Building the Creative Engine
Constellation Brands | Creative Organization Transformation
When I joined Constellation Brands, the portfolio was strong and growing quickly. Creative demand was expanding across channels, but the in-house team was small and largely operating in reactive mode.
The opportunity wasn’t simply to produce more work — it was to build a scalable creative function that could support growth with rigor, consistency, and strategic partnership.
1. The Challenge
How do you build an in-house team that delivers creative excellence while operating with business discipline?
The organization didn’t just need more designers. It needed structure, clarity, and expanded capability.
2. The Build
I scaled the team from a single designer to a multidisciplinary group of 12 spanning design, photography, and video.
But growth wasn’t just about headcount. It meant:
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Defining clear roles and expectations
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Hiring talent who were both skilled and collaborative
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Establishing standards for craft and strategy
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Creating a culture where creatives felt trusted and supported
The goal was to build a team that could think — not just execute.
3. The Systems
To support scale, I introduced structured intake and briefing processes, improved prioritization systems, and strengthened cross-functional alignment.
Creative shifted from being brought in at the end to “make things look good” to being embedded earlier as a strategic partner.
We also built in-house photo and video capabilities — expanding storytelling quality while reducing reliance on external agencies.
4. The Results
Scaled creative team from 1 to 12
Built internal photography and video production capabilities
Reduced agency costs by approximately $750K annually
Increased speed-to-market
Elevated brand consistency across channels
Repositioned creative from production support to strategic partner
More importantly, we built a creative function designed to sustain quality — not just deliver it once.
5. The Team
Built alongside a multidisciplinary team including Jerome Maureze, Maya Ostrander, Rosanne Chan, Lori Rosales, Brooke Bartlebor, Scott Peterson, Adrian Fernandez, Gwendolyn Hicks, and Sean Rush.