PAUL SCHMIDT
Bentonville,AR
Summary
Visionary Creative Director with over 20 years of experience in leading experiential and integrated campaigns from concept to execution. Develop innovative physical activations and guest experiences, guiding cross-functional teams throughout the production process. Deliver impactful national activations and immersive experiences while presenting concepts to clients and mentoring emerging creative talent.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Creative Director
Perion
Bentonville, AR
03.2022 - 06.2026
- Owned the creative vision and quality bar across a global creative department, delivering breakthrough advertising across social, digital, video, and emerging media.
- Led and mentored a cross-disciplinary creative team of designers, copywriters, and motion/animation artists, more than doubling headcount across five countries to meet growing demand
- Built and expanded the company's first dedicated animation team from the ground up, elevating video and motion craft across the organization
- Sourced, vetted, and managed external creative partners and production resources with an in-house team, scaling output while ensuring quality standards
- Partnered with sales and product teams on creative and pitch strategy for new business, achieving 5-star client satisfaction rating
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance brand identity and messaging.
Associate Creative Director
Arc Worldwide (Publicis Groupe)
Rogers, AR
04.2016 - 01.2022
- Conceived and led an award-winning Capri Sun experiential campaign that set a Guinness World Record for World's Biggest Box Fort — a large-scale physical build presented live in Walmart stores — driving a double-digit sales lift and earning significant PR and internal recognition at Kraft Heinz
- Led creative development for large-scale experiential activations and shopper marketing campaigns for Kraft Heinz, Georgia-Pacific, and Mars Confections, guiding ideas from concept through live execution.
- Led immersive events and brand activations in Walmart and other national retailers, translating brand strategy into physical guest experiences while overseeing environment, content, and interaction design
- Directed multidisciplinary teams, managing internal creative staff and external production and fabrication partners to deliver large-scale experiential builds on schedule and within budget
- Developed modular storytelling and video systems that extended experiential campaigns across retail, digital, and social, unifying messaging for multiple CPG clients
- Presented creative concepts and campaign recommendations directly to client stakeholders, defending the strength of the idea through the feedback and approval process
- Led cross-functional teams to develop innovative marketing strategies for diverse client portfolios.
Strategic Proposal Creative Director
Graybar Electric
04.2014 - 04.2016
- Enhanced B2B brand storytelling and proposal design, contributing to successful multimillion-dollar contracts.
- Secured $90M U.S. Communities contract through compelling narrative and strategic proposal design.
- Created scalable visual systems, motion graphics, and video to clarify complex B2B sales discussions.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to align creative direction with business objectives.
Senior Art Director
Nestlé Purina / Checkmark Communications
08.2008 - 02.2014
- Directed live experiential events and original content productions for flagship pet brands, overseeing creative from concept through on-site execution.
- Elevated Cat Chow to top portfolio performance through strategic packaging redesign, targeted social initiatives, and impactful national experiential events
- Expanded Cat Chow's social media community from thousands to hundreds of thousands of engaged followers
- Led creative direction for integrated marketing campaigns, enhancing brand visibility and consumer engagement.
- Oversaw production processes, ensuring high-quality deliverables within project timelines and budget constraints.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop innovative concepts, aligning with client objectives and market trends.
Art Director
The Minnow Project / Graphics Plus
05.2003 - 08.2008
- Created brand identities and campaigns for hospitality, retail, and lifestyle clients, integrating design craft with production support to enhance client visibility.
- Executed cross-channel campaigns across print, web, and photography, ensuring cohesive brand messaging and engagement.
- Oversaw project timelines, ensuring on-time delivery of high-quality design assets.
- Conducted regular client presentations to showcase design concepts and gather feedback.
- Maximized project efficiency with meticulous attention to deadlines, budget constraints, and client expectations.
Web Design Intern
Sandhills Publishing
05.2002 - 05.2003
- Designed and coded responsive websites for TruckPaper.com and MachineryTrader.com, enhancing user experience and engagement.
- Created visually appealing website layouts using Adobe Creative Suite and HTML.
- Assisted in updating existing web content, ensuring accuracy and adherence to brand guidelines.
- Participated in brainstorming sessions to generate innovative design concepts and solutions.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Commercial Arts
Concordia University
Seward, Nebraska01-2003
Skills
- Design & Creative: Adobe Suite
- Design leadership
- Prototyping & UX: Figma, HTML
- Experiential marketing
- Advertising campaigns
- Visual storytelling
- Concept development
- Creative technology integration
- Creative team leadership
- Strategic thinking
- Print production
- Concept pitching
Timeline
Creative Director
Perion
03.2022 - 06.2026
Associate Creative Director
Arc Worldwide (Publicis Groupe)
04.2016 - 01.2022
Strategic Proposal Creative Director
Graybar Electric
04.2014 - 04.2016
Senior Art Director
Nestlé Purina / Checkmark Communications
08.2008 - 02.2014
Art Director
The Minnow Project / Graphics Plus
05.2003 - 08.2008
Web Design Intern
Sandhills Publishing
05.2002 - 05.2003
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Commercial Arts
Concordia University