Kristina Slade/Creative Director/Strategist/Director
CORE 1999-2000
Copywriter: first female Creative at this super-macho, independent ad agency.
In addition to creating award-winning work in my first ad job, I learned the fundamentals of brand strategy, launching my fascination and passion for where creative and strategy intersect.
Clients: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Zebco, Ford Motor Company, Monsanto, Panoz
Responsibilities: copywriting; concepting; establishing overall brand identities, brand positionings and voice.
Awards: 2000 Communication Arts Ad Annual; 2000 Athenas, Gold; 2000 St. Louis Addys, 5 Addys, 2 Citations of Excellence
Ground Zero 2000-2007
Associate Creative Director
During my long and fruitful stint at this small, independent agency, I grew from a Jr. Copywriter to the agency’s first Associate Creative Director team. Ground Zero was the perfect incubator for connective thinking and engagement, before there really was such a thing in advertising.
Clients: ESPN, Virgin Digital, Beck's, Virgin Mobile, California Anti-smoking, Los Angeles Times, Lucy, United California Bank, Women’s Entertainment network, Pinky Vodka, Atlantis Resorts, Resources Connection
Responsibilities: copywriting, concepting, developing brand and communication strategies, developing client relationships, mentoring and managing junior teams, winning new business
Awards: 2006 Cannes Lions, Gold Lion; 2006 One Show, Merit; 2006 D&AD, Merit; 2006 Art Director Club, Gold Cube; 2006 Southern California Beldings, 2 Bowls; 2005 Communication Arts Ad Annual; 2005 Southern California Beldings, Best Book, 3 Bowls, 3 Finalists; 2005 Best Billboard Sunset/Times Square; 2004 Best Billboard Sunset/Times Square; 2003 Obie Awards, Gold; 2001 Cannes, Bronze Lion; 2001 Clios, Gold, Bronze; 2001 Athenas, Bronze; 2001 Southern California Belding Bowl, 3 Bowls, 6 Finalists; 2001 One Show, Finalist; 2001 Effies, Gold
Art Center 2006-2007
Instructor
Was the first at Art Center to teach classes in disrupting messaging conventions by creating low-budget “movements” that centered on big ideas rather than campaigns that relied on traditional concepts of advertising.
Responsibilities: develop the class curriculum, conceive the assignments, write the briefs, assess the work, and mentor the students and their development throughout the course.
TBWA\Chiat Day 2007-2009
Associate Creative Director
My partner and I were a two-man SWAT team to be brought in to help accounts that needed brand tweaking.
Clients: Pur, Visa, Infiniti, Nissan, O'Neill, Diet Pepsi
Responsibilities: develop new brand positioning, brand strategies, communication strategies, large-scale campaigns, client relationships, and new business pitches.
AKQA 2010-2012
Creative Director / Client: Target
Moved my desire to create connections in communications and my experience with building brands into the digital realm.
I was brought in to turn around the in-trouble account through re-engineering the team, repairing relationships with the client, and increasing our capabilities and offerings. In under two years we went from a ~$5M account to ~$13M, weathered a massive sea change in Target’s agency roster, consecutively won Target’s Most Innovative agency award for two years, and became the fastest-growing most-profitable account at AKQA.
Responsibilities: rebuilt the team with new hires and talent; restructured the work process and dynamics, built a cross-pollinating, positive team culture; introduced a strategic backbone to our team and the work; built client relationships; improved the quality of the creative work as well as the delivery; and strengthened and increased our offerings to our clients: 360 degree campaigns; digital platforms; social, communication, and brand strategy; narrative frameworks for ongoing social channels; and the content to populate them.
Jacob/Slade 2013-Present
Co-Director / Freelance Brand Consultant and Advertising Creative
Joined forces with long-time commercial Director, Enno Jacobsen, to form a commercial directing team. Combining our talents and experience with our long-term love and connection over films and storytelling, Jacob/Slade has a unique ability to comprehend, communicate, and create films that deliver on the art of storytelling and the agenda behind the films' purpose.
I also continue to work on short-term and freelance projects based in strategy, brand building, and creative development for well-known agencies and direct-to-client relationships.