remote marketing director. automotive, from the creative up.

marketing leadership that can actually make the thing.

Most automotive marketing departments have a gap between the people who plan the campaign and the people who build it. Strategy decks land on a designer's desk with a deadline and very little understanding of what good creative takes. Results suffer quietly.

I come at marketing leadership from the other side. I have built the creative myself for more than three decades, and I have run marketing inside an automotive dealer group. I am James Stanley, Creative Director and Owner of Bluejacket Creative since 1994, and I am open to conversations about remote Marketing Director roles in automotive and the automotive aftermarket where a creative-led leader is the right fit.

To be clear about priorities: my primary search is for Senior Graphic Designer and Art Director roles. A Marketing Director role is one I will pursue when the company, the scope, and the team line up well.

automotive marketing experience

the Vista Ford Lincoln path

With the Vista Ford of Oxnard / Vista Ford Lincoln group I moved through Creative Consultant, Marketing Director, and Art Director responsibilities. Dealer group marketing combines brand discipline with retail urgency: OEM standards, co-op requirements, inventory-driven offers, sales events, service and parts marketing, community presence, and the constant pressure of monthly numbers. I learned to plan campaigns that the sales floor could actually use and to measure creative by the traffic it drove.

aftermarket and enthusiast audiences

Through Bluejacket Creative I have worked with automotive and aftermarket names including Borla, Hoonigan, HRE Wheels, and SEMA. Enthusiast marketing rewards authenticity and punishes anything that feels generic. A Marketing Director in that space needs to understand culture, not only channels.

what I would bring as Marketing Director

creative standards across every channel

Because I have personally produced branding, web design and development, photography, video, motion graphics, and print, I can set standards for all of them and recognize quickly when work is strong, when it is off, and what it will take to fix it. That shortens review cycles and raises the floor on everything a team ships.

realistic planning

I know how long a shoot takes, what a motion piece really costs in hours, and which deliverables can be templated. Campaign calendars I build are ambitious but achievable, which keeps a small team from burning out and keeps vendors honest.

multi-audience communication

At New Benefits in Dallas-Fort Worth, where I have been Senior Graphic Designer and Digital Media Content Creator since July 2019, I produce high-volume B2B2C marketing for brokers, employers, employees, associations, and universities. Automotive has its own layered audiences: retail buyers, fleet and commercial customers, service customers, dealers, distributors, installers, and enthusiasts. The discipline of speaking to each without fracturing the brand carries over directly.

calm under pressure

Ten-plus years as a U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist after 9/11 built the habits I lean on as a leader: clear communication, accountability, preparation, and composure when plans change at the last minute.

leadership approach

• Brief well. Most bad creative starts with a vague brief. I write clear ones and teach teams to do the same.
• Protect the brand, not the ego. Good ideas can come from sales, service, or a new hire. The brand standard decides, not seniority.
• Ship consistently. A steady rhythm of solid work beats occasional brilliance surrounded by silence.
• Stay hands-on. I can still pick up a camera or open a timeline, which earns trust with creative teams and keeps me honest about effort.

the fit I am looking for

• Remote only, based in Mineola, Texas, with travel for events like SEMA, launches, shoots, and team planning.
• Industry: automotive and automotive aftermarket first, with interest in insurance, employee benefits, and extreme and adventure sports brands.
• Scope: a brand that values creative quality and wants a leader who can direct strategy and execution together.
• Agencies: only those specializing in automotive, autosports, motorsports, or action sports.
• Compensation: competitive senior-level compensation aligned with director-level scope.

background

• Creative Director and Owner, Bluejacket Creative, since 1994
• Senior Graphic Designer / Digital Media Content Creator, New Benefits, July 2019 to present
• Creative Consultant, Marketing Director, and Art Director path, Vista Ford of Oxnard / Vista Ford Lincoln group
• Co-founder and apparel designer, #DontSuck, since 2012
• U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist, 10+ years
• BFA, Graphic Design, Brooks Institute

where a creative-led director adds value

Automotive brands spend heavily on media and often too little attention on the creative that media carries. A Marketing Director who can judge creative on craft and on results helps on both sides: better ads for the same spend, fewer wasted production dollars, and a brand that looks the same at the dealership, on the website, at SEMA, and in a customer's feed. That is the value I would aim to deliver from the first campaign onward.

see the work, then let's talk

Review the photography, videography, and branding work, and the brands listed on clients. Full history is on about. When you are ready, message me on LinkedIn or reach out through the contact page.