Director of Motion Studio

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day management, staffing and performance of Simantel Motion Studio
• Maintain strong service to existing agency teams and clients while implementing improvements to the department
• Work with agency leadership to develop and execute plans for improving studio profitability, efficiency and growth
• Monitor departmental revenue, utilization, staffing costs, project profitability and resource needs
• Identify opportunities to increase revenue through existing clients, new relationships and expanded production services
• Partner with Account, Creative, Strategy and new-business teams to develop and pursue motion-first opportunities
• Evaluate and refine studio offerings based on client demand, market conditions and available capabilities
• Work with Studio Operations and Finance to improve estimating practices, pricing models, budgeting and financial accountability
• Determine the appropriate balance of internal production resources, freelance talent and external production companies
• Lead personnel management, performance evaluations, professional development and staffing recommendations

Requirements

• Significant experience in agency production, integrated production, content studio management or related creative operations
• Strong understanding of how a full-service advertising agency operates, including the relationships among Creative, Strategy, Account, Finance and Production
• Demonstrated ability to manage people, budgets, resources and multiple production priorities
• Strong business judgment and an understanding of the factors that influence revenue, profitability, utilization and growth
• Experience with agency estimating, project financial systems, vendor management and production budgeting
• Working knowledge of commercial production practices, including internal production teams, freelance crews and external production companies
• Experience leading complex commercial, documentary, branded-content or other client-facing productions
• Ability to serve as a confident Executive Producer, providing sound judgment, client reassurance and effective production oversight
• Ability to recognize business opportunities and help develop services that respond to client needs
• Experience improving workflows, managing organizational change and introducing more efficient production practices