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

  • ANDREA OGUNBADEJO

    Andrea Ogunbadejo

    PRESIDENT, EVA NOSIDAM

    NEW YORK, USA

    LINKEDIN
  • ANNA KISER

    Anna Kiser

    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MAS

    DURHAM, USA

    LINKEDIN

  • Artan Mansouri

    GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPOTIFY & CC STUDIOS

    STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

    LINKEDIN

  • Atiya Zaidi

    CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER + CEO, BBDO PAKISTAN

    KARACHI, PAKISTAN

    LINKEDIN

  • Brendan Mahony

    GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VOX MEDIA

    LONDON, UK

    LINKEDIN

  • Carmen Ang

    SENIOR ART DIRECTOR, R/GA

    SINGAPORE

    LINKEDIN

  • Daniel Rincón

    HEAD OF CREATIVE, DRAFTLINE COLOMBIA

    BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

    LINKEDIN

  • Didi Sustina

    STRATEGY DIRECTOR, 180 GLOBAL

    AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

    LINKEDIN

  • Cha Spruce

    EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EARNED, OGILVY NEW YORK

    BROOKLYN, NY USA

    LINKEDIN
  • CHAD CALCAGNO

    Chad Calcagno

    VP, BRAND & PRODUCTION, YUGA LABS

    PITTSBURGH, USA

    LINKEDIN

  • Cristina 'Tin' Sanchez

    EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLICIS MANILA

    MANILA, PHILIPPINES

    LINKEDIN

  • Diego Dumont

    GLOBAL CREATIVE CONTENT MANAGER, ABSOLUT

    SAN PAULO, BRAZIL

    LINKEDIN

  • Dini Lestari

    FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

    BALI, INDONESIA

    LINKEDIN

  • Fernando Miranda

    EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VML

    DUBAI, UAE

    LINKEDIN

  • Farruk Murad

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PARADIGMA STUDIO

    TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN

    LINKEDIN

  • Huei Yin Wong

    SENIOR CREATIVE, HOWATSON + COMPANY

    MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

    LINKEDIN

  • Iman Delić

    ART DIRECTOR, DDB PRAGUE

    PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

    LINKEDIN

  • Jody Orsborn Medina

    FREELANCE EXPERIENTIAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR

    TORONTO, CANADA

    LINKEDIN

  • Juan Cistoldi

    CR. STRATEGIST, SUPERSIDE

    BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

    LINKEDIN
  • JULIE ARENSON

    Julie Arenson

    HEAD OF CREATIVE OPERATIONS

    LONDON, UK

    LINKEDIN

  • Makarand Narkar

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BOOMRANNG, STUDIO

    MUMBAI, INDIA

    LINKEDIN
  • MELODY SYLVESTER

    Melody Sylvester

    MANAGING DIRECTOR + EP

    LONDON, UK

    LINKEDIN

  • Micaela Ortego

    SOCIAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR, EMEA, MONKS

    MADRID, SPAIN

    LINKEDIN

  • Michael Fullman

    CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, VTProDESIGN

    LOS ANGELES, CA USA

    LINKEDIN
  • MINA SABET

    Mina Sabet

    HEAD OF PRODUCTION, TED

    PHILADELPHIA, USA

    LINKEDIN

  • Mwangi Gatheca

    ART DIRECTOR, RETHINK

    TORONTO, CANADA

    LINKEDIN

  • Nadine Kennedy

    ART DIRECTOR + MOTION DESIGNER, ACNE

    DUBLIN, IRELAND

    LINKEDIN

  • Nimrod Weis

    ARTIST + FOUNDER, ENESS

    MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

    LINKEDIN

  • Ntobeko Ximba

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, STUDIO X (WPP X COCA COLA)

    CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

    LINKEDIN

  • Paula Marín

    CREATIVE COPYWRITER, BBDO ECUADOR

    GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR

    LINKEDIN
  • Rachel Moss

    Rachel Moss

    HEAD OF PRODUCTION, NEXUS STUDIOS

    LONDON, UK

    LINKEDIN

  • Rajae Elbattah

    SR. ART DIRECTOR + HEAD OF DESIGN STUDIO, BRAND BUILDER

    CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

    LINKEDIN

  • Roberts Rurans

    FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR

    RIGA, LATVIA

    INSTAGRAM

  • Samuel Onyango

    FOUNDER, BRAIN HOUSE

    NAIROBI, KENYA

    LINKEDIN

  • Sebastián Martínez

    HEAD OF DESIGN, ++HELLOHELLO

    MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

    LINKEDIN

  • Selorm Dogoe

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DENTSU CREATIVE

    ACCRA, GHANA

    LINKEDIN

  • Selver Yılmaz

    GROUP CREATIVE HEAD, VML ISTANBUL

    ISTANBUL, TURKEY

    LINKEDIN
  • SHANNON KENNEDY

    Shannon Kennedy

    GROUP DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION, MONKS

    TORONTO, CANADA

    LINKEDIN

  • Sofia Gamiz

    SR. STRATEGIST, WIEDEN + KENNEDY

    MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

    LINKEDIN
  • SUMIT AJWANI

    Sumit Ajwani

    FOUNDER & EP, MAKERS

    TORONTO, CANADA

    LINKEDIN

  • Tai Koga

    SR. BRAND STRATEGIST, WIEDEN + KENNEDY

    TOKYO, JAPAN

    LINKEDIN

  • Teresa Makori

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, OGILVY AFRICA

    NAIROBI, KENYA

    WEBSITE

  • Thorleifur Gunnar Gíslason

    DESIGN DIRECTOR, BRANDENBURG

    REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

    LINKEDIN

  • Toan Nguyen

    FOUNDER + MD, JVM NERD & PARTNER, JVM GROUP

    HAMBURG, GERMANY

    LINKEDIN

  • Trevor Robinson OBE

    FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, QUIET STORM

    LONDON, UK

    LINKEDIN

  • Xuan Tra Tran

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, LEO BURNETT

    HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

    LINKEDIN

  • Alonso Castillo

    CREATIVE DIRECTOR, FAHRENHEIT DDB

    LIMA, PERU

    LINKEDIN

Join A Live Recess Session 🌵

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The 2024 Playbook is still available!

Discover another 80+ pages of insights, tips and tricks from 30 industry veterans.

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