Art Director - 1-year Fixed Term Contract

Role Summary

Responsible for the day-to-day art direction, on-set leadership, and quality control of Disney photography (and support on video execution where required) at THG Studios. This role is a key brand guardian, partnering closely with the Creative Lead and THG crews to deliver globally consistent, seasonal, and channel-ready imagery that meets strict Disney guidelines. You will be the day-to-day person on set and report in to the Head of Art Direction.

Key Responsibilities

Lifestyle photography ownership & brand guardian

• Act as the direct day-to-day liaison with the Disney Creative Lead on set and through pre and post production.
• Serve as a brand guardian within THG Studios, ensuring all imagery adheres to Disney guidelines and pre-agreed creative direction.
• Lead clear, confident creative decision-making on set while maintaining a collaborative working environment.

Briefing, planning & pre-production alignment

• Execute briefs in collaboration with Creative Lead, Producer, Photographer, and crew to ensure all creative requirements are captured on-set, including:
  • lighting approach and references
  • propping and set build requirements
  • styling
  • shot list priorities and spec requirements (formats, crops, etc)
• Partner with creative lead to support seasonal campaign concepting where required.

On-set art direction, model direction & QC (Lifestyle/PDP photography)

• Direct and QC daily photography for the lifestyle workstream, ensuring consistent execution and alignment to agreed briefs.
• Direct models confidently on shoots in studio and on location ensuring performance, posing, and brand tone are appropriate.
• Demonstrate expertise in directing child models, creating a safe, supportive environment while achieving required expressions, gestures, and storytelling.
• Be a core part of the QC process on PDP photography (acting as a brand guardian for the style guides), ensuring imagery is on-brand and commercially effective, and adapting/growing the style guides when necessary.

Collaboration with photographers & crew

• Work seamlessly with photographers, producers, styling, and studio crew to deliver high-quality output at pace.
• Maintain strong on-set communication, ensuring clarity on priorities, changes, and speed of delivery.
• Participate in and support test days on set, contributing to visual brand evolution.

Wash-ups, best practice & continuous improvement

• Regularly take part in photography wash-ups with the Creative Lead to drive alignment, improve quality, and demonstrate best practices across shoots.
• Identify any issues on-set (brief clarity, set build, styling, lighting, workflow) and propose practical fixes.
• Constantly seek innovation and newness in photography execution, within Disney brand guidelines.

Cross-team consistency (Lifestyle and PDP)

• Ensure on-brand execution across both photography streams when applicable, partnering with shoot and post teams to maintain product accuracy with Disney guidelines.

Required skills and experience

• Proven on-set art direction experience within eCommerce, retail, or brand storytelling environments.
• Strong client-facing communication skills and confident liaising with other creative team members.
• Demonstrated experience directing models, including strong experience directing child models.
• Excellent understanding of shoot fundamentals: lighting, composition, styling, set build, and on-set production at speed without compromise in quality.
• High attention to detail with the ability to QC and make shot selects at pace.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with photographers and production crews.
• Comfortable working longer shoot days when needed and adapting quickly to changes on set.
• Ability to work full-time onsite, 5 days per week at THG Studios.
• Core Adobe Creative Suite skills: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop.
• Strong awareness of Disney films, characters, and references (historic and current).

Nice to have

• Experience supporting seasonal campaign concepting.
• Working knowledge of video shoot process.

Ways of working

• Brand-first mindset with calm, decisive leadership on set.
• Highly organised - clear priorities, fast problem-solving.
• Collaborative and respectful - builds trust with client creative and crew.
• Resilient under pressure - thrives in fast-paced, high-volume environments.