Sarah Chamberlain

Creative Director

Brand & Product Design | Digital Advertising | Team Leadership & Development

01 — ABOUT

Overview

I've spent eleven years as Creative Director at Frequence, now MadHive — the first woman on the executive team, and the person who turned four freelance banner designers into a global creative department of 40. The title says design. The real job is building the conditions for creative people to do the best work of their careers, then getting out of the way.

What I do best: build brands that can stand next to the giants, design software that makes a hard job feel easy, and grow teams that stay — mine held the lowest attrition in the company through an acquisition and every restructure that followed. When a system really hums, the roadblocks fall away and everyone gets more time for the work they love. That's what I build.

Before adtech: e-commerce at Time Life, brand work at Oracle, and award-winning political campaigns. Outside of work, I mentor, organize, and connect people to the opportunities they've earned — the rest of this site is that story.

02 — EXPERIENCE

Professional History

Madhive (formerly Frequence)

Creative Director

August 2015 - Present (11 years)

Managed an international creative team of 40 employees and provided creative leadership to an ad tech company, rated 3 years running as a Great Place to Work.

  • Developed solutions to increase quality and efficiency, focused on providing advertising and branding design expertise
  • Collaborated with thousands of clients on the creative process, providing "white glove" service for high-spend clients
  • Oversaw creative initiatives on partner white-label products and the Martech and DigiDay Award Winning Frequence platform
  • Transformed a team of 4 freelance designers into a 40 person creative organization, consisting of designers, animators, copywriters, and production associates
  • Trained and mentored 7 team members who received promotions to management positions
  • Partnered with the executive team to develop a people and marketing strategy to scope roles and teams accordingly
  • Rebuilt banner production on an atomic design system, cutting animated ad build time from 4 hours to 90 minutes
  • Pioneered the organization's philanthropic efforts, including creating Women @ Frequence ERG and collaboration with SPARK, SF
  • Built design automation and AI tooling that cut production costs and freed the team for higher-craft work
  • Led omnichannel campaign and product work recognized with ~10 adtech industry awards, including MarTech Breakthrough and Digiday honors
Oracle

Senior Design Contractor, Brand Creative

January 2015 - April 2015
  • Oversaw Oracle event sites, including Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne
  • Created a newly redesigned look and feel for the Customer Storybook, including production of high-fidelity wireframes and Photoshop comps
Get Chambo

Design Revolutionary, Creator

1999 - January 2015 (16 years)
  • Partnered with ~50 clients, including non-profits, small businesses, high-profile democratic politicians, and large corporations, including Oracle, The Smithsonian, and Silicon Valley startups
  • Provided services including web design and programming, UX/UI corporate identities, printed materials, product packaging, and photography
Time Life

Creative Director, e-commerce

January 2013 - October 2014
  • Provided creative direction to an e-commerce organization, with properties including Time Life, Wolfgang Puck Pressure Oven, Entertainment Cruise Productions, etc.
  • Managed brand integrity while increasing awareness and conversion through social media, search, marketing campaigns, A/B testing, and implementation of UX/CMS systems, resulting in increased profitability & performing under budget
Gumbinner & Davies Communications

Art Director, Project Manager

July 2008 - January 2013
  • Led a team in receiving awards including 8 Reed (Campaigns & Elections Magazine) and over 65 Pollie Awards, focused on serving high-profile clients including President Barack Obama and Congressmen and Congresswomen
  • Hired, trained, and mentored teams of 10+, including designers, production artists, and traffic managers, resulting in producing award-winning marketing collateral for democratic and advocacy campaigns across the country
  • Decreased production time from days to hours throughout the design process by implementing a streamlined workflow
03 — SKILLS & EXPERTISE

Core Competencies

Leadership & Management

  • Team Building
  • Creative Direction
  • Mentorship
  • Strategy
  • Project Management

Design & Creative

  • Digital Advertising
  • UX/UI Design
  • Branding
  • Video Production
  • Animation

Technical & Tools

  • AI Automation
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Workflow Optimization
  • E-commerce
  • Web Development

Specializations

  • Omnichannel Campaigns
  • Political Advertising
  • AdTech
  • Brand Strategy
04 — EDUCATION

Academic Background

BFA, Graphic Design
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at The George Washington University
Political Science and Visual Communications
American University
05 — WHAT PEOPLE SAY

In Their Words

"I hope to someday be the Sarah Chamberlain in someone else's life."

Ramon Aclo — Animation Team Lead, Frequence/Madhive · Direct report

"Sarah was the best manager, boss and mentor I have ever had."

Nancy McMurray — Operations Director, Gumbinner & Davies · Colleague

Read all testimonials →