Contract Creative Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

The Opportunity

Liquid Media is a full-service creative marketing agency. We help brands win with the next generation. Our roots are in gaming and esports. We create culturally relevant work built for participation, community, and long-term impact. We operate at the intersection of culture, media, and live experiences. We help brands show up credibly across platforms, languages, and regions.

As the Creative Director, you are the visionary anchor for Liquid Media. You will be responsible for all creative output and help shape the agency's long-term creative directionr. Reporting to the Managing Director, you will build and lead a high-performing creative team, ensuring every deliverable is expressive, dynamic, and reflects consistent agency excellence.

Location: Los Angeles, CA or US Remote

What You'll Be Doing:

• Creative Vision and Excellence

  • Serve as the primary stakeholder for creative quality control.

  • Ensure no work leaves the agency without a senior vision applied.

  • Align creative output with brand direction and agency standards.

  • Lead the development of culturally relevant work for major partners including Riot Games, Adidas, and Alienware.

  • Apply a deep understanding of youth culture to reimagine marketing moments.

  • Lead development of VFX-enhanced broadcast spots and platform-native content.

• Strategic Leadership

  • Partner with the Strategy team to integrate strategy as a service across all creative work.

  • Ensure creative concepts solve deep-rooted brand problems, not just surface-level briefs.

  • Champion the agency's unique selling propositions and focus on defined cultural influence.

  • Contribute to agency growth by helping secure high-profile new business wins.

• Team Building

  • Build a permanent creative team including Art Directors, copywriters, and designers.

  • Collaborate with the Operations Director on a strategic resourcing model.

  • Consult on fractional creative director needs for specific contracts.

  • Ensure the right creative experts are in the room for every pitch.

• Operational Accountability

  • Partner with the Director of Agency Operations to ensure creative visions are financially viable.

  • Align creative work with project budgets and understand how creative efficiency impacts agency profitability and EBITDA targets.

  • Embrace openness to hard conversations and implement changes needed to achieve scalability and professional maturity.

What You'll Need:

• 12 or more years of experience in a creative role, with a significant portion at the senior or director level.

• Agency background is required, with experience at established, high-standard creative agencies.

• Proven experience building and leading a creative department, including hiring, structuring, and developing teams across both traditional creative roles (Art Directors, copywriters, designers) and production personnel (producers, editors, motion designers, and technical specialists).

• Proven track record delivering integrated marketing work across multiple channels and platforms.

• Deep expertise in gaming, esports, and digital culture.

• Experience with immersive worlds such as Minecraft, Roblox, or Fortnite is a plus.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving agency environment.

• Passion for mentoring junior talent and building agency infrastructure from the ground up.

• Ability to travel domestically approximately 25% for client meetings, cross-functional planning sessions, and agency initiatives as needed.

Salary Range (U.S.-based role):
The anticipated base salary range for this position is $130,000 – $170,000 + bonus opportunities.

Actual compensation will be determined based on job-related factors such as skills, experience, education, internal equity, and geographic location, where applicable and permitted by law.

Benefits & Other Compensation:
This position is eligible for company-provided benefits, which may include health insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, and retirement-related benefits, subject to plan terms and eligibility requirements.

Disclaimer:

Team Liquid does not work with third-party agencies or agents. Official recruiting communications are only shared through verified Team Liquid channels.