Experiential Design & Creative Direction

about holly

HOLLY E SMITH

HEY THERE -

I’m a creative director who builds design-first experiences for integrated brand campaigns. With both agency and brand experience, I can see the full picture, distill objectives into creative concepts, and carry a team through to a physical experience from start to finish.

EMAIL: holly@highnoon.studio

LOCATION: Los Angeles

PDF RESUME: download here

FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR + DESIGNER/FOUNDER // HIGH NOON STUDIO

- As a freelance creative, I provide creative, art, and design services within the experiential and events industry through my LLC, High Noon Studio. Here, I focus on the entire lifecycle of projects through concepting and leading pitches, design development and visualization, production and fabrication documentation, and final installation. My creative process touches on all aspects of the guest experience and thoughtfully integrates technology and design into clever solutions for clients on agency- and brand-side.

I’m available for a quick-turn RFP, full project scope, or anything in between!

Clients include: Anthemic // Bureau Betak // CNC Agency // MAS // Redrock Entertainment // The Bait Shoppe

2022-PRESENT

SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR // DEEPLOCAL

- At Deeplocal, I focused on the intersection of creative technology and experiential while leading a multi-disciplinary team of designers. Given the nature of the work and agile team, my role was very hands-on in all aspects of the creative process, including concepting and blue sky ideation, design development and leadership, and final fabrication oversight and execution for clients like Google and Meta. I led the E&E design team and served on the Creative Council to finetune creative decision-making and process implementation.

Duties include:

Creative, Art, and Design Direction

  • Lead Events & Experiences creative teams through initial concepting, into pre-production and design development, and final fabrication and installation for client project work

  • Work closely with Business Development teams to develop and pitch creative proposals

  • Ideate on internal marketing initiatives to create buzz and new biz opportunities

Agency Leadership

  • Define strategies and opportunities for the experiential business unit within Deeplocal

  • Sit on a company-wide Creative Council that evangelizes creativity and inspires better work

Studio + Team Management

  • Manage a multidisciplinary design team of strategists, associate creative directors, experience designers, and graphic designers

  • Develop unique creative processes for the integrated Deeplocal teams

2022-2023

2020-2022

CREATIVE LEAD / ART DIRECTOR - EXPERIENTIAL // TIKTOK

— Upon joining the Brand & Creative Studio at TikTok, I quickly grew my role into a leadership position within the department, focusing on interior and experiential design while mentoring designers of all disciplines. I focus on translating the TikTok brand, business goals, and marketing initiatives into our physical environments. This includes experiential projects, such as events, pop-up shops, and sponsored activations, and our permanent studios and workplaces.

Duties include:

Creative, Art, and Design Direction

  • Provide leadership in creative strategy and design across projects from creative ideation through to tactical deployment: briefs, proposals, design visualization, presentation decks, shop drawings, and final installation

  • Oversee simultaneous projects from inception to completion, including workstreams outside of design and creative, for global regions, including AMS, APAC, EMEA

  • Approve all creative experiential, environmental elements and design outputs from internal teams, supporting agencies, and other cross-functional partners

Spatial + Interior Design

  • Art direct and interior design for TikTok environments: workplace design and ancillary environments such as creator studios, retail shops, and transparency centers

  • Manage projects from start to finish including conceptual decks, 2D and 3D visuals, FF&E packages, vendor sourcing and coordination, budget management, installation oversight, final punch listing, and environmental content capture

Studio + Team Management

  • Manage spatial design team of 3+ designers across 8-10 projects simultaneously

  • Provide mentorship and feedback for multi-disciplinary creative studio

  • Build creative studio infrastructure through process audit and revamp, team building exercises, promoting transparency and communication with XFN partners and agencies

Brand Leadership

  • Lead Artist in Residence program: source and manage artists, art direct installs, create pitch decks and internal process docs, manage budgets and track contracts

  • Develop global design standards and toolkits to build brand equity in spatial environments and events, and roll out on a global scale for TikTok and sub-brands

Selected Projects: TikTok Creator Studio, Melrose Concept Store, NYC Times Square Office, LA Pride Event + Sponsorship, VidCon Sponsorship, Global Offices (London, Toronto, Dublin)

2019-2020

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER // ROCK+PAPER

— As Chief Creative Officer and founding member leading the creative pillar, I had my hand in every aspect of the creative output from the company. To promote creativity, innovation, and transparency in the world of experiential marketing, my two partners and I began a small, boutique agency to deliver our clients with top-of-the-line work while promising a close-knit, attentive team. Focusing on narratives, story-telling, and objectively delivering on KPI’s, we quickly grew to take on high-profile clients like Netflix and TikTok.

Duties include:

  • Lead all creative ideation and pitches for client work, translating objectives and briefs into dynamic experiences

  • Lead all design efforts in concept, schematic and execution for brand work

  • Design solutions for spatial design and graphic brand design

  • Strategize and design for internal marketing initiatives

  • Participate in executive leadership meetings, retreats and planning

  • Recruit design and creative talent, including experiential designers, graphic designers, copywriters, creative strategists, integrated marketing specialists, and more

*Agency paused operations in April 2020 due to pandemic

Selected Clients: Amazon, COS, Frederick Wildman, H&M, Netflix, Samsung, TikTok

2016-2019

Design Director + Head of Design // This is MKG

— As Design Director, I oversaw and directed a robust team of designers to create experiences and environments, and provide senior thought leadership for the west coast office. Previously working as Head of Design, I held this position for almost 4 years, and grew the department from a nimble team of one, into a diverse, multi-faceted department ready to take on any creative challenge.

Duties included:

  • Build, manage and cultivate the design department and studio of 12+ designers

  • Art direct and creative concept around spatial design and creative experiences

  • Project manage and direct multi-faceted, domestic and international programs

  • Lead recruitment, hiring and onboarding for freelance and full-time 2D/3D designers, art directors

  • Work interdepartmentally with Production, Creative, Business Development, Marketing, Finance, HR/People

  • Provide senior thought-leadership for the west coast office

Selected Clients: ABC, Amazon Studios, Delta Air Lines, Disney, Google, Microsoft, MTV, Netflix, Pernod Ricard, Samsung Electronics, Spotify, Uber, YouTube

2012-2016

Designer // This is MKG

— As lead designer in the LA office, I single-handedly designed the work coming through the west coast doors. Starting in 2014, I started at MKG West and grew the design department from scratch with knowledge and experience from the NYC office. Projects that came through the west coast doors would filter through me, which eventually grew into the need for freelance designers and interns to support as we scaled.

Project-specific tasks included: art direction, concept development, site survey built into floor plans and schematics, 3D modeling and rendering, environmental graphic design, client presentation and visual design, curation of vendor relationships, management of design budgets, onsite set styling and curation

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Interior Design // School of Design, Art, Architecture & Planning (DAAP) @ University of Cincinnati

— Graduated April 2014 with Magna Cum Laude. Completed 4 co-op semesters of professional experience. Received 2014 Outstanding Graduate Award and won the Angelo Donghia Foundation Student Competition.

FOCUS

  • CREATIVE DIRECTION for experiences, environments

  • DESIGNING and bringing to life identities, spaces and products

  • CREATIVE VISION and conceptual development for big picture and nitty gritty details

  • PROJECT MANAGEMENT across departments, timelines, budgets

  • LEADING multi-faceted design teams of 2D/3D designers and creatives

  • CURATION AND STYLING on set for environments and installations

  • FABRICATION + PRINT documentation, file prep and install

SKILLS

  • Adobe Creative Suite

  • SketchUp+Podium

  • AutoCAD

  • Figma

  • Google Workplace

  • Creative Leadership

  • Excel Wizard

  • Photography