VP-Creative Americas

VICE PRESIDENT - CREATIVE, AMERICAS

The Vice President of Creative, Americas will serve as the creative leader for Disney Consumer Products – Americas across The Walt Disney Company's extraordinary portfolio of brands—Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and National Geographic. Leading a team of 80+ designers across the Americas (US and LATAM), this role is responsible for creative strategy, planning, design, and production of all product creative, branding, packaging, and creative assets distributed via Style Guides to drive the Americas licensing business spanning licensed and owned & operated product portfolios.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & CREATIVE VISION

• Define and drive the creative vision and brand standards for Disney's portfolio across three major product categories: Softlines (apparel, soft home goods), Hardlines (toys, collectibles, homewares), and Consumables (food, beverages, treats)

• Develop multi-year creative strategies and franchise roadmaps in close collaboration with Global Creative, Franchise teams, Studios, and Commercial leaders to align regional execution with global brand priorities

• Champion a creative-first, consumer-centric approach that transforms franchises into compelling products spanning broad audiences and retail channels

• Work with Commercial and Brand leaders across all brands to strategize and plan annual/seasonal style guides to drive the licensing business and feed into the global portfolio of creative assets

• Serve as the creative authority and brand guardian, protecting character integrity while enabling licensee innovation and commercial success

CREATIVE DESIGN & STYLE GUIDE DEVELOPMENT

• Oversee the development, evolution, and distribution of comprehensive brand style guides and creative toolkits for all franchise properties, ensuring alignment with global creative standards

• Provide creative direction and lead design teams in developing brand-right, audience-right, story-driven graphic design, character art, and brand expressions that inspire licensee product development across Product, Packaging, and Retail applications

• Collaborate closely with Business Affairs and Legal teams to clear all creative materials through proper approval processes before distribution to licensee partners

• Drive bespoke creative development for strategic Americas focused Halo and Premium accounts (Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, KITH, SKIMS, KHY, Supreme, Gap, Old Navy, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Hot Topic, BoxLunch, Her Universe) delivering original story-driven art, graphics, branding, and packaging

• Lead the development of Licensed packaging style guides for Americas, establishing design standards that elevate brand presentation at retail

STUDIO & CONTENT OWNER COLLABORATION

• Work with executive creative partners across Walt Disney Animation, Pixar Studios, Lucasfilm, Lightstorm, Disney Channels, and Disney+ to ensure authentic brand representation

• Partner with filmmakers, Studio franchise teams, and Studio Marketing including Marvel Studios to develop creative that honors storytelling while driving commercial success

• Liaise with DTCR (Direct-to-Consumer & Retail) leads in development of owned & operated creative for Product and Packaging

PRODUCTION & CREATIVE OPERATIONS

• Lead the production team managing the development, delivery, and distribution of style guides for Americas

• Ensure the creative organization operates efficiently with optimal tools, resources, technology platforms, and processes that enable team members to deliver exceptional results

• Establish best practice internal processes for creative development, asset management, and distribution

COMMERCIAL & MARKETING PARTNERSHIP

• Work closely with Americas Commercial Retail teams to plan and manage creative support for all key accounts spanning Softlines, Hardlines, and Consumables

• Champion retail creative support programs that bring Disney brands to life at point-of-sale through immersive experiences and disruptive marketing campaigns

• In partnership with Americas Marketing leadership, develop innovative large-scale creative campaigns spanning the portfolio of TWDC brands

• Align creative development initiatives with DCP Americas' Must Win priorities across top markets, franchises, categories, partners, and Gen Z & Alpha consumers

LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT

• Lead, inspire, mentor, and develop a team of 80+ designers across the Americas—US and LATAM—recruiting and training world-class talent spanning the licensed and owned & operated business

• Evaluate, challenge, and coach all aspects of the Creative team's professional development, creating succession planning and career paths for the team

• Champion training and development of regional team members with a lens towards emerging skillsets in design, technology, and creative innovation

• Foster an inclusive, dynamic creative culture that encourages risk-taking, challenges the status quo, and celebrates diverse perspectives and talent

• Partner closely with other regional Creative leaders (EMEA, APAC) to collaborate on creative development, eliminate duplication of efforts, and ensure Creative has a consistent quality level spanning all TWDC brands

• Recruit, mentor, and retain world-class creative talent—establishing Disney Consumer Products as the premier destination for creative professionals in the licensing industry

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• 15+ years of progressive and innovative creative leadership experience in consumer products, entertainment licensing, or major global brands

• Proven global leadership experience with ability to lead large, diverse, multicultural creative teams across multiple locations

• Exceptional creative vision with a keen eye for design, outstanding taste level, and ability to elevate creative excellence across diverse product categories and price points

• Experience creating and developing creative campaigns and style guide systems for large brands spanning multiple product categories

• Deep understanding of graphic design, branding, packaging design, and production workflows for licensed consumer products

• Experience operating in regions with complex country structures and ability to adapt global creative direction to regional market needs

• Exceptional eye for detail, sensitivity to the guest experience, and passion for the portfolio of TWDC brands including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic

• The ability to bring fresh, innovative, out-of-the-box business-driving ideas to the table

• Equipped with strong project management, operational, and analytical skills

• Excellent presentation skills with comfort presenting to C-suite executives and senior leadership

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Fine Arts, or related field required

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Multi-category experience spanning Softlines, Hardlines, and Consumables

• Entertainment industry background with character licensing and franchise management experience

• Experience with digital asset management systems and creative production workflows

• Familiarity with Disney's portfolio of brands and storytelling legacy

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $236,000.00 to $316,500.00 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.