and materials that support the design effort at each stage of development (ideation, creation and implementation)
• Researches and suggests creative collaborators, partners and world-class vendors, sourcing contractors to support the projects in creation.
• Participates in creative brainstorming contributing to Big Lab and NEON Creative collective.
Team Management
• Manage and mentor a team of junior and senior designers from various specialisations (3D, 2D, technologist, researchers, etc) .
• Lead and drive all production design and scenic development aspects of NEON experiences.
• Supports the planning of a portfolio of design-related exhibits and experience projects in coordination with the Creative Global Planning team.
Required Education and Experience
• Think holistically about a project, retail, box-office, F&B, story, show, experience, etc.
• Ability to manage a team of junior and senior designers from various specialisations.
• Ability to manage a portfolio of projects at various levels of development and under changing conditions and tight deadlines.
• Understanding of design fabrication, prototyping, and production.
• Ability to read drawing sets for design documentation, blueprints, and floor plans.
• Ability to write creative briefs / treatments / content for new and existing projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in experiential design, theater, exhibition design, set design, visual arts, performing arts, film, video gaming, exhibit, graphic design, environmental design, museum
installation, computer art, product design or related field, highly desirable.
• 10 years+ of experience in designing installations, exhibits, interventions, immersive theater or immersive installations, or similar.
• Expertise in SketchUp, AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite preferred.
Soft skills / hard truths
• Curiosity about the world and how it moves people in various ways. In particular, how it moves people to grow.
• Generous creator who believes that a strong creation design team needs an equally strong production team to support and enhance the creative vision.
• A passion for pop-culture with a global outlook on what’s resonating around the world with different audiences.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks and projects seamlessly, across the globe with excellent attention to detail.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including external partners and creative collaborators from around the world.
• Expert level of visual communications, great understanding of various narrative structure and an ability to present outside of the beaten path.
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective interdependently.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and a sense of good judgment. Adaptability to various competing demands is necessary for succeeding in this role.
• Demonstrated ability to meet aggressive deadlines with grace and humor.
• Open to the inevitable evolution of the role.
