In-house creative and brand building that doesn’t suck.
I’m a creative leader who likes getting into the stuff around the work, too. I care about how the work gets made as much as what gets made.
Open to full-time or long-term embedded roles. Tulsa-based, remote-friendly.
What I bring to a team:
I know how to turn a strategy into something people can actually use.
Brand guidelines are great, but the real test is what happens when someone has to make something on a Tuesday afternoon.
I’m comfortable setting the creative direction and making the call.
I like collaboration and buy-in, but eventually somebody has to decide what we’re doing and why.
I like helping other creatives get better.
Sometimes that’s craft. Sometimes it’s a tool, a process, a client conversation, or just helping someone think through a problem.
I’m always looking for ways to make the team more capable.
If we keep solving the same problem, I start wondering why we haven’t fixed the problem yet.
I work comfortably with leadership and stakeholders.
I don’t need a creative bubble around me. Some of my best work has come from figuring out what people actually need and getting everyone pointed in the same direction.
And I like making things move.
I’m pretty allergic to work that gets stuck because nobody wants to make the call, fix the process, or take ownership.
Where I’ve done this before:
Family & Children’s Services
Creative leadership inside a 70+ program nonprofit. I helped evolve the brand, expand the team’s creative capabilities, and build the systems and tools that made creative work easier to produce and use.
Bringing clarity and cohesion to a stretched nonprofit brand >>
A brand refresh for a nonprofit podcast >>
Hope starts with a repeatable format >>
Discovery Lab (Tulsa Children’s Museum)
Creative direction and brand building for a growing children’s museum. I’ve led exhibit identities and environmental systems, then worked with the organization’s leadership and marketing team to shape a broader summer campaign across strategy, messaging, visual direction, and implementation.
Branding multiple exhibit spaces for a bold new chapter in Tulsa's cultural scene >>
A flexible identity for a traveling STEM exhibit >>
Tulsa Health Department
14 years of creative work inside a complex public health organization. I led brand, campaigns, multimedia, and environmental design across 30+ programs while working with leadership, vendors, and teams throughout the organization.
“Russell understands brands as systems, not just assets. He brings direction, not just execution, building creative structures that support teams, align leadership, and scale inside real organizational constraints.”
Dee Harris
Director of Open Culture Storytelling at Creative Commons >>
Why in-house teams work well with me.
I design for reuse. If something is going to change or get used again, I usually want to build it in a way that makes the next round easier.
I’m comfortable making decisions. I like collaboration, but I don’t need everyone to agree before we can move.
I’m pretty good at working with constraints. Limited budget, limited time, limited resources. That’s usually just the problem we’re solving.
I document things. I don’t like being the only person who knows how something works. I leave behind guides, templates, workflows, or anything else that might help someone later.
I optimize for the next project. I’m always looking for something we can learn, fix, or build now that will make the next one better.
I care about the people doing the work. Good creative work is hard enough without making the process miserable.
I’m interested in work where I can:
Lead the creative.
Set the direction, make the calls, and help the people around me do their best work.
Build something that lasts.
I like work that keeps creating value after the project is finished. A better brand, a better system, a better team. Whatever makes the next thing easier or better.
Work closely with the people who make the decisions.
I like understanding what an organization actually needs and having enough trust to do something about it.
Make a creative team better.
Sometimes that means better work. Sometimes it means a better process, a better tool, or just getting rid of something that’s making everybody’s life harder.
Okay, you’ve come this far. Let’s talk.
Need a traditional resume for HR or ATS? Download a one-page resume >>
If you’d rather see what my clients see, that lives here >>