meesterdickey@mac.com

ABOUT

My first job was on an onion farm in Walla Walla, Washington where I developed a high tolerance for things that made me want to cry. I grew up taping Air Jordan print ads to my bedroom walls and designing uniforms for fictitious baseball teams. Naturally, a career in advertising followed.

Now I live in Evanston, IL with my wife and two boys. I’m a creative leader for growing consumer brands with a focus on food & beverage, entertainment and sports. I love coming up with ideas that are simple, smart and compelling. I build teams, support them with the right processes, and work alongside them to make it happen.

I’m currently the Executive Creative Director and Head of Art at The Escape Pod.

  • Creative Leadership & Direction
    Setting vision, guiding teams, and shaping work from idea through execution

    Big Idea Development
    Creating platformable ideas that scale across channels and drive brand growth

    Brand Building
    Defining positioning, voice, and systems that create consistency and distinction over time

    Integrated Campaign Development
    Orchestrating ideas that work across film, social, digital, experiential, and retail

    AI Integration in Creative Workflow
    Incorporating AI into concepting, design, and production to move faster, explore more, and enhance craft without replacing creative judgment

    Storytelling & Narrative Development
    Structuring ideas into clear, compelling stories for campaigns, decks, and films

    Social Media & Content Systems
    Creating ideas and frameworks built for platforms, participation, and ongoing engagement

    Team Building & Mentorship
    Growing talent, giving actionable feedback, and elevating creative standards

    Client Partnership & Leadership
    Building trust, navigating feedback, and leading conversations with senior stakeholders

    Strategic Thinking
    Translating business challenges into clear creative opportunities

    Production Expertise
    Deep experience across live action, post, and integrated production

    Creative-Production Integration
    Bringing production thinking into the idea from the start to improve feasibility and craft

    Design Systems & Visual Frameworks
    Building scalable systems that maintain integrity across touchpoints

    Pitch Development & New Business
    Leading presentations, shaping narratives, and winning business

    Cross-Functional Collaboration
    Working seamlessly with strategy, production, media, and client teams

    Cultural Awareness & Trend Application
    Identifying relevant cultural signals and translating them into brand action

    Process Design & Workflow Optimization
    Creating structures that help teams move faster and produce better work

  • Food & Beverage (CPG + QSR)
    Smithfield Meats, Kretschmar Deli, Hillshire Farms, Turkey Hill Ice Cream, Think! Protein Bars, A2 Milk, Kellogg’s, CiCi’s Pizza, Red Lobster, Nando’s Peri-Peri, Zing Zang, Fireball Whiskey, Jim Beam, Juicy Fruit, Anheuser-Busch, Caputo Cheese, Patak’s, Dr Pepper, Planter’s, Frito-Lay

    Consumer Products & Home
    Kenmore, Craftsman, Husqvarna, Crescent Tools, Skil, Skilsaw, Kobalt, EGO Power Tools, Purex, Soft Scrub, Gerry Sportswear

    Health & Wellness / Pharma
    Cologuard, Centrum, Bayer, Bayer Diabetics, Pfizer Nexium 24HR, UnitedHealthcare, First Health

    Automotive & Transportation
    Toyota, Volkswagen, Saturn, AutoZone

    Tech, Gaming & Platforms
    Amazon, Google, Sony PlayStation, Hewlett-Packard, Sprint, Samsung, Apple iphone, PiNS Mechanical

    Sports, Fitness & Performance
    Golf Pride, Precor Fitness, MLB: The Show, Chicago Marathon, BOA Nutrition

    Pet Care
    Purina Dog Chow, Merrick Pet Care, Zuke’s, Castor & Pollux Organic Pet Food

    Travel, Culture & Experience
    Disney, Starbucks, The Economist, PiNS Mechanical

    Nonprofit, Civic & Cultural Institutions
    Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Burke Museum, River North Dance Company, PAWS, Culinary Care, Always B Smiling, Marwen

    Finance
    LaSalle Bank

    B2B
    Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Arctic Walk-In Coolers, Chelsea Lighting, Fraser Steel

    Pitches
    HomeGoods, Honda Motorcyles, Barilla, Airwalk, Chicago Blackhawks, HTC, Applegate, Northwestern Mutual, Casey’s, Frontier Airlines, Sun-Maid, Tropicana, Slimfast, Peroni, Skinny Pop, GoDaddy, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Naked, Optimum Nutrition, Royal Caribbean, Morton Salt, Wild Turkey, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, Clif, Dude Wipes, Electrolux, Earth Breeze


  • The Escape Pod  |  Chicago
    Executive Creative Director / Head of Art

    • Member of the agency leadership team, building and leading the creative department for an independent agency with approximately $24M in annual revenue, overseeing creative culture, talent development, operations, and output across a portfolio of national brands.

    • Directed integrated campaigns contributing to $30 ROAS for Smithfield, a 14% increase in Cologuard screenings, multiple award show wins, and Golf Pride growing to 75% market share.

    • Co-led successful new business efforts that secured AOR and project assignments from Cologuard, Disney Music, Husqvarna, Turkey Hill, Think!, A2 Milk, Patak's, and Zing Zang.

    Havas, VSA Partners, The Escape Pod
    Freelance Creative Director

    • Executed launch campaign for Nando’s Chicago at Havas, establishing the brand’s voice and presence in a new market.

    • Shaped CloudStyle, the brand standards system for Google Cloud Platform, defining how the product shows up globally.

    • Created and launched “Garageheads” for Craftsman, a loyalty platform and identity system built from the ground up.

    Leo Burnett  |  Chicago
    Creative Director

    • Launched Sprint’s 4G LTE network in Chicago, driving trial and switching behavior through an integrated campaign that culminated in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago and earned an OBIE Award.

    • Helped win the Purina Dog Chow business, developing pitch concepts that secured the account.

    • Contributed to the launch of Nexium 24HR, the most successful prescription-to-OTC switch in Pfizer’s history.


    Deutsch  |  Los Angeles
    Associate Creative Director

    • Revitalized PS3 sales with the Kevin Butler campaign, expanding the brand’s appeal while also becoming an icon for hardcore gamers.

    • Contributed to the winning Volkswagen pitch with “That’s Das Auto” campaign platform.

    • Created “Michael,” a tribute to gamers that earned a National ADDY Best in Show, One Show Gold, and Cannes Silver.

    Energy BBDO  |  Chicago
    Senior Art Director

    • Juicy Fruit, Extra, Winterfresh, Orbit, Life Savers, The Economist, Jim Beam, LaSalle Bank, The Chicago Marathon

    Euro RSCG Tatham Partners  |  Chicago
    Art Director

    • Red Lobster, Hillshire Farm, Alberto Culver, Lincoln Park Zoo, First Health

    FCB  |  Seattle
    Junior Art Director

    • Boeing, Starbucks, Gerry Sportswear, Hewlett-Packard

  • I shoot action sports photography.

    ryandickeysports.photography

  • One Show (Gold, Merit x2)
    Cannes (Silver, Shortlist)
    National ADDY (Best in Show)
    ADDY (Silver)
    Effie Awards (Gold)
    Archive Magazine
    Clio (Bronze x2)
    OBIE Awards (Best campaign)
    D&AD (Nomination)
    NY Festivals (Bronze)
    Young Guns (Bronze)
    London International (Merit)
    Seattle Show (Best in Show)
    Seattle Show (Gold)

  • meesterdickey@mac.com

  • Gonzaga University
    The Art Institute of Seattle
    School of Visual Concepts

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