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Creative Director/Producer and commercial & editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience crafting visual narratives across photography, motion design, and creative direction for leading brands. Known for meticulous attention to detail, sophisticated lighting and composition, and fast, reliable delivery within budget. Founder/Company Director of full-service studio and creative production operations in London and previously in Istanbul, delivering high-impact campaigns, motion graphics, and music promo video production with strong client retention, rapid turnaround, and measurable improvements in audience engagement.…Creative Director/Producer and commercial & editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience crafting visual narratives across photography, motion design, and creative direction for leading brands. Known for meticulous attention to detail, sophisticated lighting and composition, and fast, reliable delivery within budget. Founder/Company Director of full-service studio and creative production operations in London and previously in Istanbul, delivering high-impact campaigns, motion graphics, and music promo video production with strong client retention, rapid turnaround, and measurable improvements in audience engagement.

Yigit Gunel

Photographer, Creative Producer, Creative Director, +2

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Creative Director/Producer and commercial & editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience crafting visual narratives across photography, motion design, and creative direction for leading brands. Known for meticulous attention to detail, sophisticated lighting and composition, and fast, reliable delivery within budget. Founder/Company Director of full-service studio and creative production operations in London and previously in Istanbul, delivering high-impact campaigns, motion graphics, and music promo video production with strong client retention, rapid turnaround, and measurable improvements in audience engagement.…Creative Director/Producer and commercial & editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience crafting visual narratives across photography, motion design, and creative direction for leading brands. Known for meticulous attention to detail, sophisticated lighting and composition, and fast, reliable delivery within budget. Founder/Company Director of full-service studio and creative production operations in London and previously in Istanbul, delivering high-impact campaigns, motion graphics, and music promo video production with strong client retention, rapid turnaround, and measurable improvements in audience engagement.

Available to hire

Creative Director/Producer and commercial & editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience crafting visual narratives across photography, motion design, and creative direction for leading brands. Known for meticulous attention to detail, sophisticated lighting and composition, and fast, reliable delivery within budget.

Founder/Company Director of full-service studio and creative production operations in London and previously in Istanbul, delivering high-impact campaigns, motion graphics, and music promo video production with strong client retention, rapid turnaround, and measurable improvements in audience engagement.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Language

Turkish

Fluent

English

Advanced

Work Experience

Founder, Creative Director/Producer at Cult Studio

June 1, 2023 - Present

Founder and creative director/producer running a full-service rental photo studio for photographers, filmmakers, and content creators. Provides creative direction and production services, manages studio operations (budgeting, equipment management, booking/billing), and hosts monthly creative meet-ups to support creative wellbeing and community. Produces weekly social media marketing content including videos, BTS, motion graphics, and design elements. Achieved 78% monthly marketing revenue growth, 75% studio utilisation, and secured 20+ new clients within the first year.

Creative Director & Photographer / Videographer at Buzzbar

August 1, 2019 - January 31, 2023

Managed annual photography and video production budget delivering 96 projects on time and under budget. Provided art direction for product shots plus directed headshots, lookbooks, and seasonal/quarterly campaigns. Prepared studio lighting setups and performed high-end retouching for startup product photography. Maintained organized image libraries and archives. Produced OOH branding materials for Greenwich University across 3 campaigns, resulting in a 78% increase in student engagement/applications.

Company Director at YG Studio Ltd

June 1, 2017 - June 1, 2023

Directed a creative services company delivering photography, graphic design, motion graphics, and creative direction for brands and promoters. Generated £180K revenue across 200+ clients. Designed and animated logos for multiple clients and specialized in motion graphics and edited music promo videos. Produced and edited 200+ music promo videos for MyTicket and Kilimanjaro Live, driving an average 85% increase in social media engagement (up to 8M views for some). Maintained 90% client retention and averaged 4-day project completion times.

Company Director & Photographer at YG Studio | Mushroom Design

April 1, 2008 - June 1, 2017

Built and scaled the studio from startup to serving 60+ clients with 70% year-over-year revenue growth over nine years. Produced editorial and commercial photography for major advertising agencies. Shot yearly campaigns for cell phone operators (e.g., Vodafone) and produced brand book images for EU and worldwide usage. Produced celebrity/portrait photography sessions for GQ and Skylife published across 20+ publications. Delivered 8 Vodafone campaign shoots contributing to a 78% brand awareness increase. Also designed logos, books, album covers, and print advertisement materials. Collaborated with EU and Turkey’s Culture Ministry to conceptualize event posters and curate a design exhibition for Istanbul European Culture Capital.

Designer / Creative Retoucher / Art Director at Nihat Odabası Studio

September 1, 2006 - August 31, 2007

Provided creative direction and assets for photography shoots supporting magazine editorials (Elle, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar). Designed multiple editorial layouts and created brand identity work. Managed and organized a large archive (500,000+ images) and selected/printed 2 portfolios for each client pitch.

Graphic Designer at Republica Adv

September 1, 2005 - August 31, 2006

Produced graphic design for print and online regional and national advertisement campaigns. Created brand logos and print design for hotels, brands, musicians, and telecom companies. Designed posters and flyers for mass production (1,000,000+ printed advertisement materials).

Education

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.), Communication Science Faculty, Design and Visual Communications at Istanbul Bilgi University