Associate Creative Director, Copy
Job Summary
OKRP Associate Creative Directors (specializing in copywriting) relish the search for big ideas and understand how language, tone and nuance can help make them transcendent. They are resourceful problem solvers that channel contagious energy to inspire and lead. Driven to connect with every audience, they’re always striving to become better conceptors, sellers and makers.
At OKRP, we believe work is ready when we feel it. Our creatives are prolific and iterative in their approach to the work. They’re deeply collaborative and always endeavor to “bring something extra” to each assignment. Egoless creativity is key.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
- Work with an ACD Art partner to find creative solutions and craft copy that brings big ideas to life.
- Participate in all relevant meetings, calls and creative briefings.
- Lead and inspire junior teams.
- Present ideas concisely and passionately to GCDs, OKRP partners and clients.
- Accept and process feedback in a professional manner and provide deliverables that exceed expectations.
- Support GCDs/CDs on creative direction and champion executions best aligned with agreed strategic direction.
- Stay connected to project managers for optimal productivity. (You’ll often be juggling multiple projects with frequently changing deadlines and parameters.)
- Mentor, nurture, and challenge those reporting to you on a regular basis.
Education/Training
- 6 years minimum agency experience
- Strong recommendations
- Strong portfolio featuring integrated big ideas expressed through various channels
Required Skills, Abilities and Technical Knowledge
- Possess ultra-strong copywriting skills.
- Plays nicely with others.
- Willing to dive in head first to any assignment – big or small.
- Be both right brained and left brained – but never overthink work.
- Flexibility and adaptability in the face of ambiguity and change.
- Exceptional time-management and organization skills.
- Excellent presentation ability.
- Energy, curiosity and an ability to maintain your sense of humor under tight timelines and long hours.
- A passion and expertise for managing talent – you’ll come in ready to lead and develop a seasoned creative team.
- Staying current on trends beyond advertising – understanding what is relevant in both culture and technology.
- Social media awareness and acumen.
- Proficient in Keynote as well as Microsoft, Google and Adobe Suites.
Graphic Designer
Job Summary
OKRP graphic designers help tell brand stories in visually coherent, impactful and soulful ways. They relish the search for big ideas and understand how tone, imagery, and detail can help make them transcendent.
At OKRP, we believe work is ready when we “feel” it. Our creatives are prolific problem-solvers. They’re driven, collaborative, transparent communicators who always endeavor to “bring something extra” to each assignment. Egoless creativity is key.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
- Oversee design projects from conception to delivery.
- Create inspired, original designs including illustrations and infographics.
- Review junior designers’ work to help ensure quality and brand aesthetics.
- Refine images, layouts and fonts using design software and applied typography techniques.
- Constantly strive to visually complement and viscerally enhance concepts and client products and services.
- Increase user-friendliness and navigational ease in digital products.
- Actively shepherd brand consistency throughout all projects.
Education/Training
- BSC or Graduate degree in Design, Visual or relevant field
Experience
- 2-5 Years Experience
- Previous creative agency experience a plus
- Strong references a MUST
Required Skills, Abilities and Technical Knowledge
- Explorative instincts and a highly collaborative mindset.
- Ability to present concepts clearly and colorfully and also defend ideas civilly to internal teams (technical and non-technical).
- Fluent in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, inDesign, After Effect and Keynote.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Solid understanding of effective pre-flight and artwork production processes, roles, tools (digital and conventional) and workflow practices
- A relentless eye for detail.
- Transparency with cross-functional teams including Creative, Account, Production and Project Management to keep projects tracking both creatively and timely.
Senior Brand Strategist
Department Overview
Strategy is the study and application of human behavior in service of creative ideas that solve for business problems. It’s built on a foundation of art + science, uncovering insights through data and research (with curiosity) that reveal a space for solutions that resonate with people. Working closely with your partners in Account Management and Creative, you are the protector of the brand and the champion of the consumer. As a Strategist at OKRP, you are empowered to make the work stronger, bolder and braver.
What does a Senior Brand Strategist do?
The Senior Brand Strategist helps to represent the consumer, brand and business. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute across a diverse array of the strategic range including delivering research, insights, strategic grounding and creative development. This role works closely with the strategic lead on the business and collaborates with partners in Account Management and Creative.
Core Responsibilities:
- Strategic Acumen
You see the big picture and help develop strategic initiatives towards inspired solutions. You have a passion for digging into a client’s business and understanding category and cultural trends, as well as providing insight into the competitive landscape. Working with your agency and client partners, you will be involved in positioning, platform, and messaging strategies that elevate and bring the creative idea into the world. - Creative Storytelling & Inspiration
You understand how to synthesize and distill data, research, and cultural trends into inspiring and unexpected creative briefs. Using the range of agency tools, collaborative ideation, and side-by-side partnership with creative teams, you’ll help to deliver insights that raise the bar for the creative work and unlock unexpected creative solutions. - Research and Insights
You will be a part of all research activities across qualitative and quantitative methodologies in order to gain consumer learnings and drive effective creative performance. In addition, you’ll help define key performance indicators and measurement for all client efforts. - That Little Something Extra
Planning is a leadership position. Whatever the level, you must bring a passion for what communication and creativity can achieve in the world. You’ll be empowered to contribute to intellectual products for the agency, and to develop your plus-up superpower that brings a little something unexpected to the planning department. Most importantly, we want you to be a champion of OKRP culture—independent yet collaborative, entrepreneurial, driven, all with a fun attitude and joy in the process of making and doing great work.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s required, preferably in a social / human-oriented field (e.g., Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, etc.) or communication / marketing (e.g., Integrated Marketing, Brand Planning, etc.). Master’s degree or higher is desirable.
- Work experience of 6 to 8 years in marketing either in creative agency or market research, working in a strategic insights function
- Experience outside of marketing and advertising that provides value, expertise, and fresh perspective to Agency is desirable: digital shop, ethnic agency, ethnography, research house, retail or promotions agency, university lab, etc.
- Excellent communication and writing skills
- Digital “fluency” is expected, given the speed of changes in communication. Familiarity with the latest trends and development in social media and interactive and is appreciated
- Experience with multi-cultural marketing (primarily Hispanic or African-American) is a positive.
- Curious and passionate about understanding and researching the behavior of the consumer.
- Able to thrive in an entrepreneurial culture where creativity and data are both highly valued.
About OKRP
OKRP is a Chicago-based, independent agency that brings big brand creativity with startup ingenuity to clients. We bring nimble, quick, and prolific creative solutions to clients, including Burger King, Ferrarra (Nerds Candy), Ace Hardware, P&G, Constellation Brands, Illinois Office of Tourism, and many others. Accolades include Ad Age 2015 small agency of the year, 2019 Agency Stand-Out, 2020 ANA Multicultural Excellence and 2021 Small Agency of the Year, Culture.
Art Director
Job Summary
We are looking for Art Directors that are searching to find the big idea, but also have the passion to sweat the details. A problem solver with soul that finds solutions that feel both human and true, drawing insights from the real world. At OKRP, we believe work is ready when we “feel” it.
Our creatives are prolific and iterative in their approach to the work. They’re deeply collaborative, transparent communicators who always endeavor to “bring something extra” to each assignment. Egoless creativity is key.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
The Art Director is responsible, in the area of creative for:
- Working with an existing (exceptionally talented!) OKRP copywriter, you will deliver strategic concepts and art direction across existing clients. You’ll be our work’s greatest advocate, able to process feedback then respond with creative that exceeds expectations.
- Always strive to find the big idea, but also recognize little nuances that give the perfect look and texture.
- Working with CDs and GCDs you will seek out improvement, both in the work that is created and growth as an individual. The Art Director should always be looking to master their craft and improve on their skills.
- The art director should be highly iterative and refuse to settle.
- Ownership is key to success. The Art Director is responsible for the execution of ideas across TV, print, digital and social channels while directing photographers, illustrators, animators and junior designers with the utmost attention to detail.
- The Sr. Art director should be current on trends beyond advertising – understanding what is relevant in both culture and technology.
- People that work at OKRP are smart, driven and collaborative. They care about each other and are expected to help each other grow as creatives and as people.
- Will perform other duties as required or assigned that at are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Possess strong art direction background / skills
- Be both right brained and left brained – but never overthink work.
- Resilient in the face of ambiguity and change
- Exceptional time-management, organization, written/verbal communication skills
- Energy, curiosity and an ability to maintain your sense of humor under tight timelines and long hours
- A passion and expertise for art, design and photography.
Senior Producer
Job Summary
We are looking for a Senior Producer—a proactive thinker, resourceful problem solver who possesses an outgoing, get-it-done attitude. The Senior Producer will work closely with the internal cross-functional team to provide day-to-day support to ensure smooth production processes and positive deliverables for our clients.
You will manage projects including, but not limited to, video production, print production and content creation. As a Senior Producer you will maintain relationships with outside partners including, but not limited to, production companies, recording studios and post facilities – securing estimates and outlining parameters and schedules for agency projects. Strong and clear communication, attention to detail and organizational skills are required for this position.Ideal candidates must be able to perform well under pressure and be nimble—able to anticipate potential conflicts and production needs, problem solve and provide alternate solutions as changes arise during a project.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
The Senior Producer is responsible, in the area of Production, for:
- Managing production activities on multiple accounts and maintaining professional client contact
- Leading a project team of production resources including staff, freelance and vendors
- Collaborating with creative teams to determine suitable production partners for each creative concept
- Working with production companies to obtain director treatments and preparing estimates and triple bids as necessary
- Developing production and post production schedules
- Oversight of all phases of production including shoots, edits, voice-over and sound mixing and color sessions
- Maintaining exceptional working relationships with clients and attending status and review meetings as required
- Oversight of post-production and final deliverables, including shipping and completion reports
- Performing other duties as required or assigned that at are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Knowledge of SAG talent rules and requirements
- Flexibility and adaptability in the face of ambiguity and change
- Ability to collaborate quickly with external and internal teams
- Time management skills and ability to manage priorities and workflow
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and respond quickly to change
- BONUS: Spanish language skills
Physical and Medical Standards
- Standing, walking, reaching, stooping, crouching, twisting, bending, crawling
Working Conditions and Environment
- Typically, this is an office environment which can involve periods of sitting, standing, bending, twisting
Hours Worked
- Full-time employees are required to work a minimum of 40 hours per week. Work hours vary by customer need and role.