Complimentary to my traditional film and photography skills, I’ve been working in AI-driven ad creative for several years, with a strong focus on building scalable systems that increase creative velocity and reduce production cost without sacrificing performance. In my last role, I led a shift away from traditional photoshoots toward AI-based production, significantly lowering costs while enabling faster iteration and a much higher volume of testable ad variations. I approach AI as a performance tool, not a novelty, using it to rapidly test hooks, formats, and visual narratives, especially in the first few seconds where outcomes are won or lost. I’m comfortable working closely with media buyers and growth teams, translating performance data into creative direction, and iterating quickly based on what’s actually converting. My strength is combining taste with speed: building repeatable creative workflows, maintaining brand consistency across multiple outputs, and knowing when to push AI hard versus when human polish is required. I’m excited to contribute at a companies where creative is expected to move fast, scale intelligently, and directly impact growth.

Jacob Smith

Complimentary to my traditional film and photography skills, I’ve been working in AI-driven ad creative for several years, with a strong focus on building scalable systems that increase creative velocity and reduce production cost without sacrificing performance. In my last role, I led a shift away from traditional photoshoots toward AI-based production, significantly lowering costs while enabling faster iteration and a much higher volume of testable ad variations. I approach AI as a performance tool, not a novelty, using it to rapidly test hooks, formats, and visual narratives, especially in the first few seconds where outcomes are won or lost. I’m comfortable working closely with media buyers and growth teams, translating performance data into creative direction, and iterating quickly based on what’s actually converting. My strength is combining taste with speed: building repeatable creative workflows, maintaining brand consistency across multiple outputs, and knowing when to push AI hard versus when human polish is required. I’m excited to contribute at a companies where creative is expected to move fast, scale intelligently, and directly impact growth.

Available to hire

Complimentary to my traditional film and photography skills, I’ve been working in AI-driven ad creative for several years, with a strong focus on building scalable systems that increase creative velocity and reduce production cost without sacrificing performance. In my last role, I led a shift away from traditional photoshoots toward AI-based production, significantly lowering costs while enabling faster iteration and a much higher volume of testable ad variations.

I approach AI as a performance tool, not a novelty, using it to rapidly test hooks, formats, and visual narratives, especially in the first few seconds where outcomes are won or lost. I’m comfortable working closely with media buyers and growth teams, translating performance data into creative direction, and iterating quickly based on what’s actually converting.

My strength is combining taste with speed: building repeatable creative workflows, maintaining brand consistency across multiple outputs, and knowing when to push AI hard versus when human polish is required. I’m excited to contribute at a companies where creative is expected to move fast, scale intelligently, and directly impact growth.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Jr Content Creator Supervisor at Letterfest
October 1, 2024 - Present
Concepted and produced video and static ads for Letterfest campaigns; art directed photoshoots; shot original video content; led production planning, recruitment and logistics; implemented AI-driven workflow improvements to reduce photoshoot costs and improve budget efficiency; supervised freelance content creators to ensure brand consistency.
Illustrations Team Supervisor at Letterfest
October 1, 2021 - October 1, 2024
Managed a team of international freelancers for high-paced illustration studio; concepted new products and commercial designs; artworking and illustration for final production.
Illustrator at Letterfest (Freelance)
June 1, 2020 - October 1, 2021
Creating illustrations for production for Letterfest.
Artists Assistant at Damien Hirst/Science Ltd
August 1, 2011 - November 1, 2020
Creating photorealistic oil paintings for various series; specialist art handling and transport of high-value works.
Oil Painter / Independent Fine Art Practitioner at Independent Fine Art Practice
January 1, 2004 - Present
Maintaining a professional studio practice with a diverse range of styles, spanning from photorealism to expressive abstraction; ongoing visual exploration and experimentation with new mediums and techniques.
Oil Painter at Independent Fine Art Practice
January 1, 2004 - Present
Independent studio practice with a diverse range of styles, spanning from photorealism to expressive abstraction; ongoing exploration and experimentation with new mediums and techniques.
Independent Fine Art Practice — Oil Painter at Independent Fine Art Practice
January 1, 2004 - Present
Maintaining a professional studio practice with a diverse range of styles, spanning photorealism to expressive abstraction; ongoing visual exploration and experimentation with new mediums and techniques.

Education

Post Graduate Media Practices at University of the West of Scotland
September 1, 2009 - June 1, 2010
BA (Hons) Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee
September 1, 2000 - June 1, 2004
Postgraduate Media Practices at University of the West of Scotland
September 1, 2009 - June 1, 2010
BA (Hons) Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone, College of Art & Design, Dundee
September 1, 2000 - June 1, 2004
Post Graduate Media Practices at University of the West of Scotland
September 1, 2009 - June 1, 2010
BA (Hons) Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee
September 1, 2000 - June 1, 2004

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Education, Other
    paper Letterfest Christmas Shoot

    The Brief: To create a warm, inviting, and emotionally resonant Christmas campaign for Letterfest’s range of personalised books and illustrations. The objective was to capture the joy of giving and receiving personalised gifts, showcasing the products in a relatable, lifestyle setting that would appeal to families and gift-givers.

    The Approach: I led the creative direction for this campaign, collaborating closely with a photographer and set designer to bring the vision to life. This involved:

    Concept Development: Creating a cohesive visual theme centred around “Magical Moments” – intimate family scenes, the excitement of unwrapping, and the cozy atmosphere of Christmas.

    Pre-Production: Developing detailed shot lists, scouting locations, and booking diverse talent (families, children, grandparents) to represent the brand’s broad customer base.

    On-Set Direction: Overseeing the shoot to ensure the capturing of authentic emotions and interactions, directing models to interact naturally with the products (reading books, admiring illustrations).

    Post-Production: Curating the final selection of images, ensuring a consistent colour palette and mood across the campaign assets. These assets were then used and edited to create ads.

    Key Challenges & Solutions:

    Balancing Product & Lifestyle: The challenge was to showcase the products clearly without making the images feel overly staged or commercial. I focused on capturing genuine moments of connection – a child’s delight at seeing their name in a book, a family sharing a story by the tree – integrating the products seamlessly into the narrative.

    Creating a cohesive Campaign: With a diverse range of products (books, illustrations, wrapping paper), ensuring a unified look and feel was crucial. By establishing a consistent warm colour palette, lighting style, and set design, I created a cohesive visual language that tied all the assets together.

    Outcome: A beautiful and heartwarming Christmas campaign that effectively communicated the emotional value of Letterfest’s personalised gifts. The high-quality imagery was used across the website, social media, and email marketing, driving engagement and sales during the key Christmas campaign.

    paper BTS Promo for Letterfest with the CEO

    The Brief: To create a behind the scenes promo for Letterfest, highlighting the artists community they serve.

    The Approach: talking head interview approach with cut scenes of illustrator at work.

    Key Challenges & Solutions:

    Editing down the content into sharp coherent delivery.

    Outcome: A vignette and over view of the ethics behind Letterfest, this ad was also part of a Not On The High street campaign.

    paper A Roarsome Adventure

    The Brief: To create a magical, promotional ad for Letterfest’s new personalised dinosaur book. The key requirement was to visually narrate the transition from a child’s real-world imagination to a personalised animated adventure, highlighting that the story is uniquely “made for your little one”.

    The Approach: I developed a narrative that begins in live-action, capturing the intimate moment of a child playing under a table, then seamlessly transitions into the animated world of the book. This “portal” effect visualizes the power of personalisation, with the child’s likeness being carried into the story. The script was written to evoke wonder and emphasize the child’s central role in the adventure.

    Key Challenges & Solutions:

    Seamless Live-Action to Animation: The core challenge was creating a believable transition from the real world to the animated one. I used a magical portal effect, generated in VEO 3, to bridge the gap, ensuring the child character’s appearance and onesie were consistent across both mediums for a smooth visual narrative.

    AI-Powered Narration & Music: To match the whimsical tone, I utilized ElevenLabs to generate both the warm, storytelling voiceover and the magical, adventurous background music. The pacing of the narration was carefully timed to sync with the visual beats of the animation and the reveal of the personalised book covers.

    Outcome: A heartwarming, AI-driven promotional ad that successfully communicates the magic of personalisation. By blending live-action with animation, the film effectively illustrates how Letterfest’s book transforms a child into the star of their own “roarsome” adventure.

    paper Sleeping Giants Promo

    The Brief: To create an immersive promotional film for my “Sleeping Giants” painting series that moves beyond a traditional gallery showcase. The primary goal was to translate the rich, tactile quality of the canvas paintings into a cinematic video experience, conveying the visceral feeling of the landscapes that inspired them.

    The Approach: I developed a narrative centred on a Jungian connection between artist and environment. Instead of focusing on action, the screenplay focuses on sensory immersion and elemental presence. The production utilised generative AI tools to visualise a deeply atmospheric, rain-soaked journey into the mountains, ensuring the visuals mirrored the layered textures of the artwork. The artist is portrayed not just observing the landscape, but embedded within its raw elements, rain, mud, and mist.

    Key Challenges & Solutions:

    Translating Texture to Video: A key challenge was ensuring the digital video retained the physical weight of the paintings. I focused on generating highly tactile imagery close-ups of water beading on technical gear, muddy hiking boots sloshing through puddles, and the rough surfaces of wet rock and heather to create a palpable sense of touch through the screen.

    Designing the Sonic Landscape: The visuals needed to provide space for a specific ASMR-driven soundtrack. The pacing was deliberately slow to allow the auditory cues the low frequency rumble of the Land Rover Defender, the white noise of persistent rain, and the profound silence of the mountains to dominate the narrative and deepen the psychological immersion.

    Outcome: An atmospheric promotional film that successfully translates the static medium of painting into a dynamic, sensory experience. By fusing tactile AI-generated visuals with a precisely layered soundscape, the film captures the archetypal, “Sleeping Giant” quality of the landscape, situating the art within a deeper, elemental context.

    paper Promo for Rory Hancock (artist)

    The Brief: To create a compelling, narrative-driven promotional film showcasing a key painting by artist Rory Hancock, moving beyond standard gallery cinematography.

    The Approach: I developed a “thriller-adjacent” screenplay focused on environmental pressure rather than action. The goal was to create a high-stakes atmosphere where the artwork serves as the hero. The production relied entirely on VEO 3, Nano Banana and Magnific Ai to visualize complex scenes, a rain-slicked brutalist residence at night, that would have been cost-prohibitive to shoot practically.

    Key Challenges & Solutions:

    Moving away from the initial concept of silence, I leaned into a highly stylized cinematic approach. Anchored by the soundtrack elevates the visceral sound effects (engine roar, rain) into a cohesive mood piece that feels like a lost scene from a high-budget thriller.

    The “Wine Glass” Moment: Generating the specific physics of a wine glass shattering and the subsequent “bleed” across concrete required precise prompting within VEO 3 to achieve a photorealistic, yet emotionally charged, result.

    Outcome: A 60-second atmospheric film where the visual fidelity of the AI generation matches the high-luxury aesthetic of the script and product, successfully framing Rory Hancock’s art as an anchor of stability amidst psychological unease.