Hi there, I’m Tracy Mathews. I’m a Creative Director working in the D.C. area.

With seventeen years of design and advertising experience, twelve of which spent in a public relations, public affairs and communications agency, I think in equal parts pixels, brand positioning, public policy and brand programming. As senior counsel on a sprawling array of accounts, I push for informed strategy and creative solutions based on desired outcomes, audience segmentation and user empathy.

As a brand strategist, I have an affinity for opinion research and social listening and enjoy digging through data to build personas and a brand’s positioning before developing a visual identity that best expresses its verbal identity. As a campaign strategist, I've led and designed multi-channel, integrated campaigns that embrace the PESO model and span content types from print to podcast to pre-roll video. I've helped clients reach their desired KPI’s, whether to increase enrollment, raise awareness, shift public opinion, move audiences to take action, or impact policy and legislation.

Beyond the client work, I lead creative across North America and currently run a team of 25 creative types, including creative directors, designers, copywriters, video producers, editors, motion designers, project managers and a resource manager in a pear tree. Separated by zip codes and Covid, and despite the competitive landscape and daily reminders that the world isn’t always a pretty place, team unity and retention remains strong and I pride myself in our team’s high level of engagement—demonstrated in our annual Gallup survey results. I encourage everyone to think more deeply than others expect creatives to; articulate a clear point of view; create things they're proud to hit ‘send’ on; stretch beyond their level; and create a culture of gratitude. All the while, I strive to provide them with an open, honest, and nourishing environment.

Additionally, I co-founded my current company’s DEI council, paving the way for many of our evolved processes and programs, including the company-wide implementation of the STAR method in interviews to mitigate biases in the hiring process. I am also a part of the Women’s ERG and the inaugural class of “Trained Allies” to properly assist in the handling of microagressions in the workplace.

I believe creatives are naturally empathetic, which helps us do what we do because we must understand the audiences and the world as they see it—not just as we do. Read, travel, talk to strangers, ask questions, listen, absorb—it's what I do to gain insights that help me to be a better communicator and human.

To close, I'd like to share a fun little story: I attended a branding pitch in NYC a handful of years ago. all three competitors were in the same waiting room. Paula Scher sat alone on a couch and was called back soon after we walked in. She came out of the room and as my colleagues and I were called in, I went over to her as she put on a coat and I said, “you’ll probably never remember me, but my name is Tracy, I have a quote from you on my website and it’s an honor to be pitching after you.” She smiled, graciously, and wished me good luck as we shook hands.

Alone, As I rode the train back to D.C. soon after, i felt like i had made it. i didn’t care if we won or lost. i was a newly promoted creative director, adding to the short but growing number of women in creative leadership, and i just found myself in a bit of a surreal situation where I got to compete against someone I studied and admired in college.

A person from the third agency, (Who I Happened to sit next to at an awards ceremony soon after, and shall remain nameless) told me they came in supremely low to win the work. they said the Work turned out harder than they bargained for.

Paula and I lucked out.

Cheers,

Tracy