RIEL PHILLIPS

Professional Summary

Design leader operating at the intersection of Product Design Management and Creative Direction, part strategist, part visionary, with 15+ years transforming big ideas into impactful business results for 300M+ entertainment fans worldwide. I inspire multidisciplinary teams (motion, visual, UX designers) to balance creativity with feasibility, delivering world-class omnichannel experiences across digital product, marketing, and brand.

I thrive in ambiguity with a startup mentality despite enterprise scale, spotting connections others don't see and asking the right questions to simplify complex problems. My leadership philosophy centers on inspiring teams rather than managing them by fostering autonomy, trust, and psychological safety where diverse viewpoints and innovative ideas flourish. I measure success through both human impact (delighting audiences and elevating creative experiences) and business outcomes. I currently lead a cross-functional creative team across LA, NY, Seattle, and the UK, bringing deep expertise in UX, motion, and visual design, advertising program workflows, and interactive brand storytelling.

Leadership Philosophy & Approach

Inspiring vs. Managing: My passion for design leadership manifests in how I continually collaborate with direct reports to ensure they're fulfilled from a career standpoint, constantly seeking opportunities for team members to grow and stretch their wings. I'm recognized as a big thinker who inspires everyone around me to deliver products that surprise and delight customers. I raise the bar on an everyday basis and coach teams to be their best, providing targeted coaching, unblocking obstacles, and championing growth while creating supportive environments where I readily address concerns and lead by example, stepping in when needed.

Navigating Ambiguity & Conflict: I bring an unwavering can-do attitude to challenges. When many say no, I'm the one figuring out how to get to yes. I navigate challenges creatively, finding solutions where others see roadblocks through proactive, innovative approaches. My patience and empathy serve as superpowers for making the best business decisions both short and long term. I excel at identifying key issues and articulating the potential impact of decisions with remarkable clarity, exhibiting exceptional ability to discern crucial information amid complexity and synthesize competing perspectives into focused, actionable direction.

Fostering Excellence Through Collaboration: I maintain relentlessly high standards when it comes to quality and execution while simultaneously coaching and developing team members with a positive, growth-oriented mindset. I foster positive collaboration and invite feedback to drive improvements, approaching every project with creativity and innovation that inspires teams to think bigger and bolder. I create protective and nurturing environments that shield teams from external pressures, allowing them to focus and innovate freely. My approach builds collaborative solutions through inclusive dialogue, remaining open to diverse perspectives and customer challenges to craft actionable solutions where innovative ideas flourish.

Building Context & Strategic Vision: My primary strengths center on strategic team alignment, innovative problem-solving, and customer obsession. I'm driven by genuine concern for customer needs, always keeping Entertainment Fans and clients at the forefront of every experience. I function as a connector, creative force, and advocate. I am a staunch champion for the advertising customer who never stops thinking of new ways to delight and impress them. My attention to detail combines with my ability to synthesize complex solutions, ensuring the team truly understands what problem we're solving and who the customer is. This strategic mindset allows me to spot connections others miss, translating customer feedback into elegant solutions that consistently push boundaries while maintaining laser focus on user experience.

Skills & Expertise

Professional Experience

HEAD OF IMDb CREATIVE STUDIO, SENIOR UX DESIGN MANAGER

I lead IMDb's internal creative agency, managing multidisciplinary team delivering innovative advertising products for the year's biggest theatrical releases and streaming content. I oversee strategic vision, team development, and operational excellence for Creative Studio serving 300M+ worldwide entertainment fans.

Strategic Leadership & Innovation

• Transformed ambiguous business challenges into actionable strategic vision by spotting connections across three creative teams operating in silos, authoring Custom & Sponsorship Advertising 2025 Strategy presented at our leadership offsite that inspired multi-million dollar resource allocation decisions and positioned IMDb as premier entertainment advertising destination
• Balanced creativity with feasibility by writing IMDb's Premium Title Page takeover Strategy, integrating complex features for the 2025 roadmap, negotiating engineering constraints while preserving innovative vision that revitalizes our flagship advertising offering. Incepted the Ad-Ons Program which has generated $20MM+ in revenue since 2020
• Turned big ideas into measurable business impact by leading Gamification initiative from concept through rigorous testing, developing three proven interactive ad experiences deployed across IMDb Advertising Products, live activations, and endemic pages, creating engagement lift with internal and external customers while opening new revenue streams
• Lead Creative Studio's Cannes Lions 2025 activation concept (IMDb Time Machine Theater) that delighted entertainment fans while showcasing advertiser capabilities, successfully repurposed for Amazon's Unboxed 2025 reaching a broader business audience
• Wrote the strategy document for IMDb's Custom Landing Page (CLP), exploring co-branded partnerships that extend brands into entertainment space authentically, asking the right questions to identify win-win opportunities and opening $2MM+ in revenue

Technology & Automation

• Spearheaded IMDb Advertising AI Strategy 2025, identifying how AI can solve real pain points for the team while addressing potential risks, presented at Tech Demo encouraging organization-wide adoption of AI-powered tools for building functional applications
• Built IMDb Interactive Quiz Game using no-code AI solution, creating dynamic 30-second timed quiz experience extracting data from IMDb title and name pages including awards, box office, ratings, and filmograph, using TamperMonkey and without requiring design tech resources or additional backend systems
• Lead the launch of our self-service WYSIWYG tool, enabling designers to build premium ad creative 50-75% faster, reducing technical dependency by 80%
• Led automation of asset requirement workflows directly into scope tickets through integration into project management systems, streamlining production pipeline and reducing manual handoffs
• Built AI-powered response automation for customer inquiry systems (SIM tickets), creating measurable efficiency gains and faster response times for sales specialists
• Facilitated transition from deprecated LLM tools. Organized trainings and workshops to upskill the entire team on leveraging AI effectively, contributing to the IMDb Learns program
• Re-established Twitch live video capabilities on IMDb through collaborative effort with design technologists, successfully running first live stream in two years (December 2024), and opening new engagement and revenue opportunities

Team Development & Culture

• Promoted three designers to senior leadership roles through meticulously documented performance advocacy, strategic alignment with business goals, and rigorous documentation demonstrating their readiness for next-level impact
• Hired bar-raising designers, reducing recruitment timeline from months to weeks through proactive LinkedIn sourcing and rapid candidate assessment, quickly filling critical gaps supporting Creative Studios' initiatives
• Created comprehensive Creative Studio Team Rubric defining roles, responsibilities, and career progression paths across Design, Design Technology, Product Management, and Sales Specialists, providing clarity and structure for entire organization
• Built inclusive environment fostering diverse viewpoints, working styles, and innovative ideas through open communication, constructive feedback, and protective space allowing my team to focus and innovate without external pressures
• Coached and managed underperforming employees with patience and empathy, providing targeted support while maintaining the team's high performance standards and operational efficiency

Business Impact & Operational Excellence

• Generated $20MM+ in revenue through the add-on program in which I incepted
• Reduced IMDb's Premium Title Page takeover and IMDb's Signature takeover product SLAs from 15 to 7 days (53% improvement), saving 2,378 annual hours and enabling team focus on custom campaigns and innovation
• My team operates at scale delivering over 400+ campaigns per year including IMDb's Signature takeover products and IMDb's Premium Title Page takeovers, demonstrating operational excellence and efficient resource management
• Established forecasting tools and resource planning mechanisms improving capacity management and delivery predictability

UX DESIGN MANAGER

Managed a team of talented UX designers at IMDb's internal creative agency, leading experimentation and prototyping of new advertising products. Built repeatable, successful strategies raising the visual and interactive bar for entertainment advertising experiences.

Key Achievements

• Launched internal repository tool streamlining asset management and knowledge sharing across organization
• Led design and implementation of responsive advertising solutions across desktop, mobile, and connected TV platforms
• Established design quality standards and review processes ensuring consistency across all customer-facing advertising products
• Collaborated with engineering partners to balance creativity with technical feasibility, transforming concepts into shipped products
• Presented design work at internal town halls, monetization offsites, and cross-functional leadership meetings

SENIOR MOTION UX DESIGNER

Conceived, designed, and animated custom experiences for the year's biggest theatrical releases on IMDb. Worked with developers to design fully-featured analytics tool using React and Sketch. Led focus groups, A/B testing, and prototyped new designs pre-launch.

Notable Projects

• Created the first interactive data tool for IMDb helping Brands and Studio Partners better strategize their marketing campaigns
• Designed and launched custom takeover experiences for major entertainment releases viewed by millions of users worldwide
• Conducted user research and usability testing informing product decisions and feature prioritization
• Collaborated with internal studios on integrated marketing campaigns combining product and promotional experiences

DIGITAL DESIGN MANAGER

Managed online creative marketing for 23 of NBC's biggest shows. Designed, animated, and developed (using ActionScript 3) interactive ad placements and custom takeover experiences pushing boundaries of online entertainment marketing.

INTERACTIVE MOTION DESIGNER

Built and animated interactive online ads for high-profile clients. Created engaging motion graphic pieces using Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D. Onboarded and trained interns and non-creatives in Adobe tools. Clients included Paramount, Netflix, Bravo, Disney, ESPN, and Nike.

Awards & Recognition

• 2025 Cannes Lions | The Kleenex® Score Led team to international recognition with:
  Media, Silver Lion
  Creative Commerce, Bronze Lion
  3 Shortlisted Cannes Lions (Brand Experience and Activation, Direct Data & Technology, Direct Culture & Context)
• 3 Addy Awards (2024) | IMDb x USAA Top Gun: Maverick Campaign Led team to national recognition with:
  Gold Award: Best Website Takeover
  Silver Award: Innovative Technology
  Silver Award: Branded Content
  
  Led team to create immersive Flight Simulator experience transporting players into Navy-certified F-18 cockpit during film's opening weekend. Featured personalized Call Sign Generator, U.S. Navy imagery, and reactionary sound effects creating authentic military experience. Players navigated aircraft through USAA-branded rings collecting points, building brand awareness and excitement for the blockbuster release across desktop and mobile platforms.
• Amazon Design Hub Analog Series Nomination (2024) Nominated for feature showcasing design work and process
• Guest Panelist London Horizons event with agency and advertising customers, representing IMDb Creative Studio internationally
• Music Video & Visual Effects Previously worked on entertainment campaigns with 50M+ collective YouTube views, including music video for Yelawolf's "Daddy's Lambo"(60M+ views), Brisco featuring Lil Wayne "On The Wall"(1.9M+ views) and Text/Mann ft. Jason Derulo (4.1M views). Created visual effects, motion graphics, and interactive experiences for major entertainment brands including Netflix (Emmys campaign for Orange is the New Black and House of Cards), NBC (Golden Globes), Disney/Marvel (Black Panker), Sony (Venom), STARZ (American Gods), Nickelodeon (Kids Choice Awards), and Laika Studios. Thesis project "Faking The Books" selected as Vimeo Staff Pick with 160K+ views. Led groundbreaking World War Z digital campaign featuring innovative New York Times takeover that transformed page content to apocalyptic headlines, generating significant industry buzz.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Commercial and Television Production
Brooks Institute | 2005 - 2009

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
Baylor University | 2003 - 2004

Community & Leadership

Amazon BEN (Black Employee Network)
Spoke at recruiting events representing Amazon and IMDb

Hands Offering Hope
Volunteered to create brand-building seminars in Chiquilá, Mexico

Testimonials