Join the Creative Factory
Creative Factory is a private, highly vetted leadership community for brand leaders, creative directors, and design executives.
Creative Powerhouses. One Trusted Network
The Creative Factory is a peer community for design executives, brand leaders, and creative directors shaping the future of the world’s most influential organizations, from Fortune 1000 companies to breakout start-ups to cultural institutions. This membership helps you stretch your creativity, uncover ideas from the best in the field, and collaborate with peers who push you to think bigger.
Our members lead creative teams at Amazon, Shake Shack, Roblox, Instacart, NASA, Procter & Gamble, Atlassian, Block, Hearst Magazines, Gusto, Cardinal Health, Glean, DoorDash, Starbucks, PayPal, IQVIA, ServiceNow, and more.
Each year, members get access to 50+ connection points:
1. Expand Your Creative Circle
We facilitate monthly 1:1 networking introductions that pair you with peers across industries. It’s an easy, low-friction way to get fresh perspectives, spark new ideas, and open doors without the usual networking awkwardness.
2. Grow Your Creative Brain
Our content library blends monthly member calls with inspiring guest speakers, roundtables on hot topics, weekly newsletters with industry news, and a member-recommended tools and tech directory. Think real-world insights delivered in formats you’ll actually use.
3. Build Your Creative Muscles
Every quarter, we hold a 30-minute live creative exercise led by an industry leader. These sessions are fast, hands-on, and designed to sharpen your intuition. You leave with practical techniques you can put to work with your team right away.
Membership Benefits
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Member Calls
Monthly member calls with inspirational design leaders, including NBA’s VP of Product Design and the Creative Director of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
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Roundtables
Monthly roundtable discussions on hot topics, including AI tools and business use cases, the “player-coach” era, and restructuring teams.
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1:1 Networking
Monthly peer introductions that are curated to challenge your thinking and expand your creative circle.
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Peer Recommendations:
Access tool reviews and member-recommended resources in our growing tech directory.
FAQs
What is the criteria to join?
Creative Factory is specifically engineered for design executives and creative directors from Fortune 1000 companies or private equivalents. Our members lead teams from 10 to 100+ people.
How complicated is it?
It’s pretty simple, actually: real connections with experts and world-class creatives who have great advice. We encourage members to participate in our private online community discussions, make time for our 1:1 networking connections, and attend our creative exercises and member calls.
How does Creative Factory differ from other design communities?
Our focus is largely on the non-craft parts of the job — managing a team, running a business, and collaborating with peers. We have two cohorts that hone in on specific leadership roles, so the content is highly targeted and members feel immediate ROI in their job and connections with one another.
How do I refer someone to the group?
If you’d like to send someone our way, please fill out this form with their name and contact information.
Are there member dues?
Membership is $50/month, billed annually. Members have had success using their company’s Learning & Development budget to cover the cost.
Who runs it?
Our member community co-founders are Matt McCue and Tucker Margulies, who met as running partners and have become creative collaborators. They have spent their entire careers working in the creativity space, and share the belief that we need more creative practitioners leading the world’s most important ventures and organizations.
Questions?
Reach out to our community manager, Madeleine Magill, with inquiries: madeleine@thecreativefactor.co.
Book an intro call to connect and learn more here.
