Art Director

Company: Araca Merchandise L.P.

Job title: Art Director

Job Location: NY – Hybrid

Compensation: $75K - $80K, DOE + 401k with Match + 3 weeks PTO + Great health benefits!

The Araca Group is a leading, global entertainment & merchandising company that has been prospering for almost 25 years thanks to our innovative and collaborative team members.

Araca's employees act as brand ambassadors through creating live event and ecommerce merchandise experiences for some of the world's top entertainment properties including SEGA, Ghostbusters, Wicked, Cobra Kai, Hadestown, The Book of Mormon, Jeopardy, Beetlejuice the Musical, and many more.

We are in search of an Art Director to lead our Design team.

A day in the life of the Art Director:

• Inspires and guides the vision of the design team to create and design merchandise, ecommerce marketing collateral, and expands on company branding across internal and external touchpoints.
• Manages project calendar, deadlines and workflow of the Creative Team
• Creates and manages product mock-ups for apparel, accessories, souvenirs, and packaging.
• Oversees the organization and file structure of creative assets on cloud drive.
• Curates and reviews all final presentation decks, including, new product, capabilities, production, and pitch decks.
• Guides, motivates, and mentors team of designers on new techniques, and pushes their work toward successful design solutions.
• Proofs mock-ups, decks, program books, and any other print collateral prior to distribution.
• Provides support on e-commerce marketing collateral (anything ranging from site and social banners to email newsletters).
• Creates and compiles creative briefs, mood boards, color palettes, for all projects in line with brand style guides and client vision.
• Manages entire lifespan of fully branded product lines from conception to production art delivery.
• Attends Client Discovery meetings/calls and pitches.

THIS ROLE IS PERFECT IF YOU:

• Believe in the power of continuing a brand's story through merchandise
• Possess emotional intelligence, compassion, and strong leadership and organizational skills
• Are passionate about theatre and love attending Broadway shows
• Love all pop culture and are a super fan of anything
• Thrive in a team environment
• Obsessively follow trends in fashion, design, typography, and product development with an ability to create work that speaks to the tastes of theater and pop culture fandoms
• Are described by others as a meticulously, detailed person
• Can manage multiple (constantly shifting) deadlines and work well under pressure
• Have the foresight and ability to identify obstacles and issues prior to their impact
• Have worked with and/or have a network of freelance design talent
• Ability to work with different personalities and associates at every level
• React and adjust to challenging client feedback with a positive attitude
• Have purchased merchandise before

REQUIREMENTS:

• 5-7 years experience in an agency/in house creative team
• Experience in apparel/merchandise product design, graphic art, or print with a well rounded portfolio showcasing these skills. Digital experience a plus
• 1-2 years leading and managing creatives
• The Adobe Creative Suite, Word, and PowerPoint

Missing some of these requirements, but know that you're the right fit? We encourage you to apply and tell us why.

This job description is not all-inclusive. The Araca Group reserves the right to amend this job overview at any time. The Araca Group is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, genetic information, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

ABOUT US:

Founded in 1997, The Araca Group is a vertically integrated theatrical producing and merchandising company, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London, and Sydney. Araca works closely with both new and established partners to activate fan engagement through merchandise experiences. Each activation is carefully tailored to support the brand's marketing strategy, generate revenue, and enhance the overall entertainment event.

As theatrical producers, our mission is to create entertainment that is artistically compelling to our audiences and financially successful for our investors. As merchandisers, our mission is to excite and engage our partners' audiences by delivering the highest quality products through innovative and strategic distribution channels.

Some of our clients include: Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Hadestown, Cobra Kai, SEGA, Outlander, The Masked Singer, Jurassic World Exhibition, Peppa Pig Live!, Lionsgate, and Jeopardy. For more information go to www.araca.com.