Director, Creative Development

Job Description

AD is the international authority on design and architecture. AD provides exclusive access to the world’s most beautiful homes and the fascinating people who live in them, bringing its audience a wealth of information on architecture and interior design, art and antiques, travel destinations, and extraordinary products; its AD100 list of top architects and designers is one of the industry’s most relied-upon indexes of talent.

Every day AD inspires millions of affluent readers to redesign and refresh their lives through a multiplatform presence that includes print and digital editions, social media, signature events, and the brand’s website,

New York, NY

Architectural Digest is seeking a Director, Creative Development to help lead the continued growth and evolution of AD’s global digital video business. Working closely with the Executive Director, Video Programming, this role will shape a distinctive portfolio of original video franchises, developing ambitious ideas that extend AD’s authority in design and reach new audiences across platforms. The Director will be a senior creative voice within AD’s video organization, responsible for developing original IP, evolving successful franchises, and helping set the creative vision and standards for AD video.

This role will collaborate across editorial, video, audience, talent, social, commercial, and global teams to create compelling, scalable entertainment. This role is based in New York.

• Help define and execute AD’s creative development strategy for video across O&O, You Tube, social, and emerging platforms
• Own the creative development pipeline from early-stage ideas and pilots through greenlight, launch, and franchise evolution
• Develop original video IP and evolve successful franchises with the potential to scale across platforms, formats, and global markets
• Partner with editorial and video leadership to identify stories, talent, cultural moments, and areas of AD authority that can become compelling video formats
• Lead creative development for new pilots and evolving formats, shaping format, talent, visual approach, storytelling, and platform positioning.
• Establish and uphold a high creative bar across the portfolio, reviewing treatments, scripts, rough cuts, and final cuts and providing clear creative direction
• Lead brainstorms and develop compelling pitches, treatments, and programming recommendations for senior leadership
• Partner with Talent/Casting and editorial teams to identify and develop internal and external talent, from designers and creators to high-profile celebrities
• Use audience insights, platform behavior, and cultural trends to inform development and identify opportunities to reach new audiences
• Collaborate with social, commercial, and global teams to identify opportunities to extend AD’s IP across platforms, markets, cultural moments, events, and partnerships
• Lead and mentor creative collaborators, producers, and freelance partners, and direct or produce select pilots and priority projects as needed

• 7–10+ years of experience developing and producing premium original digital video, entertainment, or editorial programming, including experience leading creative development
• Proven track record developing successful original formats, franchises, or series from concept through launch and iteration
• Exceptional creative instincts, visual sensibility, and editorial judgment, with a strong understanding of what makes an idea distinctly right for AD
• Demonstrated ability to lead creative teams, provide clear and actionable feedback, and translate creative vision into execution
• Deep understanding of You Tube, social video, and emerging platforms, including how storytelling, talent, packaging, and audience behavior differ across them
• Strong understanding of design, architecture, celebrity, lifestyle, entertainment, and culture
• Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to use audience insights to identify new formats, audiences, and business opportunities
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience working across matrixed…