WELCOME TO THE RECESS 2025 CREATIVE PLAYBOOK
🌵 🌵 🌵 🌵
We asked 37 creative directors, designers + strategists from 32 countries to share their tips, tools, tricks + go to resources for staying at the top of their creative game.
As Springsteen says, "can't start a fire without a spark", so let this PLAYBOOK be your creative spark. Got it? Ok...good.
Xo Jody Orsborn Medina, Founder of RECESS
DOWNLOAD THE 2025 PLAYBOOK
Sign up for the RECESS newsletter and get the 160+ page PLAYBOOK for free. You can unsubscribe at any time (but we sure hope you don’t) 👍
The Playbook Credits
→ Created + curated by Jody Orsborn Medina of RECESS
→ Support from Anna Macko
→ Designed by Julie Vaccaro
→ Webpage by Will Ko
→ Photos from Unsplash + Pexels + Creative Market
Thanks to Makers for supporting the production of the Playbook + lending their deep production knowhow to our special bonus Producers section 🤘
Discover insights, tools and tips from
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Alonso Castillo
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FAHRENHEIT DDB
LIMA, PERU
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![ANDREA OGUNBADEJO]()
Andrea Ogunbadejo
PRESIDENT, EVA NOSIDAM
NEW YORK, USA
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![ANNA KISER]()
Anna Kiser
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MAS
DURHAM, USA
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Artan Mansouri
GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPOTIFY & CC STUDIOS
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
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Atiya Zaidi
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER + CEO, BBDO PAKISTAN
KARACHI, PAKISTAN
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Brendan Mahony
GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VOX MEDIA
LONDON, UK
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Carmen Ang
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR, R/GA
SINGAPORE
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Daniel Rincón
HEAD OF CREATIVE, DRAFTLINE COLOMBIA
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA -
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Didi Sustina
STRATEGY DIRECTOR, 180 GLOBAL
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
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Cha Spruce
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EARNED, OGILVY NEW YORK
BROOKLYN, NY USA
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![CHAD CALCAGNO]()
Chad Calcagno
VP, BRAND & PRODUCTION, YUGA LABS
PITTSBURGH, USA
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Cristina 'Tin' Sanchez
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLICIS MANILA
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
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Diego Dumont
GLOBAL CREATIVE CONTENT MANAGER, ABSOLUT
SAN PAULO, BRAZIL
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Dini Lestari
FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
BALI, INDONESIA
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Fernando Miranda
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VML
DUBAI, UAE
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Farruk Murad
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PARADIGMA STUDIO
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN
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Huei Yin Wong
SENIOR CREATIVE, HOWATSON + COMPANY
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
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Iman Delić
ART DIRECTOR, DDB PRAGUE
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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Jody Orsborn Medina
FREELANCE EXPERIENTIAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TORONTO, CANADA
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Juan Cistoldi
CR. STRATEGIST, SUPERSIDE
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
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![JULIE ARENSON]()
Julie Arenson
HEAD OF CREATIVE OPERATIONS
LONDON, UK
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Makarand Narkar
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BOOMRANNG, STUDIO
MUMBAI, INDIA
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![MELODY SYLVESTER]()
Melody Sylvester
MANAGING DIRECTOR + EP
LONDON, UK
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Micaela Ortego
SOCIAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR, EMEA, MONKS
MADRID, SPAIN
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Michael Fullman
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, VTProDESIGN
LOS ANGELES, CA USA
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Mina Sabet
HEAD OF PRODUCTION, TED
PHILADELPHIA, USA
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Mwangi Gatheca
ART DIRECTOR, RETHINK
TORONTO, CANADA -
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Nadine Kennedy
ART DIRECTOR + MOTION DESIGNER, ACNE
DUBLIN, IRELAND -
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Nimrod Weis
ARTIST + FOUNDER, ENESS
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
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Ntobeko Ximba
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, STUDIO X (WPP X COCA COLA)
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
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Paula Marín
CREATIVE COPYWRITER, BBDO ECUADOR
GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR
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Rachel Moss
HEAD OF PRODUCTION, NEXUS STUDIOS
LONDON, UK
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Rajae Elbattah
SR. ART DIRECTOR + HEAD OF DESIGN STUDIO, BRAND BUILDER
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
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Roberts Rurans
FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR
RIGA, LATVIA
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Samuel Onyango
FOUNDER, BRAIN HOUSE
NAIROBI, KENYA
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Sebastián Martínez
HEAD OF DESIGN, ++HELLOHELLO
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
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Selorm Dogoe
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DENTSU CREATIVE
ACCRA, GHANA
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Selver Yılmaz
GROUP CREATIVE HEAD, VML ISTANBUL
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
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Shannon Kennedy
GROUP DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION, MONKS
TORONTO, CANADA
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Sofia Gamiz
SR. STRATEGIST, WIEDEN + KENNEDY
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
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Sumit Ajwani
FOUNDER & EP, MAKERS
TORONTO, CANADA
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Tai Koga
SR. BRAND STRATEGIST, WIEDEN + KENNEDY
TOKYO, JAPAN
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Teresa Makori
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, OGILVY AFRICA
NAIROBI, KENYA
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Thorleifur Gunnar Gíslason
DESIGN DIRECTOR, BRANDENBURG
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
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Toan Nguyen
FOUNDER + MD, JVM NERD & PARTNER, JVM GROUP
HAMBURG, GERMANY -
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Trevor Robinson OBE
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, QUIET STORM
LONDON, UK
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Xuan Tra Tran
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, LEO BURNETT
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
Join A Live Recess Session 🌵
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