Executive Summary

With 22+ years of creative industry experience, including 18 years at VML, I am a creative operations, production, and design executive focused on building and scaling high-performing organizations. I specialize in developing the operating models, workflows, and multidisciplinary capabilities that transform creative ambition into exceptional experience design and measurable business results.

I built VML’s digital creative production practice from the ground up—establishing an operational framework that evolved into a global capability. Today, he leads an organization of 40+ creative professionals across North America, driving over $10M in annual revenue while maintaining industry-leading talent retention.

Operating fluidly at the intersection of creative vision, business strategy, and technology, I bring structure and scalability to complex creative environments without compromising the quality or ambition of the work.

As an Executive MBA and hands-on creative operator, I’m recognized for building resilient teams, mentoring emerging leaders, and establishing the operational foundations that empower organizations to produce better work—faster, smarter, and at scale.

Building the business

Practice Foundations: Founded and scaled VML’s digital production capability from inception, establishing the operating model, team structure, and delivery frameworks.
Commercial Growth: Expanded the practice into an integrated creative services and production organization generating $10M+ in annual revenue.
Sustainable Operations: Built a balanced business model aligning creative excellence, operational efficiency, client performance, and talent development.
Strategic Partnerships: Partners with executive leadership to evolve capabilities, expand client accounts, and lead complex initiatives across global markets.

People and organizational leadership

Established a high-performing, people-first culture, maintaining nearly 100% talent retention across a team of 40+ creative professionals. He leads multidisciplinary teams through complex, fast-paced engagements while fostering accountability, autonomy, and continuous career growth.

Known for developing emerging leaders, I’ve created clear advancement pathways and empowers teams with increasing ownership. My leadership style combines rigorous standards with trust and mentorship—creating an environment where top creative talent thrives while consistently delivering business value.

Core leadership experience

Creative Operations

• Creative org design

• Operating model strategy

• Workflow optimization

• Resource & capacity planning

• Creative governance

Leadership & Development

• Multidisciplinary leadership

• Organizational scaling

• Talent & career pathways

• Cross-functional integration

• Mentorship & culture

Design Leadership

• Digital experience strategy

• Design systems & governance

• Brand experience design

• Visual communication

• Platform-native designs

Tech & Transformation

• AI-enabled workflows

• Emerging tech adoption

• Digital transformation

• Creative tech strategy

• Production automation

Professional experience

October 2021 – Present | Group Design Director

Leads creative operations and capability development of VML’s Creative Services operation, supporting global brands across North America. Leverages 18+ years of progressive agency leadership to connect creative strategy, operational rigor, and technology.

Brings a business-minded perspective to client partnerships, contributing to major business wins including Cartoon Network, ESPN, adidas, U.S. Bank, MillerCoors, Wendy’s, and Darden Restaurants. Dan builds scalable creative systems, career development frameworks, and operational models that drive quality across digital experiences, content ecosystems, and emerging platforms.

2008 – 2021 | Progressive Leadership Roles

Advanced through senior creative, production, and operational roles, building the agency’s foundational digital production practice and scaling teams across regions.

Creative & production leadership

Execution Strategy: Translates creative vision into scalable systems and precision execution.
Cross-Functional Synergy: Partners across creative, strategy, tech, and client teams to deliver work from concept to launch.
Integrated Disciplines: Blends design, tech, and operational rigor to maximize business impact and ROI.
Complex Delivery: Guides teams through complex production environments while balancing quality, resources, and speed-to-market.
Innovation Integration: Champions emerging tech, AI-enabled workflows, and modern methods to elevate creative output.

Leadership value

Build the capability. Build the team. Build the business.

Dan brings a rare combination of creative credibility, operational discipline, and commercial acumen. He focuses not just on managing creative output, but on building the modern infrastructure required to sustain exceptional work at scale. His key differentiator is his ability to move fluidly between big-picture creative strategy and operational reality—understanding what great design requires, what teams need to thrive, what clients expect from an agency partner, and what the business needs to maintain long-term profitability.

Global brand experience

Drove senior creative leadership and operational strategy across a portfolio of top global and national brands, including Coca-Cola, Wendy’s, Sherwin-Williams, Mazda, Colgate, Intel, and Microsoft.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams spanning North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Delivered award-winning international work—most notably leading creative execution for Coca-Cola’s highly celebrated “Thanks for Coke-Creating” initiative, recognized across major international award programs.