Hi! I’m Andrew.

I’m a creative director with 20 years of experience leading teams in advertising, non profit, and advocacy organizations.

In leadership roles, I prioritize recruiting diverse teams where contributors feel known and appreciated. Whether in film production, a design studio, or a classroom, I’m passionate about helping creative people work through complex challenges to connect goals to form. I do this by building happy, healthy teams that inspire people to do their best work.

As a longtime political organizer I’ve learned that pro-actively building relationships—and consensus—across all levels of an organization is the most effective way to lead. Clear, frequent status updates, feedback, and deep listening aren’t just essential; if we believe in the mission and the team has built trust, these habits become foundational and advance projects further, and faster.

As the creative director at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), a major multi-vocal performing arts and film institution, I lead a team of up to 20 graphic designers, video editors, copywriters, digital producers, project managers, and interns through the delivery of thousands of assets per year. Our iconic visual identity is designed to be recognizable and experimental, while our written voice is accessible and direct: together they make our programs exciting and welcoming to audiences ranging from our neighbors to the world.

Before BAM, I worked as a commercial director at innovation-obsessed production company 1stAveMachine, where I directed or co-directed ads for clients including Apple, Facebook, American Express, Discover Cards, and The New York Times. I also had my own practice working with cultural institutions and artists designing books and collateral where I formed long-lasting and ongoing relationships.

Key Roles

Creative Director, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Director, 1stAveMachine
Graphic Designer, Self-employed
Critic, RISD (Rhode Island School of Design)
President, New Kings Democrats


Some past advertising clients

American Express
Apple
AT&T
BNY Mellon
Discover
Domtar
Facebook
Ford
HTC
Miller Lite
The New York Times
Olympic Paint
Qualcomm

Some past (and present) design clients

Aperture Books
Center for Urban Pedagogy
Charles Lane Press
The Frick Collection
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The New Press
New York Hall of Science
Sundance Channel


Critiques, Workshops, and Lectures

Yale School of Art
California College of the Arts (CalArts)
Parsons The New School for Design
School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Fordham University
Whittier College
AIGA
Hyperakt


Education

M.F.A. Yale Univ. School of Art (Graphic Design)
B.A. Amherst College


My Favorite Compliment

“I’ve never seen graphic design so full of humanity!”
—Elizabeth Murray, artist