CREATIVE DIRECTOR

• Instructor Introduction
• Course Objectives & Flow
• Q & A

By the end of Class 1, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at what a Creative Director really does, explore iconic campaigns, and start defining your own CD style. Let’s see what it takes to lead the creative charge.

• What is creative direction?
• CD’s career path & essential skills
• A day in the life of a CD
• Demo: Famous CDs: Bernbach, Hoffman, Pearson
• Workshop: Good vs. bad CD
• Workshop: Define your CD persona

Get the inside scoop on crafting killer creative briefs, partnering up with strategy, and spotting those game-changing insights. We'll even tackle what to do when you're stuck with a dud brief.

• Creative brief
• Partnering with strategy
• The power of a good insight
• Stuck with a bad brief?
• Demo: Brief vs. campaign
• In-Class Exercises: Good vs. bad brief + insight mining exercise

Get comfortable with balancing managing and doing the work. Learn to give clear, effective feedback, navigate team dynamics, and foster a positive culture.

• Communication, clarity, and culture
• Letting go while taking charge
• Managing ups and downs
• Demo: Good vs. bad feedback
• Demo: Language of feedback
• Workshop: Feedback roleplay

Learn the secrets to make your ideas irresistible. From killer presentations to the perfect elevator pitch, you'll be a pro at winning clients over. Get tips from a TED Talk and see the dos and don'ts of presentation decks.

• Presentation skills & tools
• Making clients fall in love with your ideas
• KISS
• Elevator pitch
• Video: Making yourself big before a meeting
• Demo: Good vs. bad decks

Assignment #1: Elevator Pitch
Craft a compelling 3-sentence pitch and a key visual based on a mini brief.

After Class 5, you'll understand how to turn tricky client interactions into smooth collaborations. We'll dive into how to read between the lines, build trust, and handle those curveballs — plus, you'll gain insights from a real-life FBI negotiator.

• Customers are always right, or are they?
• Building relationships & trust
• Know your client: How to hear the question beyond the question?
• When things go wrong
• Video: Professional former FBI negotiator
• Workshop: Negotiation & client feedback

Explore everything from scouting locations to the final edit. By the end of this class, you’ll know the ropes of making a quality product and be prepped with pro tips from our guest speaker. Lights, camera, action!

• Pre-production: Director search, casting, locations
• Production: On-set do’s and don’ts
• Post-production: Editing, recording, color correction
• Demos: Pre-bid deck, director’s treatment, pre-pro book, call sheet

Assignment #2: Triple Bid for a Treatment
Choose 3 directors from a provided list and explain your picks for a film script treatment.

In Class 7, you'll discover how to spot hot design trends and make them work magic for your projects. Get inspired by industry pros and award-winning case studies to elevate your creative game and stay ahead of the curve.

• Developing creative thinking
• Selecting design trends & making them work for you
• Learning from professionals
• Learning from award-winning cases

Find your leadership groove and showcase your unique style. This class will guide you in discovering your superpower, shaping your personal brand, and curating a portfolio that speaks volumes about you.

• What’s your superpower?
• Developing your unique style
• Portfolio & what it says about you
• Taking care of your brand
• Personality quiz

Ready to tackle a world that’s constantly shifting gears? Learn about how tech evolves, what it means for hiring, and why prototyping and AI prompts are game-changers.

• Evolution of technology & innovation
• Hiring new talents
• Resourcing
• Demo: The art and science of AI prompts
• Demo: The power of a prototype

Assignment #3: AI Prompting
Write an effective prompt for generating AI-driven search results.

In this class, you’ll not only get the lowdown on budgeting, KPIs, and account management but also on building connections that'll make you a pro at handling the business of advertising like a boss.

• What’s a SOW?
• Timesheets
• Budgeting
• KPIs
• Account management
• New business

Discover how to create campaigns that truly resonate. By the end of this class, you'll be set to lead your own full-circle campaigns, armed with insights from Cannes Lions Grand Prix demos.

• 360 campaigns
• Medium is the message
• Introducing the class project
• Demos: Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners 

Assignment #4: Course Project
Design an integrated campaign for a brand, including a big idea setup, social ad, activation/PR stunt, and OOH ad. Present your campaign in a 5-minute video (template provided).

For Class 12, our goal is to reflect on everything you've absorbed, spark your creativity, and gear up to apply your newfound skills. We'll review your class projects, explore case studies, and learn how to keep those creative juices flowing. Set the stage for your future as a Creative Director.

• Class projects discussion
• The art of the case study
• Reviewing what you’ve learned
• How to be creative & stay creative
• Final thoughts for your future as a CD
• Video: Lee Clow’s “Do the Brave Thing”