Senior creative leader. Team builder. AI-fluent, already in the workflow.
Hi, I'm Tess. For the past ten-plus years I've been the creative companies call when the work is too strategic for a freelancer and too cross-functional for a single team. I've led teams at Akamai, Zeals-AI, and Axonius, shipping across digital, product, brand, marketing, experiential, and the strategy work underneath all of it, while managing the people who do the same.
What I care about: building creative teams that punch above their weight, translating fuzzy business goals into work that actually moves a number, and exploring how AI changes (and doesn't change) what a great creative does. I'm currently certifying in ComfyUI and working with Firefly on production projects, not because AI is having a moment, but because the creatives who understand it now will be the ones leading studios in five years.
Open to art director and creative leadership roles, senior designer and creative manager positions, plus the occasional consulting engagement that's too interesting to pass up.