Art Director

Magic Media is a pioneering media, entertainment and tech group powered by creativity and innovation. We have a physical presence in 15 countries and expertize in the areas of art, animation, cybersecurity, game development, software development, VFX and video production amongst others. We work with leading developers and publishers within the games and tech industry, providing support and solutions designed around individual needs and carried out by global experts.

We are searching for an exceptionally skilled game development Art Director with a strong artistic vision and the ability to lead a team to execute that vision. The ideal Art Director must have a wealth of knowledge about every artistic discipline (concept, character, environment, animation, VFX, lighting, shading, compositing and rendering), and can apply this knowledge to build a team and ramp up development from pre-production to full production. As a Director, you must understand emerging trends and technologies in the video game industry and make strategic recommendations as to how they may benefit and/or impact the studio. We are looking for not just a creative leader, but an Art Director who is eager to inspire and guide a team to deliver unprecedented visual quality.

WHAT WILL YOU DO:

• Drive the artistic vision and goals through all phases of the project development cycle ensuring that all the art assets are of the highest artistic quality and uphold the integrity of our partners creative vision.
• Partner closely with clients, creative leadership and other team leads to identify and solve all issues related to artistic needs including defining the stylistic vision, establishing, and maintaining aesthetic standards, influencing the technical direction of the project.
• Collaborate closely with project managers and art leads to identify and plan art requirements, estimates, bidding and staffing for new projects.
• Drive the quality of art by balancing quality, continuity, performance, technical, scheduling and budgetary requirements.
• Manage, support and inspire a team of artists with clear and consistent mentorship, training and support on career direction.
• Ensure that client requirements, information and feedback pipelines are effective, efficient, and clear to the team.
• Assist and maintain oversight of production schedules, helping mitigate any risks or issues as they arise.
• Responsible for the oversight of client communications, participating in key meetings with new and existing clients while helping foster and maintain strong and creative relationships.
• Oversee and participate in the studio evolution strategy of all art pipelines, workflows, documentation and best practices.
• Proactively research and keep up to date on cutting edge trends, tools and technology (with a focus on hyperrealism) within the entertainment industries.
• Help settle project-related conflicts and disputes, and remain proactive in problem-solving all key studio issues.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve the work of the team and the quality of the art through the training and development of the artists.

Requirements

• A minimum of 7+ years of professional industry experience, including 3+ years of Art Direction experience in games, mobile/casual preferred, and extensive experience in Unity engine.
• Outstanding portfolio that exhibits project and personal artistic accomplishments with a focus on stylized art.
• At least one project released in an Art Director position.
• An exceptional eye for artistic quality paired with the technical knowledge required to realize the artistic vision.
• A proven superb ability in more than one industry-standard software applications, such as Photoshop, Maya, ZBrush, After Effects.
• Proven ability to define and manage the art direction and roadmap for large-scale projects.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate both creatively and technically.
• Experience leading a creative team in crafting a distinct, cohesive visual style while delivering on time and to budget.
• Proven track record of delivering clear and consistent visual feedback.
• Strong leadership, people and mentoring skills with demonstrated experience in teaching technical and traditional art processes.
• Organized, self-motivated, dedicated, hard-working, with a strong sense of professionalism and composure while working under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively with a large amount of ambiguity and adapt easily to change.
• Manage multiple tasks and projects, switching focus and priorities to respond to business needs as needed.
• A desire to innovate and to go above and beyond in pursuit of excellence.
• Hunger for problem-solving and motivating others to deliver exceptional work.

Benefits

• Permanently remote position.
• An opportunity to hone and improve your skills by applying them to a diverse variety of engaging projects.
• Be part of an international group with offices worldwide.
• Career growth and development.
• Working closely with a team of like-minded people in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Ongoing training and professional self-improvement opportunities.
• Flexible working hours.
• An inclusive culture and open communication.

At Magic Media, our passion lies in gaming. Our vision is to create and deliver engaging and interesting games for our clients. We can deliver this high-quality work on any platform, whether it be on a console, PC, or mobile. We know that reputation and results go hand-in-hand. Therefore, we work hard to find experts and talented creators to deliver the best results.