A Senior Creative of the Art persuasion.

Senior Art Director and creative leader with 11+ years across agency and in-house brand marketing, known for translating business objectives, audience insights, and marketing KPIs into distinctive campaign ideas that are scalable. Experienced across full-funnel marketing with a track record of presenting strategic creative work with clear rationale and building the stakeholder confidence to ensure the best work always gets made. Experience spanning Ogilvy, CLEMS, VML, and in-house at Sportsbet, with an Effie to back it up. I also spend time mentoring younger creatives through AWARD school when I can.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-pantzopoulos-a9029522/

Work Experience

Senior Creative
SPORTSBET | JULY 2025 – PRESENT

Sportsbet is Australia’s leading online sport gambling platform, known for their cheeky, youthful advertising that gets to the heart of their community driven audience with their iconic Australian humour. Working in their in-house creative team, I lead art direction across major brand campaigns and anything else in the business that needs a keen visual eye and creative oversight.

  • Led end-to-end art direction across 3 major full-funnel integrated brand campaigns (combined budgets $5M+), spanning TV, social, digital, and paid media. Ensuring brand and idea consistency across each.

  • Redefined the visual language of Sportsbet's campaign work, establishing a higher level of craft across all brand communications while maintaining speed and consistency at scale.

  • Rebuilt their approach to retail and performance creative, streamlining production workflows and improving asset consistency at scale through multi-channel outputs.

  • Regularly presenting creative work to senior stakeholders with clear rationale, connecting campaign ideas to audience insights and brand positioning and business objectives. While managing feedback across complex approval chains.

  • Work closely with top-tier production companies across film, stills, animation, development teams to ensure ideas are brought to life in a way that fits the original strategic intent, and feels inherently Sportsbet.

  • Directed and reviewed output from an internal team of designers and motion editors, elevating team work through structured feedback and clear visual direction.

  • Use of AI tools to speed up conceptual work and on select final assets that either don’t have the budget or don’t require the level of craft that  broadcast work has.

Founder
DOME | JAN 2024 – PRESENT

Dome is a SaaS startup I founded, aimed at providing efficiencies for fashion agencies and brands when booking talent.

  • Led the full product design system. Owning strategic intent, UX/UI, and go-to-market creative

  • Worked cross-functionally with a Swedish development team across an agile workflow, translating creative and user needs into scalable product decisions.

  • Conducted user research and competitor analysis to inform product direction, creative positioning, and growth strategy.

  • Built and iterated on a scalable UX and visual framework, balancing design quality with the practical constraints of an early-stage product.

Senior Creative
FREELANCE | OCT 2024 – JULY 2025

Worked at a variety of advertising agencies and in-house teams to help develop their branding projects.

Senior Art Director
OGILVY | OCT 2021 – OCT 2024

  • Partnered with strategy and planning teams to translate audience research, brand positioning, and campaign KPIs into creative territories designed for integrated campaigns across TV, OOH, social, and digital.

  • Launched a Mondelēz cracker brand, achieving 84% conversion in 4 weeks. Mondelēz’s best on record.

  • Led development for AAMI’s AFL sponsorship campaign, spanning TV, OOH, social, and digital.

  • Led the ongoing creative output of Hostplus for 3+ years across TV, digital, and print.

  • Led shoot productions, collaborating with stylists, talent, and directors/photographers.

  • Oversaw work from junior teams, guiding their output through considered feedback. 

  • Managed teams of designers, artists, and junior talent during campaign rollouts.

Art Director / Senior Art Director
CLEMS | MAR 2018 – OCT 2021

  • Launched Mazda’s first-ever finance program through a national TV campaign and online portal.

  • Helped CHEP win the retail business and aligned campaigns with Mazda’s brand aesthetic.

  • Developed an entire CGI retail campaign remotely during COVID.

  • Launched Mazda CX-9 and CX-5 in Australia with bespoke integrated TV, OOH, and digital campaigns.
    Managed creative production workflows, ensuring seamless delivery of high-quality marketing assets.

  • Managed teams of designers, artists, and junior talent during campaign rollouts.

Art Director
VML | OCT 2015 – MAR 2018

  • Launched Ford Mustang in Australia with a national TV, OOH, and digital campaign.

  • Created striking auto retail campaigns using simple visual metaphors.

  • Led the national launch of the Ford Everest campaign.

  • Developed and launched integrated campaigns to drive brand awareness and lead generation.

Education

Mini MBA in Marketing | Mark Ritson | 2018

Award school (Conceptual ad school) | 2015

Graduate Diploma in Graphic Design | RMIT | 2010

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor Business Double Degree | Victoria University | 2003 – 2006

Awards & Community

Award School Judge (2021 – 2024): Judged student entries and work.

Award School Tutor (2018 – 2019): Mentored the top student and won top tutor award in 2019 

Silver Effie: Media-Led Idea (2018) – GTB: Ford Motor Company – How we sold a Muscle car to the Masses

Brands I’ve Worked With

AAMI, Cadbury, CPA, Dome, Fancy Hanks, Football Australia (Socceroos & Matildas), Ford, GIO, Hostplus, Mazda, Olina’s Bakehouse, Suncorp, Vero, The Natural Confectionery Company, Tourism WA.