AUSTIN ARNOLD
Creative Director | Enterprise Brand & Integrated Marketing Leader
Chicago, IL | Remote
austarnold@gmail.com | 443.845.6316 | www.austinarnold.me

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Strategic Creative Director with 13+ years leading integrated brand platforms across digital, social, paid media, retail, and experiential channels. Proven track record translating enterprise growth objectives into high-impact creative ecosystems that drive revenue, increase market share, and expand audience segments. Experienced leading multidisciplinary teams (6–10+) and partnering cross-functionally with executive leadership, sales, and retail stakeholders to scale brands nationally and internationally.

CORE EXPERTISE
Integrated Campaign Strategy | Brand Platform Development | Enterprise Marketing Leadership | Retail & Shopper Marketing | Paid & Performance Creative | Social Ecosystem Strategy | Creative Operations & Process Scaling | Executive Stakeholder Alignment | Team Leadership & Mentorship | Product Launches | Experiential & Influencer Marketing

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Papatui (Dwayne Johnson-founded men’s care brand) | Remote
Jul 2025 – Present
- Lead end-to-end creative strategy and execution across digital, paid, social, retail, and experiential channels supporting national retail distribution.
- Directed 2025 Holiday campaign driving category growth and positioning Papatui as the only men’s care brand at Walmart to gain market share during peak season.
- Partnered with retail marketing and sales to develop in-store and shopper campaigns contributing to #1 men’s face care ranking at Target.
- Built and scaled YouTube and paid social content strategy, increasing engagement rates and expanding performance creative output.
- Concepted and produced always-on content across Dwayne Johnson’s social ecosystem, generating millions of views and strengthening brand affinity.
- Increased owned social following by 280% while implementing scalable internal production workflows and creative operations systems.

FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Fire Kite | Molson Coors | Papatui | Remote
Apr 2024 – Jul 2025
- Led integrated brand storytelling and experiential marketing initiatives for national clients across digital and event platforms.
- Built Vaulted’s first full-funnel brand platform including positioning, messaging architecture, and visual identity system.
- Directed website and app creative aligning UX, brand storytelling, and performance marketing goals.
- Managed external production partners and vendors for multi-market shoots and conference activations, delivering on time and on budget.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
The Escape Pod | Chicago, IL
Jan 2022 – Apr 2024
- Co-led creative department overseeing 6–8 designers, writers, and producers across four brands and multimillion-dollar marketing programs.
- Translated enterprise business objectives into integrated campaigns spanning paid, digital, retail, and experiential channels.
- Rebranded and relaunched Golf Pride nationally, modernizing perception and increasing brand visibility.
- Developed and launched women’s equity golf initiative with professional athletes, expanding new audience segments.
- Led European market expansion strategy in partnership with sales and marketing leadership.

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
The Escape Pod | Chicago, IL
Oct 2018 – Jan 2022
- Led 360° national campaign for Merrick Pet Care across TV, digital, retail, and social.
- Directed experiential activations and influencer programs driving measurable engagement growth.
- Presented creative strategy to senior client leadership and contributed to major new business wins.
- Mentored junior creatives to elevate craft standards and improve output consistency.

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
Havas | Chicago, IL
Apr 2016 – Oct 2018
- Led cross-channel creative for AutoZone and Mike’s Hard Lemonade across retail, broadcast, and digital.
- Rebranded AutoZone loyalty ecosystem to improve customer retention and in-store engagement.
- Partnered with strategy and account leadership to align creative with performance objectives.

ART DIRECTOR
Digitas | Chicago, IL
Oct 2014 – Apr 2016
- Created “It’s Miller Time Awards,” driving Miller Lite to #1 brand on Twitter during campaign window.
- Integrated experiential activations with digital storytelling to increase social engagement and brand reach.

EARLY CAREER
Junior Art Director | Commonground | Chicago, IL
Apr 2013 – Oct 2014

EDUCATION
Miami Ad School | Miami, FL - Art Direction
Apr 2011 – Apr 2013
Frostburg State University | Frostburg, MD - B.S. Advertising
Sep 2004 – Apr 2008
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