As a creative director, you are the conductor of an orchestra, bringing together a diverse group of talented individuals to create a harmonious final product. While technical skills are important, it’s the soft skills that separate the great from the good. The creative director must possess a unique combination of leadership, communication, and creative problem-solving abilities to lead the team to success. In this blog, we’ll take a glimpse into the day in the life of a creative director, exploring the challenges and rewards that come with this dynamic role. There’s no better example than our creative director Mladen Levnaic.

WHAT DOES A CREATIVE DIRECTOR DO?

Mladen’s role as a creative director involves overseeing the production of a creative project, from ideation to delivery. He ensures that the creative vision aligns with the client’s objectives and supervises the team along the way to ensure that the best outcome of a project is delivered on time and within budget. He balances the technical aspect of the project with creative ideas, maintaining harmony among team members to achieve the best possible outcome. It’s a pivotal role in transforming the imagined into reality.

DAY-TO-DAY

Every day for Mladen is different, depending on the project he’s working on. However, his day always starts by checking on meetings and the day’s priorities, seeing if there is any room for focus time, and handling any urgent matters or blockers. He communicates with critical people on crucial projects and agrees with intentions to push forward.

Brainstorming sessions are crucial to his day, and he doesn’t limit it to just the creative team. He ensures that everyone, from all required aspects of our company, is involved, and their ideas are considered. With this approach, he can appropriately scope ideas from creatives who are gifted in expansive thought.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

As a creative director, Mladen faces a broad scope of work that comes with its challenges. One of the most significant obstacles he encounters is striking a balance between the client’s creative desires and utilizing all available resources to best achieve the client’s vision. To overcome this challenge, he focuses on enabling the team members, seeing their limits, and guiding them to the best of their abilities. His approach is not about dictating but rather empowering the team. “Remember it’s about being a director, not a dictator”. 

Another challenge he faces is coordinating with team members who are working remotely or in different time zones. To support his coordination, he uses digital tools such as Slack, Jira, and Confluence, enabling him to keep track of everyone’s progress and ensure everyone is on the same page.

As a general rule, proactivity is key but if an issue is to arise, Mladen’s go-to strategy for overcoming them is primarily good communication. He understands that people are the first resource for everything and values communication as the key to understanding the industry’s challenges.

At Magic Media we are veterans of the film, tv, gaming and entertainment industries, offering comprehensive VFX services for in-game, cinematics, and more, as well as animation and full art services! Our main goal is to to provide a one-stop solution for any project. We love nothing more than collaborating with creative minds, so drop us a line and let’s talk!