Building a Global Creative Studio

Scaling an in-house creative function to drive efficiency, elevate brand quality, and expand capabilities worldwide

Overview

Built and scaled FTI Consulting’s in-house creative function from a single contributor into a multi-disciplinary, global team. Expanding capabilities, reducing external spend, and enabling high-quality creative output across regions and channels.

Context

When I joined the corporate marketing team, there was no centralized creative function.

Creative, video, and branding work were largely outsourced to external agencies or fragmented across internal teams, resulting in:

• High external spend

• Inconsistent brand execution

• Limited scalability and visibility

• Gaps in emerging capabilities, particularly video

There was an opportunity to bring creative in-house to improve efficiency, quality, and strategic alignment.

My Role

• Defined and built the structure for a global in-house creative team

• Led hiring, role design, and team development across design and video

• Owned budget planning and management for the creative function, including resource allocation, vendor decisions, and investment in new capabilities

• Established workflows, systems, and governance for scalable delivery

• Partnered with senior stakeholders across regions and business segments

• Expanded capabilities, including launching a dedicated video function

Approach

1. Build the Foundation

Brought core creative work in-house, immediately reducing reliance on external agencies and establishing a centralized function.

2. Scale the Team Strategically

Defined roles, seniority levels, and career paths; hired and developed a multi-disciplinary team across design and video, spanning the US and EMEA.

3. Expand Capabilities (Video)

Launched the firm’s first dedicated video function, introducing a high-demand capability that quickly became a core marketing tool.

4. Create Systems for Scale

Implemented a global project management system and intake process, improving visibility, tracking, and efficiency across hundreds of projects.

5. Foster Culture and Community

Built a collaborative, high-performing team culture through regular touchpoints, mentorship, and global connection initiatives.

Execution

Team Build & Structure

• Grew team from 1 to a global, multi-disciplinary function across design and video

• Hired and developed key roles across the US and London

• Defined role structures and progression pathways, supporting promotions and growth

Video Capability Launch

• Built video team from the ground up, including hiring and equipment investment

• Delivered 70+ videos in the first year, including thought leadership and marketing content

• Captured 45 executive interviews in a 5-day global partner event

Operations & Systems

• Implemented Asana and designed a global intake and tracking system

• Managed 300+ creative requests annually across regions and business units

• Supported teams across North America, EMEA, LATAM, APAC, and the Middle East

Brand & Infrastructure

• Established a digital asset management system for global use

• Identified and resolved licensing compliance risks

• Partnered across teams to support brand consistency and execution

Culture & Leadership

• Led weekly team check-ins and 1:1 coaching sessions

• Established monthly global creative forums to connect distributed teams

• Organized the first Creative Summit, bringing the team together to define strategy and strengthen collaboration

• Supported professional development through training and industry conferences

Impact

• Reduced external spend by bringing core creative, video, and campaign work in-house (including eliminating $300K+ retainers and high-cost external projects)

• Scaled creative output, supporting 300+ projects annually across global teams

• Managed annual six-figure creative budget

• Established video as a core capability, shifting perception from low adoption to one of the most in-demand marketing tools

• Improved efficiency and visibility through centralized workflows and tracking systems

• Elevated brand consistency across regions and channels

• Built a sustainable, scalable team structure that continued beyond my direct management, including the addition of a dedicated creative operations role