Creative Director - Brand & Experience Innovator

MAUREENCARTER

innovator expert brand builder experiential creator design leader

***********@*****.*** 609-***-**** www.linkedin.com/in/maureencarter www.themaureencarter.com IG: @the_maureencarter

STATEMENT:

Emmy award–winning super culture Creative Director with 25+ years of experience shaping global brands through storytelling, brand expression, digital design, and culture-driven experiential work. I specialize in big-idea visual worlds, brand architecture, digital ecosystems, and holistic celebrity campaigns that deliver measurable results from Bruno Mars to Barack Obama. A multidisciplinary creator fluent in design theory, photography, UX, and animation, I’ve led award-winning teams across digital, social, and content platforms. My work has been recognized internationally for excellence in advertising, photography, digital design, interactive campaigns, brand strategy, composition, typography, video, UX, and 360 experiences. A champion of motion, metaphor, and multi-medium craft, I bring a powerful network of creative talent and a visionary approach to design, innovation, culture, and ROI-driven storytelling. CREATIVE EXPERTISE IN DESIGN, INNOVATION, DIGITAL, BRANDED CONTENT & 360 EXPERIENCES. EDUCATION:

Pratt Institute, New York, N.Y., M.S. Visual/Communications Design, Magna Cum Laude Hampton University, Hampton, V.A., B.A. Graphic Design, Magna Cum Laude Yale School of Management “Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders”, March 2021 WORK EXPERIENCE:

EBONY MEDIA (MAGAZINE) – New York, NY (July 2025 - Present) Executive Creative Director – Photo, Brand, Digital, UX, 360 Experiences As the Creative Director at EBONY, reporting to the CEO, I lead the in-house creative vision and global brand evolution of one of the most iconic media brands in the world and shaping its visual identity, brand narrative, and multi-platform presence across digital and traditional channels. I drive a bold, global creative vision while working with key stakeholders and clients, that blends innovation, cultural relevance, and strategic brand excellence. I craft high-impact creative campaigns, develop compelling visual narratives, and oversee the production of multimedia content, including the brand book, digital covers, photography, editorial packages, short-form video, animation, social creative direction, visual tenets, and branded content with partners such as Coke, Estee Lauder, Nationwide and LVMH to name a few. This hands-on executive leadership role is rooted in creative excellence and spans concept development, leading, and directing celebrity cover photoshoots with tier-one talent, crafting go- to-market strategies from ideation through execution, and developing persuasive creative presentations for internal stakeholders and client partnerships across fashion, beauty, healthcare, beverages, finance, and lifestyle. I collaborate closely with editorial, integrated marketing, and studio teams to build visual systems and concepts that deepen audience engagement and propel the brand forward, including leading marketing campaigns, reimagining site and app experiences as well as brand culture IRL events. I also drive digital innovation by leveraging emerging technologies, platform trends, and data- driven insights to optimize performance while establishing and executing the brand vision. From AI and AR exploration to data-driven optimization, while managing all asset organization, is my collaborative workstyle as the visual quality leader. I stay ahead of digital trends to keep EBONY’s values at the forefront of culture/next gen and 360-degree storytelling across the ecosystem with influence and design excellence by launching global, culturally relevant identities, campaigns and experiences at scale with a particular emphasis on brand design. I exemplified passion for both leading and developing exceptional creative solutions and systems at a global scale in compositions, web design, layout and typographic solutions with taste in order to elevate the brand.

Ultimately, my mission is to honor the brand’s heritage while reimagining its future - building a modern, dynamic creative ecosystem that resonates with audiences worldwide. My role spans creative strategy, content innovation, and cross-functional leadership, while remaining hands-on expertise across all design tools. As hands on in photo art direction for cover shoots and videography/motion design, I also resource a team of designers, producers, creators, and writers, fostering a collaborative environment that champions experimentation, quality, and consistency across every brand touchpoint. As a mentor, partner, and leader, with executive presence, I create multidisciplinary creative across design, video, social, editorial, and copy, establishing processes and standards that ensure all work is on brand, on strategy, and executed at the highest level with style and taste via photo work, brand books, brand strategy, toolkits and style guides.

NIKE – New York, NY (July 2023 – January 2025)

Global Creative Director (Digital Product Design, Brand Design, Photography, 360 Experientials) As a global creative leader of innovative design & craft, this role was responsible to drive creative initiatives with seamless consistency across the SNKRS brand digital and IRL experience by executing captivating creative solutions, predicting future trends, concepting digital first campaigns, implementing targeted audience messaging and creative executions. As a lead across the global brand, I led creative campaigns while collaborating with product, engineering and data research for celebrity influences digitally, while motivating and promoting the value of the creative team influence and set creative direction in motion, while building internal relationships and defining high standards in design, content, and thought leadership for how the world defines soul and sport.

As Creative Director, my role wad responsible to drive creative initiatives across the SNKRS brand with delivery of all design aesthetics, digital prototypes/animations, photography, and global brand initiatives including graphical assets that touch video, social content, set design, print, marketing campaigns and PR executions. Execution of compelling presentations and delivery, create brand design for live events and develop consistent storytelling across brand touchpoints via stylistic visuals and verbal tone was the day to day. Management and delivery of internal and external 3rd parties and agencies while ensuring captivating visuals that represented the SNRKS brand as relevant, cool and impacts initiative to explore, consume, engage and impact.

As a thought leader and culture partner who guided the vision for social and editorial visual storytelling, this role focused on the high-level view and close up view of the work with insight in marketing trends, business goals and socializing progress to all parties via captivating presentations. While building a cultivating environment where diverse views are valued and mentoring, hiring and developing a global design team in New York, Paris, Milan, Berlin and London this role influenced international brand experiences that extended to Japan and Korea promoting the #1 sneaker brand worldwide digitally and in-person experiences that are on brand and audience-centric.

BET Networks (Viacom/CBS/Paramount) – New York, NY (January 2015 – July 2023) Vice President, GCD: Design, Photography & UX (Brand, Digital, Video Animation, 360 Experientials) Vice President of Design & UX/Photo and Experiential Design for BET NETWORKS, this role oversaw visual storytelling for content driven destinations via, visual design, brand extensions, digital design, franchise branding and ideation for social series, digital and photography and digital animation as lead creative/art director. Served as the key user/audience advocate, ideating and collaborating on designing original, engaging products & content, a company rebrand as well as storytelling – led the creative vision (process) for the suite of BET’s digital products, participates in marketing design and innovative social executions in all forms of visual aesthetics. Spearheading cutting edge ideas while leading the creation of immersive focus on the “voice of the user” via visual design/ID, shoots, video, social executions, live set design, stage graphics, digital covers, sizzle reels and branding campaigns for all platforms. including leading visuals for BET+ streaming launch and served as a member of the senior leadership team for the entire organization and within Paramount Creative, including editorial, operations, marketing and tech. This role led photography for the company including original shoots, set and live events, creation of visually compelling assets for tv, print and digital, user interfaces, content graphics, design themes, style guides, toolkits, short form content, including visuals and tone, brand voice, sales assets and understanding that creative culture experiences are 360 whether across the digital ecosystem or on the red carpet. Experience working with internal and external adjacent teams, partners, 3rd party and agencies while leading and developing an award-winning in house multi-disciplinary creative team. Maintained day to day as operational shifts and company transformation occurred, motivated and focused on team needs, “open door” leadership and consistent delivered all deadlines, stayed strategic and propelled design excellence. Led the crafting and delivery of powerful presentations to internal and external stakeholders while supporting and collaborating with the sales team by providing sizzles and visualizations to propel sales partnerships with major Fortune 500 brands: Coca Cola, Pepsi, Cadillac, Lincoln, Wells Fargo, Roku, Apple TV, Alexa, XBOX, and numerous agency partners. Creation of branded packages, via social partnerships (Twitter, YT, IG, SC, FB, TT), graphics and animation packaging for original content, set design, structural activations, live award show immersive activations and understanding that a modern user experience is a 360 world, including the metaverse. While working alongside the editorial, analytics, technology, VR/AR and digital sales and experiential marketing counterparts of all of Viacom/Paramount (MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Vidcon) to ensure that consistent digital experiences engage, delight, inform and entertain. Mentor, leader and teacher with hands on design expertise in typography, layout, photo art direction, composition design and brand campaigns across all mediums.

Deloitte Digital – Washington, DC (July 2013 - December 2014) Executive Creative Director (Studio, Digital)

Deloitte, the mega-house and the largest consulting firm in the world purchased a top app design agency, Ubermind and renamed it Deloitte Digital and from there began opening multiple studios globally with top award winning creative and technology talent. Deloitte Digital is a global, full-service digital agency that combines serious creative chops with trusted business sense while driving the future of mobile, digital strategy, merging technologies, creative and social. Clients such as Adobe, Showtime, The White House, Apple and Target join the long list of the world’s leading brands for which beautiful digital and creative experiences are created. Including overseeing the hiring of creative talent and ideation for the global studios in Shanghai, China and Mumbai also while creating design solutions for South African fashion and media clientele. As the Exec. Creative Director spearheading the Washington, DC Studio, responsibilities included defining the vision of product offerings, creating the in house culture, building and leading a robust UX design team from the ground up that offered visual design, user experience, conceptual solutions, research and innovative thinking that by design delivered top clients in government and top businesses with what they need to win with their audiences with a reach as large as 300+ MM. This role was also critical in overall branding development, creative thought leadership as well as international design and product design contributions internationally via photo work, ideation, composition design and the strongest aesthetics, design systems, UI, typographic and iconography solutions.

Nickelodeon (Viacom) – New York, NY (June 2010 – July 2013) Vice President, Creative Director, Digital Brand Creative Creative lead responsible for leading the Emmy winning design vision and team for the iconic Nickelodeon brand via its destinations: NICK.com, ****@****.***, Teennick.com, Nickjr.com, Nicktoons.com and creation of the Nickmom.com brand as well as influence the overall branding, channel visual design, user-centric design models for the brand while providing a young audience an engaging design experience that tied the on air brands to the digital space for all MTV Kids and Family franchises.

Tasks included leadership and development of a creative experience that elevates the brands of Nickelodeon in the digital and social space including product design, digital marketing, advertising and 360 immersive experiences. Contributions include leading design theory within the demographic, creating brand books, design operations, XBOX design, digital animation, photo and animation art direction, digital illustration, video as well as participating in the overall creative approach for the network shows while evangelizing digital design models and creative strategies across the company for live shows, animated shows, and store brand experiences. Leading and mentoring a team structure with pizazz, craft and deliver presentations, managing budgets and team utilization targets, redesigned the team structure and elevated team presence within the organization while implementing creative processes and standards was the day to day. Recruiting and fostering the team, creating a stronger presence for the teams’ value within the organization as well as partnering with adjacent teams and partners. Comcast/NBCU, Philadelphia, PA (July 2006 – June 2010) Creative Director, Interactive Media

Creative Director of the brand experiences for interactive property sites that included Comcast.net

(top portal site with revenues of over $114 MM), Daily Candy, Fancast and Fandango and other digital products including mobile and online community initiatives. Launched the first design of HULU and set creative direction for all design and campaign launches. Tasks include design leadership of developing brand and a user experience that increased engagement that resonated with a customer base of over 22 MM while aligning creative solutions to business objectives that achieve profitable results.

Focused on implementing creative strategy alongside product and editorial leads that influenced and ensured a consistently designed user interface with respect to an overarching brand including graphics for video, brand vis ID and photo curation. As senior representative responsibilities included socializing creative vision while mentoring and directing a large creative team (Design, UX, Copy) on creating high end interactive solutions, including product design, OTT and the total rebrand of Xfinity ON DEMAND and the brand extension experience. Development of visual designs across platforms managing integrated content offerings and advertising initiatives with partners such as Yahoo and Google. Responsible for maintaining a budget, utilization targets, employee retainment, mentoring, career development and recruiting creatives.

BRANDS: CREATIVE DIRECTION, DESIGN STRATEGY, BRAND & DIGITAL, PHOTOGRAPHY McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, State Farm, Vibe Media, BMG Entertainment: Arista Records/LaFace Records, ABC/Disney, MTV, Anthropologie, Sony, Starbucks, Campbells, LVMH, Tiffany & Co., Under Amour, Estee Lauder, Moet Hennessy, Jordan, Hulu, Google, NBCU, Paramount SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / NOMINATIONS / PROGRAMS

Speaker/Author, Design Management Institute, International DMI Education Conference Design Thinking - Paris, France 2008 – “ANALOGIC DESIGN EXPERIMENT: • WICT Rising Leaders Women’s Conference, 2009 • Nominated and selected for NAMIC Executive Leadership Program, UCLA Anderson Business School, September 2009 – April, 2010 graduate • The White House, Appointed Advisor and Judge to the 2013-2014 Innovation Youth Video Gaming Fellows • Digital Diversity Network Conference Speaker: Gaming, Animation & Diversity, 2019 • HOW Design Conference – Speaker, 2021• Digital Diversity Network Vice Chair Board Appointment 2022 • APPLE Podcast Guest, 2023 • American Marketing Association, Keynote Speaker 2023-2024 • Howard University Digital Diversity Panel, 2025 • Intro Expert, 2025 • Ghana “Seed” Mentor, 2025 Keynote Speaker, 2025 – Superside: Ai in Design Leadership and Customer Experiences

• Adjunct Professor of Design: 2000-Present (Ai, Typography, Layout Design, Color Theory, Art Direction)

(Moore College of Art & Design, Drexel, Academy of Art San Francisco, Pratt Institute)

• Proficient & Hands On: Adobe CS, Figma, Keynote/PPT, Ai programs - Midjourney. DaVinci AWARDS: CREATIVE DIRECTOR/DESIGN/PHOTO & UX:

2025 Fast Company’s “Brands That Matter” EBONY Media Exec. Creative Director, Brand 2025 Named “Power Player”, Washington DC Media

2024 Nike App Launch Award: Korea, SNKRS Launch

2023 “Power Women of Brooklyn” Recipient

2022 Clio Award: Digital Marketing Mural Campaign- BET Networks/Paramount 2021, 2022, 2023: (6) Webbys: UX, Digital Content, Digital Marketing and Design 2022: V.I.P. CEO Award: BET/Paramount

2020 (7) AVA Digital Awards in Web Video Production and Social (2 Gold, 2 Platinum, 3 HM) 2019 Cynopsis Media “It List” Digital Award Winner 2019 Cynopsis Media Model D Awards – Best Branded Content & Best Direct to Consumer Campaign – “BET-A Express” Finalist

2019 Marcomm Design Award – Original Digital Series 2018 Webby Nominee – Social Design Experiential Activation BET Awards 2018 Cynopsis Award – “Rate the Bars” BET Digital

2017 Webby Award Honoree: BET.com Redesign

2016 Ad Age Design Award: BET.com Redesign

2016 Marcomm Award: BET.com Redesign

2017 ASBPE Photo Award Winner: BET.com

2013 Primetime Emmy, Nickelodeon Digital, 2013

2013 Black Enterprise List of Top Women Executives in Marketing and Advertising 2010-2012 HOW Interactive Design Awards

25+ Interactive design awards prior years

*Expert level: Adobe CS, Figma and Design AI

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