More Than the Credit Said
More Than the Credit Said
More Than the Credit Said
Role / Title
VP Creative Operations & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Shea Moisture Men "Black Love" Campaign
Role / Title
VP Creative Operations & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Shea Moisture Men "Black Love" Campaign
Role / Title
VP Creative Operations & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Shea Moisture Men "Black Love" Campaign
My official credit on this one says project manager. That's not really what I did.
Retrospect is a Black-owned creative agency built by two founders, running brand strategy and creative operations for outside clients. It was scaling past founder-led, ad hoc processes into an operation that needed real systems to match its growth.
Before any of the creative work started, the deal itself needed pricing and scoping. I stepped in on that piece directly, in partnership with our sales lead, to get the engagement priced and signed. Once it closed, a new problem showed up: no art director assigned to the project, and creative work waiting on someone to lead it.
01
Context
Retrospect landed SheaMoisture Men's "Black Men Love" campaign, a multi-partner initiative with Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, and The Black Man Can.
02
Problem
A stalled art director search would have stalled the whole campaign on a project this visible. The founders wanted someone with an agency background. I knew someone without one who could still do the job.
03
How I Moved the Org
Pricing, scoping, and resourcing for a deal like this is a team effort. I worked directly with our sales lead to structure the engagement in a way that made sense for both Retrospect and the client, then helped get it across the line.
Instead of running a search from scratch, I brought in someone I'd crossed paths with at my prior company who I thought would be a great fit for this project. It was a relationship I'd already built; I knew what they were capable of and trusted them enough to vouch for them on a campaign this visible. Once they were onboarded, I stayed close to the work, operations support day to day, plus a design lead role alongside the creative director to help guide the project's visual direction.
The campaign went on to win a 2024 Webby Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded Video.
01
Context
Retrospect landed SheaMoisture Men's "Black Men Love" campaign, a multi-partner initiative with Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, and The Black Man Can.
02
Problem
A stalled art director search would have stalled the whole campaign on a project this visible. The founders wanted someone with an agency background. I knew someone without one who could still do the job.
03
How I Moved the Org
Pricing, scoping, and resourcing for a deal like this is a team effort. I worked directly with our sales lead to structure the engagement in a way that made sense for both Retrospect and the client, then helped get it across the line.
Instead of running a search from scratch, I brought in someone I'd crossed paths with at my prior company who I thought would be a great fit for this project. It was a relationship I'd already built; I knew what they were capable of and trusted them enough to vouch for them on a campaign this visible. Once they were onboarded, I stayed close to the work, operations support day to day, plus a design lead role alongside the creative director to help guide the project's visual direction.
The campaign went on to win a 2024 Webby Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded Video.
01
Context
Retrospect landed SheaMoisture Men's "Black Men Love" campaign, a multi-partner initiative with Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, and The Black Man Can.
02
Problem
A stalled art director search would have stalled the whole campaign on a project this visible. The founders wanted someone with an agency background. I knew someone without one who could still do the job.
03
How I Moved the Org
Pricing, scoping, and resourcing for a deal like this is a team effort. I worked directly with our sales lead to structure the engagement in a way that made sense for both Retrospect and the client, then helped get it across the line.
Instead of running a search from scratch, I brought in someone I'd crossed paths with at my prior company who I thought would be a great fit for this project. It was a relationship I'd already built; I knew what they were capable of and trusted them enough to vouch for them on a campaign this visible. Once they were onboarded, I stayed close to the work, operations support day to day, plus a design lead role alongside the creative director to help guide the project's visual direction.
The campaign went on to win a 2024 Webby Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded Video.
The Proof
1
Webby Award win (2024, Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded)
3
Partner organizations in the campaign (Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, The Black Man Can)
31
credited collaborators across production companies / agencies
2
City locations for on-site branded activations
The Proof
1
Webby Award win (2024, Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded)
3
Partner organizations in the campaign (Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, The Black Man Can)
31
credited collaborators across production companies / agencies
2
City locations for on-site branded activations
The Proof
1
Webby Award win (2024, Corporate Social Responsibility, Branded)
3
Partner organizations in the campaign (Black Men Heal, Black Men Smile, The Black Man Can)
31
credited collaborators across production companies / agencies
2
City locations for on-site branded activations
"When this came up at Retrospect, she put me in a completely different environment to flex skills I hadn't gotten to use yet and believed that I would be the best fit for this client. And then the work won a Webby!"
Lorah O.
Art Director
"When this came up at Retrospect, she put me in a completely different environment to flex skills I hadn't gotten to use yet and believed that I would be the best fit for this client. And then the work won a Webby!"
Lorah O.
Art Director
"When this came up at Retrospect, she put me in a completely different environment to flex skills I hadn't gotten to use yet and believed that I would be the best fit for this client. And then the work won a Webby!"
Lorah O.
Art Director
