remote art director. automotive, engineered.

the car is the hero. the art direction decides if anyone notices.

Automotive marketing is crowded with good-looking cars and forgettable creative. The difference is almost never the vehicle. It is the light, the angle, the type, the pacing of the edit, and the discipline to keep every piece of a campaign speaking the same language from a showroom banner to a fifteen-second reel.

That is the work I have built a career around. I am James Stanley, Creative Director and Owner of Bluejacket Creative since 1994, and I am considering remote Art Director roles with automotive brands, OEM-adjacent teams, dealer groups, and automotive aftermarket companies.

where the automotive experience comes from

dealership marketing, from the inside

My path with the Vista Ford of Oxnard / Vista Ford Lincoln group ran from Creative Consultant to Marketing Director and Art Director. Dealer marketing is unforgiving: inventory changes daily, OEM co-op and brand standards have to be respected, and every campaign is measured against foot traffic and leads. Working inside that environment taught me how to keep premium creative standards while hitting the practical numbers a store lives on.

aftermarket and lifestyle brands

Through Bluejacket Creative I have created work connected to automotive and aftermarket names including Borla, Hoonigan, HRE Wheels, and SEMA. Aftermarket audiences are enthusiasts. They notice a wrong wheel spec, a lazy composite, or a stock-photo garage. Creative for them has to be credible to people who know more about the product than most marketers ever will.

cinematic craft, hands on

I do not only direct. I shoot automotive photography, film and edit video, color grade, and build motion graphics. That matters for an Art Director, because I can brief photographers and editors in their own language, step in when a deadline demands it, and judge a frame or a cut on technical grounds rather than taste alone.

what I bring to an automotive creative team

• Campaign art direction across launch, seasonal, sales event, and brand campaigns, with consistent systems for static, motion, social, web, and print.
• Photo and video direction for vehicle, product, and lifestyle shoots, including shot lists, lighting plans, and post-production standards.
• Brand stewardship that respects OEM and partner guidelines while still giving a dealer group or aftermarket brand its own voice.
• Motion and social content built for the formats people actually watch, from vertical reels to dealership display loops.
• Web and digital design sense from years of website design and development, so landing pages and inventory experiences match the campaign.
• Production management that keeps freelancers, printers, and vendors on spec and on schedule.

leadership, Navy-built

I spent more than ten years in the U.S. Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist after 9/11. Military visual communication teaches things art school does not: accuracy under real deadlines, working with people who outrank your opinion, and telling a story with whatever gear and time you actually have. I hold a BFA in Graphic Design from Brooks Institute, which gave me the foundation in photography and visual storytelling that still drives my automotive work.

Today I am also Senior Graphic Designer and Digital Media Content Creator at New Benefits in Dallas-Fort Worth, where I have produced high-volume B2B2C marketing, motion graphics, and video since July 2019. It is a different industry, but the skill transfers directly: managing many audiences, many deliverables, and constant change without losing the brand.

the role I am looking for

• Remote only. I am based in Mineola, Texas, and work remotely across time zones. Travel for shoots, SEMA week, launches, and planning sessions is welcome.
• Title. Art Director or Senior Graphic Designer. Marketing Director when the fit is strong.
• Industry. Automotive and automotive aftermarket are first choices, alongside employee benefits, insurance, and extreme and adventure sports.
• Agencies. I consider agency roles only when the agency specializes in automotive, autosports, motorsports, or action sports.
• Compensation. Competitive senior-level compensation that reflects the scope of an Art Director role.

how a remote Art Director works on automotive

Automotive creative depends on physical things: cars, locations, light. Remote art direction works when the planning is tight. I write clear creative briefs and shot lists, run remote approvals with annotated frames, coordinate local photographers and crews when I am not on set, and travel when being there makes the difference. Files are organized, named, and delivered ready for whoever touches them next.

what the first ninety days could look like

A new Art Director should earn trust before rewriting anything. In the first month I would audit current creative across every channel, learn the brand standards and OEM or partner requirements, and meet the people who request and approve work. In the second month I would tighten templates, briefs, and shot lists so production gets faster. By the third, the team should be shipping campaigns that look more consistent and premium with less effort, and we would have a clear plan for the next season's launches and events.

see the work

The fastest look at my automotive eye is the photography and videography pages. Identity work is on branding, and a list of brands I have worked with is on clients. Career history lives on about and LinkedIn.

start the conversation

Hiring a remote Art Director for an automotive or aftermarket brand? Send me a message on LinkedIn. I respond personally. If you prefer email, use the contact page.