The best idea has no title.
Great creative work is built through collaboration, not ego. My job is to create a room where the strongest idea can win and every talented person can make it better.
HOW I LEAD
CREATIVE EXCELLENCE WITHOUT THE EGO.
I have built agencies, led a nine-campus production operation and directed 100 creatives through three leaders. The scale changed. The job did not: create clarity, protect the standard and help talented people do the best work of their careers.
100creative professionals
ORGANIZATION LED AT SPECTRIO
THREE LEADERS. MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES. THOUSANDS OF PROJECTS.
Design, video production, motion graphics, copywriting, digital content and production operations serving a global client footprint. I partnered across executive leadership, sales, marketing, product, account teams and operations to turn a large creative department into a strategic business function.
THE OPERATING PRINCIPLES
Standards and trust belong together.
High expectations work when people understand the why, have the tools to succeed and know feedback is designed to improve the work, not diminish the person.
Creative is a business function.
The work has to move an audience and move the organization. I connect creative direction to business goals, budgets, capacity, timelines and the customer experience.
Build leaders, not dependency.
The strongest creative organizations do not need one person to approve every move. I develop leaders who can protect the vision, coach their teams and make good decisions close to the work.
AI IN PRACTICE
NEW TOOLS. AN EXPERIENCED CREATIVE EYE.
I use AI every day to develop ideas, explore creative directions and turn complicated needs into working tools. My experience includes ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Artlist AI and Veo. The creative decisions, refinement and final quality still need an experienced person behind them.
I was in the top 1% of ChatGPT users in 2025.
Creative exploration
I work hands-on with generative image and video tools to explore concepts, test visual directions and refine the results. Knowing how to guide the tools is part of the craft.
A demanding quality standard
I look closely at what AI produces, down to pixel-level edges and visual artifacts. I have worked through rough outputs to create cleaner versions, and I know when a result needs more work before it belongs in front of an audience.
Practical tools and workflows
This portfolio was developed with AI assistance under my creative direction. I have also used AI to develop opportunity dashboards and research workflows, shaping their purpose, content and user experience around real needs.
“My greatest accomplishment isn't the campaigns I've led. It's the teams I've built and the creative cultures that kept producing great work.”
THE LEADERSHIP ARC
2020–Present
Chad Stum Agency
Founder & Creative Director
Built a full-service creative and marketing company, assembling the right specialists around each challenge and leading strategy, creative, production and client relationships.
2022–2025
Spectrio
Director of Creative
Led an organization of 100 creative professionals through three leaders across design, video, motion, copy and production, while supporting thousands of annual projects.
2017–2022
Indiana University
Head of Creative Production
Directed enterprise creative production and storytelling across IU's nine-campus system, partnering with university leaders, schools and marketing teams.
2012–2017
Original Six Media
Founder & Executive Creative Director
Founded and led an award-winning Chicago agency producing national advertising, branded content and integrated campaigns for consumer brands.
2010–2012
Suite Partners
Creative Director
Helped build the agency from its startup stage, establish its creative culture and develop multidisciplinary teams serving national brands.