HELLO, I AM

Melissa Raath

INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING, CONCEPTUAL ART DIRECTOR

ABOUT ME

I am a Cape Town-based multidisciplinary Creative Director (Art) with 10+ years of experience.

After spending most of my career in ad agencies, I now work as a freelancer, collaborating with global clients both remotely and IRL.

I’m currently a CD at LittleBig, a global content production house, where I’m helping to build a new kind of creative department alongside my partner in crime, CD Dominique Swiegers. Together, we are rethinking how ideas are made, bringing high-level conceptual thinking into a production-led environment and creating work designed to live natively in digital and social spaces.

I entered the advertising industry as the #1 art direction student in my class and was ranked the #9 art director in 2023 across Africa and the Middle East at the Loeries. My work has been internationally awarded across multiple mediums, including Cannes Lions, One Show, LIA, Webby, and Contagious. I have also served on juries for prestigious awards, including the Loeries and Bookmarks.

As a South African creative, I bring a curious, passionate and empathetic lens to everything I make, driven by a desire for equality and the pursuit of ideas that genuinely enrich people’s lives through entertainment and meaning.

EXPERIENCE

  • To date one of the scariest, yet most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. Growth, discomfort, and excitement all wrapped into one. A dream of travelling the world and working with international creatives. My energy aquifer was replenished.

    I've been fortunate to develop and deliver several notable projects, such as collaborating with Accenture Song and Droga5 to help Uniqlo hack the TikTok algorithm to make the internet a warmer place. Additionally, working with MRM//McCann Madrid, we successfully launched a new product range for Starbucks tailored specifically for Gen Z, which they ✨totally✨ liked.

  • As the lead Senior Art Director, I played a key role in developing a successful, innovative advertising campaign, Polo Game On, for a major client Volkswagen. This involved conceptual ideation, execution, as well as managing and approving the work of the broader creative teams.

    This campaign swooped up 35 awards, of which 19 were gold. Notable mentions were being awarded in the new categories “Creativity in the Metaverse”, “Digital & Social Media Innovation”, “Best Use of Technology” and” Experiential” - categories that excite and fuel my creativity.

  • Year on year I produced work that defied the norm. From dreaming up a world of the first person living to 200 years of age, to giving influencers superpowers, getting people to take the vacation of their dreams in their dreams, and even constructing a pizza long enough for social distancing.

    Apart from winning numerous local and international awards across multiple platforms, a standout moment was collaborating on a podcast which topped the South African iTunes Charts.

    I’m proud to have been part of the team helping King James Group rank the Top 10 Independent Agencies in the World, Agency Of The Year in Africa and #1 Agency in South Africa on multiple occasions.

  • At MullenLowe, my passion for problem-solving through creativity and leveraging the transformative power of brands was sparked. One of my most memorable campaigns to date has been 'GetMeTo21' for the Organ Donor Foundation. Despite having no media budget, the campaign facilitated 20,000 new organ donor sign-ups within just three months—an impressive 287% growth rate in registrations.

    Additionally, I had the opportunity to travel to Mumbai for LifeBouy Unilever and to Kenya for Blue Band Unilever. These experiences solidified my commitment to creating impactful work that enriches people's lives, advocating for hard work and travelling often.

  • As a Junior Art Director fresh out of college, my experience at MetropolitanRepublic was short but memorable. I learnt that brands like Nando’s deeply influence our culture, and vice versa. Furthermore, I experienced firsthand the power of collaboration and perseverance necessary for success in this industry.

  • During my final year of college, I spent my winter break interning. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a live brief for a real estate brand, from initial concept through to final execution.