Maria Ortiz-Metzger

About

I love turning big ideas into campaigns that connect, inspire, and live in culture. I’m a senior creative with 10+ years of experience shaping campaigns, guiding creative vision and building brand stories that feel human, relevant and authentic. I thrive at the intersection of strategy and storytelling, and love collaborating across teams to deliver work that connects. My next step? Taking leadership skills I’ve built on projects and applying them to leading a creative team. Growing up in Venezuela until age 11, and then moving back to Northern Virginia, just outside D.C., where my family is originally from, gave me a global perspective that still shapes how I approach creativity. Those early years abroad taught me to notice culture, gave me an appreciation for the stories people share, and the subtle ways values, language, and human experience drive us together, or sometimes apart. That perspective fuels all my work: curiosity, a big passion for culture, strategy and storytelling that really lands in every channel, and campaign type — from social media to integrated campaigns. In life, I value being better every day, prioritizing depth over shallow insights, testing assumptions, being kind, and sharing what I know. I love mentoring where I can, so we can all grow together. I’m fluent in English and Spanish

Experience

• Senior Designer / Art Director · Michaels Stores10-01-2023 – 06-01-2025

  Responsible for leading design projects and art direction at Michaels Stores in Irving, Texas.

• Senior Art Director · JCPenney12-01-2018 – 05-01-2023

  Led creative direction and design initiatives as a Senior Art Director.

• Senior Art Director · Six Foot05-01-2018 – 10-01-2018

  Provided art direction and design leadership at Six Foot, located at 4200 Montrose Blvd.

• Art Director · Academy Sports + Outdoors03-01-2015 – 05-01-2018

  Directed art and design projects at Academy Sports + Outdoors, located at 1800 North Mason Road.

• Design Consultant · TrialGraphix05-01-2014 – 10-01-2014

  Provided design consulting services in Houston, Texas.

Education

• Pratt InstituteBachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Advertising / Art Direction, Graphic Design
• Marymount UniversityBFA, Graphic Design/Psychology

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