Creative Director, Visual Storytelling

Abbott Laboratories • Lewes, DE

1d • $149,300 - $298,700

About The Position

Lead Abbott’s internal visual storytelling team across video, motion graphics, and photography, and own the creative quality of its work. The Creative Director sets storytelling and visual standards, personally directs the most important productions, and builds a team and systems that deliver agency-level work at internal speed. The role ensures stories about real people and life-changing technology are told with craft and honesty across the platforms where audiences watch.

The role provides creative leadership and hands-on direction for priority productions, including patient stories, brand films, and executive content. It leads the motion graphics and photography teams in establishing a consistent visual language, coaches multidisciplinary creatives, and develops platform-native storytelling approaches. It also oversees team workflows and production operations, including budgets, freelancers, vendors, equipment, crew scaling, and selective use of AI production tools.

Requirements

• Experience running an in-house video studio for a major healthcare brand, including leading a team, setting standards, and delivering high volume across business lines; portfolio required.
• 15+ years as a working director and cinematographer.
• Experience founding and running a production company for national brands.
• Deep documentary craft, including interviewing real people, finding authentic moments, and building emotion without a script.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary creative teams, including editors, motion designers, and photographers.
• Experience creating platform-specific edits and working with social teams on content designed for the feed.
• Comfort working within regulated healthcare review.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to sell creative work to senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Own the creative vision and storytelling standards for video, motion, and photography produced by the team.
• Review treatments, edits, and final work, maintaining the quality standard for all published work.
• Serve as a senior creative voice on visual storytelling across Abbott, advising brand teams on the appropriate use of film, motion, and photography.
• Personally direct and shoot priority productions, including patient stories, brand films, and executive content.
• Lead on set and model documentary interviewing and cinematography craft for the team.
• Guide post-production through editing, color, sound, and motion design.
• Lead motion graphics and photography teams and establish a consistent visual language across film, motion, and still photography.
• Develop editors, animators, and photographers through hands-on coaching.
• Design platform-specific edits from the treatment stage rather than adapting them after production.
• Set craft standards for vertical and sound-off viewing, including how stories capture attention in the first two seconds.
• Build faster, lighter production models for social content alongside flagship films.
• Partner with social and digital teams and use content performance to inform future storytelling.
• Mentor and develop the team through hands-on coaching and creative feedback.
• Build workflows and intake processes that allow a small team to handle high volume without sacrificing quality.
• Manage budgets, freelancers, vendors, and equipment; scale crews for large productions while maintaining a small, unobtrusive documentary footprint.
• Introduce AI production tools when they improve quality or speed, and avoid them when they do not.
• Present and sell creative ideas to senior leadership.

Benefits

• Career development with an international company.
• Free medical coverage for employees via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO.
• Retirement savings plan with high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Freedom 2 Save student debt program.
• FreeU education benefit, an affordable and convenient path to earning a bachelor’s degree.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed