The Walt Disney Company
Senior Art Director, Creative Development
The Walt Disney Company, Glendale, California, us, 91222
About the Role and Team:
The Senior Art Director, Creative Development is responsible for providing artistic leadership across our extensive portfolio of licensed console, mobile, and PC games. They will manage a talented art department and partner with Disney Games production, creative, and marketing teams, as well as our world-class developers to deliver exceptional and authentic Disney and Pixar experiences for fans and gamers alike. Leveraging both artistic and licensing best practices to provide visual direction and IP guidance to our licensees across all game titles.
The Senior Art Director, Creative Development will report to the VP, General Manager of Disney & Pixar Games.
This is a Full-Time role.
What You Will Do:
Oversee a diverse portfolio of games from a visual and graphics perspective; establish best-in-class standards on the target device, benchmark competing titles, and provide recommendations to develop and improve overall visual quality.
Review art and visual design submissions from our global licensing partners including but not limited to game and marketing assets such as character assets, world designs, animations, key art, etc.; ensure all material submitted meets our brand and quality standards.
Generate insightful, clear and concise direction, feedback and support to our licensees through reference decks, written notes, draw-overs, and/or paint-overs with the goal of coaching and helping them understand our brands better while getting them to approval status.
Manage a large team of talented artists from various disciplines and effectively distribute project workload between them.
Grow and mentor talent from an artistic, communication, and workflow perspective, including our Creative APAC Teams (China).
Build and maintain strong relationships with film and television studio creatives to bridge the gap between licensees and game developers.
Attend art reviews with studio creatives; generate notes and share feedback with our licensees and dev teams.
Gather, develop, and provide brand guidelines and reference materials to licensees.
Research, identify and explore new visual styles and executions of our characters and worlds that are authentic and appealing; provide suggestions to our licensing partners while encouraging their own creative exploration.
Balance the requirements of our licensees, brand, and key stakeholders while delivering against our collective gaming goals.
Partner with our licensees to develop high-quality style guides, game reference guides, and global pitch kits to be shared across various lines of business.
Acquire deep understanding of ‘new’ brands being developed by Disney; share relevant information with our licensees in the form of reference guides.
Collaborate with colleagues to share ideas, best practices and creative methods.
Act as a Creative Ambassador and Consultant within Disney, providing valuable insight and guidance around art direction in games.
Requires Qualifications & Skills:
Excellent creative draftsmanship skills with the ability to sketch, design, and digitally paint.
An eye for vision and execution as demonstrated by a top-rate portfolio or demo reel.
Broad and deep understanding of the Disney brand including lore, design, and aesthetics.
Extensive game development experience building and supporting top grossing, critically acclaimed, and/or AAA budgeted games on console and mobile.
Experience developing artwork for world-class brands.
Excellent understanding of the games licensing business including trade-offs, creative, and production challenges.
Experience providing feedback to external teams (domestic and international).
Adept at problem-solving (both alone and in groups) with the ability to foresee and highlight challenges and provide effective and achievable mitigation efforts.
Ability to reconcile conflicting information to meet objectives.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to provide clear and concise feedback and present ideas with clarity and conviction.
Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple complex challenges while consistently meeting commitments and deadlines.
Ability to function and thrive in a very dynamic environment.
Ability to think strategically but operate tactically as needed.
Exceptional attention to detail with a clear understanding of the big picture, always focusing on quality, authenticity, and the intended audience.
Ability to build and achieve consensus among multiple stakeholders, balancing the needs of the licensee, production, and brand stakeholders; always working towards solutions.
Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and motivational skills with the ability to maximize individual and department performance.
Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to present to a diverse set of individuals from different professional backgrounds.
Passion for the gaming industry.
Ability to travel to meet with partners around the globe, maintain valid US Passport.
Education & Experience:
B.A. in Art and/or Design or equivalent education.
7+ years of gaming experience and has held a position of Lead Artist, Art Director for at least 2 years.
10+ years of experience specifically in product development of console/mobile/PC games or other entertainment.
5+ years of experience managing teams.
Additional Information:
Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits .
#CPGPJOBS
#dpepmedia
The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $136,000 to $181,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.
Job ID: 10095885
Location: Glendale,California
Job Posting Company: Disney Experiences
The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.
The Senior Art Director, Creative Development is responsible for providing artistic leadership across our extensive portfolio of licensed console, mobile, and PC games. They will manage a talented art department and partner with Disney Games production, creative, and marketing teams, as well as our world-class developers to deliver exceptional and authentic Disney and Pixar experiences for fans and gamers alike. Leveraging both artistic and licensing best practices to provide visual direction and IP guidance to our licensees across all game titles.
The Senior Art Director, Creative Development will report to the VP, General Manager of Disney & Pixar Games.
This is a Full-Time role.
What You Will Do:
Oversee a diverse portfolio of games from a visual and graphics perspective; establish best-in-class standards on the target device, benchmark competing titles, and provide recommendations to develop and improve overall visual quality.
Review art and visual design submissions from our global licensing partners including but not limited to game and marketing assets such as character assets, world designs, animations, key art, etc.; ensure all material submitted meets our brand and quality standards.
Generate insightful, clear and concise direction, feedback and support to our licensees through reference decks, written notes, draw-overs, and/or paint-overs with the goal of coaching and helping them understand our brands better while getting them to approval status.
Manage a large team of talented artists from various disciplines and effectively distribute project workload between them.
Grow and mentor talent from an artistic, communication, and workflow perspective, including our Creative APAC Teams (China).
Build and maintain strong relationships with film and television studio creatives to bridge the gap between licensees and game developers.
Attend art reviews with studio creatives; generate notes and share feedback with our licensees and dev teams.
Gather, develop, and provide brand guidelines and reference materials to licensees.
Research, identify and explore new visual styles and executions of our characters and worlds that are authentic and appealing; provide suggestions to our licensing partners while encouraging their own creative exploration.
Balance the requirements of our licensees, brand, and key stakeholders while delivering against our collective gaming goals.
Partner with our licensees to develop high-quality style guides, game reference guides, and global pitch kits to be shared across various lines of business.
Acquire deep understanding of ‘new’ brands being developed by Disney; share relevant information with our licensees in the form of reference guides.
Collaborate with colleagues to share ideas, best practices and creative methods.
Act as a Creative Ambassador and Consultant within Disney, providing valuable insight and guidance around art direction in games.
Requires Qualifications & Skills:
Excellent creative draftsmanship skills with the ability to sketch, design, and digitally paint.
An eye for vision and execution as demonstrated by a top-rate portfolio or demo reel.
Broad and deep understanding of the Disney brand including lore, design, and aesthetics.
Extensive game development experience building and supporting top grossing, critically acclaimed, and/or AAA budgeted games on console and mobile.
Experience developing artwork for world-class brands.
Excellent understanding of the games licensing business including trade-offs, creative, and production challenges.
Experience providing feedback to external teams (domestic and international).
Adept at problem-solving (both alone and in groups) with the ability to foresee and highlight challenges and provide effective and achievable mitigation efforts.
Ability to reconcile conflicting information to meet objectives.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to provide clear and concise feedback and present ideas with clarity and conviction.
Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple complex challenges while consistently meeting commitments and deadlines.
Ability to function and thrive in a very dynamic environment.
Ability to think strategically but operate tactically as needed.
Exceptional attention to detail with a clear understanding of the big picture, always focusing on quality, authenticity, and the intended audience.
Ability to build and achieve consensus among multiple stakeholders, balancing the needs of the licensee, production, and brand stakeholders; always working towards solutions.
Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and motivational skills with the ability to maximize individual and department performance.
Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to present to a diverse set of individuals from different professional backgrounds.
Passion for the gaming industry.
Ability to travel to meet with partners around the globe, maintain valid US Passport.
Education & Experience:
B.A. in Art and/or Design or equivalent education.
7+ years of gaming experience and has held a position of Lead Artist, Art Director for at least 2 years.
10+ years of experience specifically in product development of console/mobile/PC games or other entertainment.
5+ years of experience managing teams.
Additional Information:
Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits .
#CPGPJOBS
#dpepmedia
The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $136,000 to $181,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.
Job ID: 10095885
Location: Glendale,California
Job Posting Company: Disney Experiences
The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.