Creative Director

STATE OF PLAY•Chicago, IL

20d•$120,000 - $125,000

About The Position

The Creative Director will play a critical role in defining and leading the creative vision across all Flight Club and AceBounce locations. This role is responsible for shaping how each brand comes to life across all guest-facing touchpoints—from marketing campaigns and content to in-venue experiences, food and beverage, and programming. The Creative Director partners closely with Marketing, Event Sales, Operations, and external creative agencies to translate business objectives into compelling, on-brand creative strategies that drive awareness, reservations, and event revenue. This role oversees the development and execution of creative assets, brand storytelling, and experiential concepts at both the national and local levels, ensuring consistency, quality, and innovation across markets while strengthening community connection and brand differentiation.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive creative leadership experience, ideally within hospitality, entertainment, lifestyle, or experiential brands; “eatertainment” experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success leading creative strategy and execution for integrated campaigns, brand experiences, and multi-channel initiatives tied to measurable business outcomes.
Proven ability to partner with senior leadership, translating business objectives and brand strategy into compelling creative direction.
Strong portfolio of work showcasing brand storytelling across digital, physical, and experiential environments.
Experience leading and mentoring multidisciplinary creative teams, including designers, writers, and external agencies.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-market environment, balancing big-picture vision with hands-on execution when needed.
Exceptional storytelling skills, with a deep understanding of how narrative drives guest engagement and brand differentiation.
Excellent problem solving skills with the ability to analyze complex business requirements and translate them into technical solutions

Responsibilities

Lead the creative vision for State of Play Hospitality, Flight Club and AceBounce across all guest-facing touchpoints, ensuring brand consistency, differentiation, and emotional impact.
Define, lead, and evolve the creative direction for all guest-facing brand expressions, including campaigns, content, programming, partnerships, and in-venue experiences.
Act as brand guardian, ensuring creative consistency, quality, and differentiation across all markets, channels, and touchpoints.
Provide creative leadership across integrated marketing initiatives, aligning creative output with revenue goals, event sales priorities, and guest experience KPIs established by the leadership.
Direct and mentor internal creative resources and external agencies, setting clear briefs, providing strategic feedback, and ensuring excellence from concept through execution.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Event Sales, Culinary, and venue leadership to ensure creative ideas are operationally viable, scalable, and impactful at the venue level.
Lead creative development for major brand moments, including seasonal campaigns, high-profile events, partnerships, and experiential activations.
Partner with the CMO on new venue openings and brand expansions, shaping the creative framework for pre-launch, opening, and post-launch phases.
Oversee creative workflows, timelines, and budgets in alignment with priorities and approvals set in collaboration with leadership.
Review and approve all significant creative deliverables, maintaining brand standards while enabling speed and efficiency.
Identify emerging trends and innovation opportunities across hospitality, entertainment, design, and technology.
Support executive storytelling and brand leadership, contributing to board materials, investor presentations, and external-facing brand narratives as needed.