WHERE I'VE BEEN — ADAM CICCO CREATIVE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I lead creative strategy the way businesses actually experience it: as a growth lever, not a deliverable. Across agency and in-house environments, I partner with CMOs, CEOs, and executive leadership to translate complexity into clarity, aligning brand strategy, narrative systems, and content strategy so creativity drives measurable business outcomes. My work spans $1B+ in sales growth, $15M+ in nonprofit fundraising, and brand transformation across regulated and competitive categories. What differentiates me isn’t style or category...it’s how I operate. I build scalable creative systems, not just campaigns. That includes brand narrative architectures, content playbooks, and performance-aligned creative strategy designed to scale across paid, owned, and earned channels and continue working long after launch. The goal is always the same: make creativity repeatable, durable, and accountable. I integrate creativity directly with growth strategy, audience behavior, and modern distribution realities, including SEO, AI search, digital-first content, and discoverability. I don’t treat creative as an isolated function; I design it to influence pipeline, demand, and long-term brand equity. As a leader, I build high-performing teams with clarity, trust, and high standards, balancing strategic rigor with cultural relevance so smart people can do their best work without chaos.

In short, organizations bring me in when they need creative strategy leadership that moves the business forward, not just work that looks good. I help brands find their story, build the system to tell it well, and ensure it delivers real results.

EXOTIC LOCALES

GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR | NOVEMBER 2013-PRESENT | 9ROOFTOPS (FORMERLY MARC USA)

Architect and lead creative strategy for complex, high-stakes brands, translating business objectives into integrated narrative systems across content, digital, and 360° campaigns. | Drove over $1B in incremental sales growth for the Pennsylvania Lottery (FY 2020–2021), contributing to a 24% YoY increase through performance-aligned creative, modern storytelling, and optimized content distribution. | Built repeatable content and campaign playbooks designed for discoverability, | SEO/AI search relevance, and sustained pipeline influence, shifting creative from campaign output to ongoing growth engine. | Serve as senior creative partner to executive leadership across major public-sector organizations, including PA Lottery, PA Turnpike, and ALCOSAN, guiding brand evolution, messaging clarity, and long-term creative direction. | Lead, mentor, and scale multidisciplinary creative teams, fostering adaptability, cultural fluency, and strategic rigor while maintaining high standards under evolving client and market pressures. Integrate cultural insight, pop culture, and emerging media behaviors into brand strategy to increase relevance, affinity, and performance across channels.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR | APRIL 2011–NOVEMBER 2013 | ADAM CICCO CREATIVE (FREELANCE / INDEPENDENT)

Partnered directly with organizations to define brand positioning and creative strategy, clarifying narrative, audience focus, and growth priorities across traditional and digital channels. | Developed foundational brand systems and content playbooks that enabled consistency, scalability, and long-term creative effectiveness. | Led end-to-end creative strategy and execution for clients, including SunLink, Inc., Pittsburgh Opera, The Warhol Museum, and Starlight Children’s Foundation. | Operated as both strategic advisor and creative lead, translating business objectives into compelling storytelling and integrated campaigns.

NATIONAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR | FEBRUARY 2006–APRIL 2011 | STARLIGHT CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION (IN-HOUSE)

Owned the national creative strategy and brand narrative for a complex nonprofit organization operating across multiple regions and stakeholder groups. | Drove over $15M in fundraising impact by elevating storytelling, emotional clarity, and donor engagement across television, radio, print, and digital channels. | Conceived and produced the “Welcome to My World” PSA campaign, unifying brand voice and significantly increasing national visibility. | Partnered with executive leadership to align creative strategy with organizational mission, fundraising goals, and long-term brand equity. | Built internal creative processes that balanced emotional storytelling with performance accountability.

SENIOR COPYWRITER / BRANDING STRATEGIST | JANUARY 2000–JANUARY 2006 | LIBERTY CREATIVE

Led brand strategy and integrated marketing initiatives for financial services clients, including credit unions nationwide. | Drove a 100% increase in a key client’s auto loan portfolio ($1M → $2M) by aligning messaging, offer strategy, and channel execution. | Partnered with account and leadership teams to translate data and business insight into compelling creative narratives. | Contributed to team leadership, workflow oversight, and quality control across multiple accounts.

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English Writing & Political Science | University of Pittsburgh