Hi, I’m Ian

I’m a creative leader who cares deeply about making work that is clear, memorable, and thoughtfully crafted. Over the course of my career, I’ve led creative organizations, partnered with global brands, and helped shape products, campaigns, and systems used at massive scale.

Trained as a painter, I’ve maintained a hands-on creative practice alongside leadership roles to stay closely connected to the work itself. That balance between creative direction and craft has shaped how I mentor teams, develop ideas, and guide projects through the realities of complex organizations without losing the strength of the original vision.

Work Experience

Meta

Creative Direction & Strategy Lead for North America | 09/23 - present

  • Brought back to Meta post-layoffs to provide experienced creative leadership during organizational restructuring, supporting flagship accounts and critical partnership continuity.

  • Helped integrate emerging AI workflows into creative development, using generative tools to accelerate ideation, expand creative diversity, and explore scalable approaches to asset creation.

  • Provided strategic leadership for major global partners, including Amazon and Shopify, helping maintain momentum and creative effectiveness during a period of reduced headcount.

Crater

SVP of Creative | 04/22 - 11/22

  • Led the company’s brand direction, early team building, and creative foundation, helping establish the structure and culture needed to scale quickly.

  • Helped shape the company narrative and investor relationships, supporting fundraising efforts and long-term positioning.

  • Guided the business through an early acquisition by combining strong creative vision with clear strategic direction.

Meta

Head of Design, Creative Systems | 03/15 - 04/22

  • Promoted three times across four roles at Meta, reflecting strong creative leadership, adaptability, and organizational impact.

  • Led a multi-disciplinary creative team responsible for developing marketing systems, shaping creative direction, and helping launch ad products and programs that generated more than $3B in revenue.

  • Helped shape creative approaches for Meta’s largest global partners, including Amazon, developing frameworks that continue to influence how major brands build across Meta’s platforms today.

  • Developed a brand toolkit integrated into Meta’s internal design systems and Product Bootcamp, helping establish scalable creative workflows and rapid prototyping approaches that continue to influence how Meta teams build high-volume creative systems today.

  • Built programs that strengthened creative collaboration, elevated team culture, and maintained a 97% favorable average across manager feedback surveys.

Gigantic Squid

Founder & Chief Creative Officer | 12/09 - 03/15

  • Founded and led a creative production studio focused on performance marketing, visual storytelling, and video compositing, partnering with brands including Microsoft and Amazon to create high-performing digital campaigns.

  • Built a reputation for combining strong creative execution with measurable business impact, growing the studio year over year while expanding long-term client relationships.

  • Merged with a competing production company to broaden creative capabilities, deepen partnerships, and expand market presence.

  • Successfully exited after selling a majority stake upon joining Facebook full time.

Client Highlights: Facebook / Microsoft / Google / Amazon / Sony / Nike / Brooks Running / Sony / Puma