Creative Lead

Creative Lead, US

You’re a Senior Creative, looking for their next move who wants to work with some of the world’s biggest entertainment brands. You’re an ambitious and talented designer who sees every brief as a chance to make something memorable, who can think boldly, design beautifully, and bring ideas to life with craft, curiosity and taste.

This is a hands-on role for someone who can do it all and do it well. One day you're crafting ideas and designing a pitch deck for a comedy, the next you're cutting together a reel for an action movie premiere, or building out invites, signage and motion assets for a horror launch event. You'll work across film campaigns from day one; print, social, events, the lot.

About Us

We’re Substance, a global creative agency built around brave ideas, a passion for design, and a love of pop culture. We create work that moves fast, feels fresh and gets noticed for clients like Disney, Amazon and A24. Our roots are in entertainment, our passion is storytelling, and our independence fuels everything we do.

The Role

We're opening our first permanent US studio. You'd be one of the founding team out there, working alongside our LA-based Project Manager and Account Director to bring our craft-led approach stateside.

You’ll be designing print and digital collateral for events, as well as editing video content and building motion graphics for social. Working directly with our UK creative team on shared campaigns, while shaping what "good" looks like for our US output. Acting as the on-the-ground creative voice for LA clients and partners. In the long term this role has the potential to grow as our creative capacity in the US scales.

You’ll Be

A natural go-getter who thrives on collaboration and creative problem-solving.

A conceptual thinker who loves coming up with concepts and shaping ideas.

Obsessed with design craft, typography, and visual storytelling.

Fluent in the tools of the trade (Adobe Creative Suite including motion skills).

An all-rounder, capable of concepting at a high level while also rolling up your sleeves to design, animate, and experiment directly.

Excited by entertainment, pop culture, and what’s next in digital creativity.

Confident presenting to clients and selling the power of a strong visual idea.

What You’ll Do

Lead the ideation, visual direction and execution of digital and social campaigns

Develop look-and-feel guidelines, art boards, and treatments that set the creative tone.

Oversee design and motion across all campaign assets, ensuring quality, consistency, and boldness.

Work closely with designers, editors, and motion designers to bring ideas to life.

Be both an Art Director and a hands-on Graphic and Motion Designer, capable of concepting at a high level while also rolling up your sleeves to design, animate, and experiment directly.

Get hands-on when needed, designing, animating, and pushing creative boundaries.

Help refine studio workflows and elevate creative standards across the board.

Collaborate with clients and internal teams to make great ideas real.

Experience required

You’ll have a few solid years behind you in a creative or digital agency or as a freelancer, with a portfolio that shows range, taste and ambition.

You’ve led projects and shaped campaigns that made an impact, visually, emotionally, or culturally.

You’re fluent in graphic design and motion, confident presenting ideas to clients, and comfortable switching between hands-on creation and big-picture direction.

Most importantly, you care deeply about the craft, and about pushing it somewhere new every time.

What We Offer

A collaborative, ambitious and genuinely friendly creative team.

A focus on personal growth, with training, mentorship and opportunities to shape the future of our creative department.

And plenty of perks that support balance, curiosity and creativity.

Ready to make work that people actually talk about?

We’d love to see your portfolio.

Perks

Competitive Salary

23 days holiday + Loyalty Scheme

Vitality Healthcare package (gym, optician, dental discounts)

Pension Plan

Perkbox discounts & points programme

Access to co-working spaces

Courses & time for professional development

Electric Vehicle & Salary Saver schemes

Ready to Join Team Substance?

Please send your CV and cover letter to jobs@substanceglobal.com

Our recruitment process removes personal identifiers to support fairness and reduce unconscious bias. Applications are reviewed based on skills, experience, and potential alone.

At Substance Global, we’re building a team that reflects the diversity of the audiences we serve. We welcome people of all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives — and encourage those who may not meet every single requirement to still apply.

We are proud to be on our journey to B Corp certification, championing sustainability, equity, and purpose in everything we do.

If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.