Creative Strategist, Brand & Partnerships
About The Position
The Creative Strategist will develop original ideas that connect advertising partners with audiences through branded content, social storytelling, talent partnerships, and live experiences. As part of the Brand & Partnerships team and reporting to the Head of Marketing, this person will translate client objectives, audience insights, and cultural trends into sponsorship concepts and persuasive pitches. The role focuses primarily on ideation, creative strategy, and pre-sale development. It calls for a conceptual thinker and storyteller with a strong understanding of sports, basketball culture, and entertainment who can develop an unexpected angle, build an idea around it, and explain its value to a brand. The Creative Strategist will work closely with Sales, Editorial, Social, Design, Production, and Talent, leading creative development from the initial brief through proposal and presentation. The role also develops proactive partnership ideas, branded content franchises, recurring formats, and sponsorship platforms. During proposal development, the strategist consults with relevant teams on feasibility, audience fit, and resource needs; refines ideas to reflect production parameters, budget guidance, talent, and rights; and prepares creative briefs. After a partnership is sold, the strategist leads the creative conversation with the Project Manager as work transitions to Production and Project Management, and remains a resource on the original concept. Campaign delivery, timelines, budgets, and day-to-day client management are owned by execution teams.
Requirements
- 5–7+ years of experience in creative strategy, integrated strategy, branded content development, or partnership ideation at a media publisher, sports or entertainment company, creative agency, or brand.
- Ability to translate client briefs and audience insights into distinctive, commercially relevant partnership ideas.
- Excellent writing, storytelling, and presentation skills, including experience developing proposals and pitching to clients or agencies.
- Strong understanding of sports, basketball culture, entertainment, creators, and social platform behaviors.
- Experience developing ideas across social, video, digital, talent partnerships, and experiential.
- Strong organization and judgment, with the ability to manage multiple briefs and pitch deadlines.
Responsibilities
- Develop original partnership concepts across branded video, social, editorial, talent, gaming, and experiential formats.
- Translate advertiser objectives and target audience needs into creative strategies, campaign narratives, and distinctive ideas.
- Use audience insights, category research, cultural trends, and past campaign learnings to explain why concepts will resonate.
- Lead brainstorms and synthesize contributions into focused, pitch-ready concepts.
- Identify credible ways for brands to participate in basketball culture, sports, entertainment, and emerging fan conversations.
- Partner with Sales and Brand Partnerships on RFP responses, owning creative strategy, concept development, and proposal narratives.
- Write campaign overviews, series descriptions, sample episode ideas, talent recommendations, and brand integration concepts.
- Present ideas to clients, agencies, and internal stakeholders; explain the strategic rationale and respond to feedback.
- Refine concepts during the sales process while preserving the central idea and addressing client priorities.
- Develop proactive ideas that give Sales reasons to engage prospective and existing partners.
- Create branded content franchises, recurring formats, and sponsorship platforms with potential for repeat investment.
- Package opportunities around major sports and entertainment moments, editorial properties, talent access, and live events.
- Maintain a pipeline of ideas, creative references, and partnership opportunities informed by emerging trends and advertiser needs.
- Consult with Editorial, Social, Production, Talent, and other relevant teams on feasibility, audience fit, and resource requirements during proposal development.
- Refine concepts to reflect production parameters, budget guidance, and available talent or rights.
- Prepare creative briefs documenting the approved concept, strategic rationale, brand role, and essential storytelling elements.
- Lead the creative conversation with the Project Manager during the transition of sold partnerships to Production and Project Management.
- Serve as a resource for questions about the original concept; execution teams own campaign delivery, timelines, budgets, and day-to-day client management.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life and AD&D insurance
- Short-term disability insurance
- Long-term disability insurance
- Fertility and family-forming assistance
- Wellbeing allowance
- Educational assistance
- Mental health coaching or therapy
- Tax-advantaged accounts, including FSA, HSA, and healthcare/dependent care FSAs
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Commuter benefits
- Unlimited time off, including vacation and sick time
- Personal days
- Annual discretionary performance bonus, subject to Company discretion and applicable terms
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
