LIZZY JOHNSTON
Atlanta, GA | elizabethlizzyliz@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/lizzyjohnston
Senior Content Producer | Creative Producer | Photo Art Director
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Senior Content Producer with 10+ years of experience managing end-to-end production for photo, video, and digital content across in-house creative agencies and brand marketing. Proven expertise in leading large-scale campaigns from concept through delivery, managing production budgets ($18K-$150K range), directing cross-functional teams, and overseeing post-production workflows. At Mailchimp's award-winning in-house creative agency Wink Creative (AdAge In-House Agency of the Year, 2023), delivered 20-25 campaigns annually while managing multiple concurrent projects across social, digital, and brand channels. Skilled in production planning, vendor partnerships, stakeholder collaboration, and building systems that balance creative excellence with operational efficiency. Background as both a maker (photographer, video editor, podcast editor) and producer brings technical fluency and hands-on understanding of the complete production lifecycle.
CORE CAPABILITIES
Production Management
End-to-end production oversight (pre-production, production, post-production) for social video, still shoots, motion content, and integrated campaigns. Budget development, cost tracking, timeline management, and resource allocation.
Creative Leadership
Art direction, visual strategy, creative brief interpretation, photographer and talent selection, treatment development, and brand alignment. Building foundational creative systems and production standards.
Post-Production Expertise
Video editorial direction, sound design coordination, photo retouching oversight, motion design collaboration, and multi-channel asset delivery. Hands-on experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator), Pro Tools, and post-production workflows.
Team & Stakeholder Management
Leading producers and creative teams, mentoring junior staff, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, managing senior-level client relationships, and synthesizing feedback across marketing, brand, product, and design stakeholders.
Vendor & Agency Partnerships
Building and maintaining relationships with production agencies, modeling agencies, photographer reps, stock agencies, and freelance talent. Negotiating terms, managing contracts, and coordinating seamless productions.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Photo Art Director / Brand Photo Lead
Mailchimp – Wink Creative (In-House Agency) | Atlanta, GA | 2019 – 2025
Led photo production for 20-25 campaigns annually, overseeing budgets ranging from $18K to $150K for photo/video components. Collaborated closely on video production and digital content within integrated campaign teams. Led pre-production planning, production execution, and post-production workflows while balancing 5+ concurrent projects at various stages.
Developed and managed quarterly production budgets, creating realistic estimates and tracking costs throughout project lifecycles. Identified opportunities for budget optimization and reallocation, enabling more efficient resource use across teams. Mentored video lead on budget management best practices.
Served as primary liaison between creative teams and stakeholders across Integrated Marketing, Brand Design, Product Marketing, and Brand Marketing. Facilitated creative brainstorming, presented concepts for approval, synthesized multi-stakeholder feedback, and managed approval workflows.
Oversaw post-production workflows including photo retouching, video editorial, sound design, and asset delivery. Developed feedback systems that streamlined stakeholder input while maintaining quality standards and managing revision rounds efficiently.
Co-created Mailchimp's Fictitious Brands initiative, developing production systems and brand guidelines for 22 fictional brand identities that became cornerstone assets across marketing and product demonstrations. Photo Led during pre-production for $800K expansion campaign including shot list development, casting, and wardrobe direction.
Built and maintained partnerships with 30+ vendors including production agencies, modeling agencies, photographer reps, and stock agencies to execute seamless productions and negotiate favorable terms.
Led high-stakes productions including $180K Los Angeles shoot during COVID-19, managing full crew and creative decisions independently. Directed 7 photoshoots remotely via Zoom, maintaining quality standards across virtual production environments.
Managed and mentored 2-person photo team for 6+ years, providing creative direction, professional development, and workflow optimization through multiple organizational changes.
Senior Brand Photographer
Mailchimp | Atlanta, GA | 2018 – 2019
Led production for 10-part Customer Stories video series from pre-production through post-production, directing editorial in editing suite with hands-on feedback on video editing, sound design, and color correction. Managed nimble productions across San Francisco and Atlanta locations.
Authored Mailchimp's Photography Style Guide for 2018 rebrand, establishing visual standards and production best practices adopted company-wide. Guidelines improved brand consistency and accelerated approval processes across internal and external teams.
Provided creative direction and production oversight across brand initiatives, managing photographer workflows, leading creative meetings, and expanding Mailchimp's visual content library for customer storytelling and social media.
Brand Photographer
Mailchimp | Atlanta, GA | 2016 – 2018
Identified need for expanded photo team during 2017 rebrand and successfully pitched leadership to invest in in-house photography talent. Hired and onboarded 2 staff photographers, establishing foundation for Mailchimp's in-house production capabilities.
Produced brand photography for recruiting campaigns deployed across multiple channels including social media, billboards, out-of-home advertising, and digital platforms. Created weekly customer story series that became a customer favorite and informed content strategy evolution.
Built cross-functional relationships with marketing teams, independently identifying content opportunities and producing photography for customer storytelling, company culture documentation, and social media.
Creative Producer & Editor
HowStuffWorks | Atlanta, GA | 2008 – 2013
Produced and edited 15-20 pieces of content weekly across 10 podcast series including top-performing shows Stuff You Should Know and Stuff You Missed in History Class (both ranked in top 10 podcasts during tenure). Worked in fast-paced daily publishing environment with immediate turnaround from recording to final delivery.
Performed hands-on video and podcast editing, sound design, and audio post-production using Final Cut, Premiere, and Pro Tools. Managed recording sessions, editorial workflows, and digital asset management while maintaining quality standards under high-volume production demands.
Contributed to podcasts that earned Webby Awards recognition. Served as staff photographer for talent headshots and promotional campaigns.
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BFA, Photography – Georgia State University
Creative Director Course – ELVTR (currently enrolled)
Brand Strategy & Storytelling – Hyper Island
Design Leadership & Ideation Workshops – Cooper Professional Education
Entrepreneurship in the Arts – Savannah College of Art & Design
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
AdAge In-House Agency of the Year, 2023 (Wink Creative, Mailchimp)
Webby People's Voice Award, 2013 (HowStuffWorks)
TOOLS & SYSTEMS
Production Management: Workfront, Slack, Miro, project management systems
Creative Tools: Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Lightroom, Bridge; Capture One; Figma; Pro Tools
Asset Management: CANTO, digital asset management systems, rights compliance workflows