Hello.

This website is mostly about Ryan — click his name at the top to learn more about him and view his portfolio. If you’re here for Samantha (that’s me!) here’s some more information:

Samantha K. Jackson

samanthaj@ckson.info
(206) 369-8350
in/samanthakjackson
Seattle, WA 98118 USA

Internationally accomplished professional with 16+ years of experience leading complex and high-impact projects, operations, and client service across diverse global teams and partnerships. Leads with an entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset to build programs and campaigns from the ground up, driving strategic initiatives for world-renowned global brands and organizations. Proven track record of success in building solid relationships, optimizing processes, and delivering results that exceed expectations. A visionary leader with a demonstrated ability to inspire teamwork while fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. A Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) champion recognized for advocacy work and public speaking, driving positive change and measurable impact across multiple sectors.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

THE VIDA AGENCY
Strategy Director

Led all aspects of operations and client engagement for the Sundance, SXSW, and Webby-nominated, globally-recognized creative studio and production house. Oversaw regional and worldwide design, film, animation, and creative marketing projects for prestigious clients, including Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, GIPHY, Meta, Google, Netflix, and more.

• Built the creative studio and production house from the ground up, leading all operations, including project management, account management, and new business development.

• Spearheaded the company's growth, driving 11+ years of consecutive year-over-year revenue growth and managing a multimillion-dollar budget with strategic rate-setting and forecasting.

• Pitched and secured 30+ accounts, achieving a 75% repeat client rate through nurturing strong client relationships and delivering high-quality work that exceeded expectations.

• Built, nurtured, and maintained positive relationships with executive and senior-level clients from highly-matrixed international brands, companies, and organizations.

• Partnered with clients to deeply understand strategic objectives and brand guidelines, translating insights into creative briefs and actionable feedback. Ensured all creative outputs aligned with the brand's quality standards and achieved client goals through meticulous review.

• Implemented workflow processes and project management tools to streamline operations. Built project schedules, maintained status reports, and proactively communicated with internal teams, vendors, and clients to drive on-time and on-budget delivery.

• Commissioned to create a show for Cartoon Network & Max, managing work streams from concept through pilot. Selected to go to the Warner Bros. Discovery greenlight committee in 2024.

• Developed and executed an integrated, mixed-media advertising, social media, and influencer / KOL campaign to launch Netflix in Indonesia. Achieved #1 position as the most-used streaming platform in the country.

• Led a 7+ year partnership with GIPHY, creating and managing 1K+ .GIFs and animated shorts. Received 18B+ views to date, ranking as a top-50 channel worldwide.

• Championed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, resulting in a staff composition where 67% of staff were women or non-binary AFAB, 20% of staff identified as LGBTQI+, and 72% of staff were from marginalized ethnic groups.

• Oversaw a diverse team of 40+ members, fostering an inclusive workplace culture and achieving a remarkable 92.5% employee retention rate.

• Collaborated with stakeholders from various sectors to advocate for employment and business opportunities for creative sector workers and entrepreneurs, contributing to the growth of Indonesia's creative economy.

• Recognized as the 1st certified B Corporation in Indonesia, prioritizing ethical entrepreneurship and sustainability practices.

• Identified continuous improvements and diversified agency capabilities based on market trends to future-proof the business.

Established and led the organization to pioneer evidence-based social and behavior change communication (SBCC) initiatives combined with world-class creative strategy, running parallel to Percolate Galactic. Designed projects to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of gender equality, good health & well-being, reduced inequalities, and no poverty in the Global South.

• Led human-centered design initiatives and behavior change campaigns leveraging analytics, data, best practices, qualitative / quantitative research, and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) strategies for global development organizations, including the United Nations, USAID, Google.org, FHI 360, Nutrition International, PEPFAR, Save the Children, Girl Effect, and Prudence Foundation.

• Spearheaded ground-breaking digital SBCC interventions for Girl Effect in Indonesia for 10 years, reaching >100M girls and non-binary young people. Co-designed with the target demographic and led by local stakeholders, these campaigns garnered international acclaim and recognition for their innovation and impact.

• Managed creative concepting, research, development, and production of a 360 campaign and 6-episode mass-media series for Dove Self-Esteem Project (DSEP) & Girl Effect with the support of Centre for Appearance Research (CAR). Utilized research findings to develop a multichannel paid media campaign, achieving 14M views in eight weeks. Results were published in 2 peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR).

• Launched ‘Good Girl: Game On!,’ a non-profit social change project and digital platform providing a safe and empowering gaming community for Indonesian girls and non-binary adolescents and young people. Fostered solidarity among users, reduced gender-based barriers to STE(A)M, garnered earned media attention, and drew partnership and funding interest from government organizations and private foundations, including the LEGO Foundation and the Indonesian Ministry of Women’s Empowerment & Child Protection.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

City of Seattle: Senior Grants & Contracts Specialist
Unreasonable Ventures: Social Enterprise Mentor
King County Superior Court: Guardian ad Litem
SafeFutures Youth Center (Greater Seattle): Program Director
YMCA of Greater Seattle: Program Coordinator
Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (Greater Seattle): Project Manager
YWCA of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County: Shelter Director
City Year Seattle / King County: Corps Member
HighScope Indonesia: Early Childhood Educator