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Compare the top creative recruitment agencies by specialty, fees, and fit. Plus a faster, lower-cost fractional alternative.
Matthew A.
Portland, OR, USA
Master Visual Communicator & Director Driving Exceptional Creativity
Matt Adams stands at the nexus of creativity and visual communication, pioneering award-winning projects for Fortune 100 clients. As the Head of Creative at Territory, he has transformed complex ideas into compelling products and narratives through his deep expertise in UX, data visualization, brand development, and blended learning systems. A trusted advisor to the C-suite, Adams excels in orchestrating teams towards exceptional execution, making listening his most potent tool in understanding and exceeding stakeholder expectations.
Testimonials
Matt leads by example with remarkable efficiency and unwavering discipline. His natural ability to facilitate meetings, paired with a visionary imagination, enable and inspire those around him to produce their best work. I have yet to collaborate with a more talented and capable creative director.
RS Ryan Smythe
Senior Designer, XPLANEMatt is one of the smartest, most strategic creative/business minds I have worked with. He has a passion for listening and solving business problems. He is insightful, thoughtful and provides strategic solutions that results in stellar work. He is a people-first leader who understands the value of his teams and invests time to mentor and grow. Did I mention he was smart? He's not just a brilliant creative either, he couples that with sound business and client strategy to form a complete bad ass.
SP Steve Potestio
Director of Operations, VIA TrainingMatt is a world-class visual and information designer that brings additional rare qualities in a designer. He is a strategic business leader helping companies plan, navigate, and grow. He is a results-driven and empathetic leader, and individual coach. He can sit with any level client, in any industry, and help with strategic planning and tactical execution. In short, he is a first-rate designer that understands business and business outcomes — and he does so with intelligence and affability.
DK Dave King
VP Client Services, XPLANESimply put - Matt makes magic happen. He leverages design thinking to enable executives to set aside their differences to collaborate on strategy and goals, finding the organisation's path forward, together. As a designer, he creates catchy brands, builds intuitive user experiences, and develops rapid prototypes to see the product's future through the user's eyes. Matt is a joy to work with, and delivers results far beyond what his clients expect.
RS Ryan Snyder
VP UX, ThunderheadI have worked with Matt for more than two decades. He is my favorite and most productive collaborator, a creative force, humble, always growing, brilliant. I learned almost everything I know about being a leader working with Matt. He revels in the talent and the growth of the people he works with, and especially of the people who work for him. Given the opportunity, I will always choose to work with him, under any circumstances, any time, anywhere.
JV Jeremy Varo-Haub
Lead Strategist, Senior Designer, Territory
Work
VISUAL SYSTEMS & DESIGN THINKING: Google Data Centers Visualization
Complex systems become manageable when you can see how all the pieces connect. Visual thinking transforms overwhelming organizational complexity into clear understanding, revealing roles, responsibilities, and critical handoffs that keep operations running smoothly.
Google needed to increase understanding of their data centers' complete lifecycle, a complex system involving multiple teams, intricat…
SALES ENABLEMENT: Bentley Systems Sales Toolkits
Effective sales enablement transforms technical complexity into compelling narratives that open doors and build partnerships. The key lies in creating modular, extensible toolkits that empower sales teams to tell stories about real-world impact rather than just product features.
Bentley Systems needed to bring their sales story into sharper focus, particularly around their grid modernization and wa…
CAMPAIGN & CONTENT STRATEGY: Expedia Global Social Consolidation
INTERNAL ENGAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL COMMS: Adidas HR Operating Model
When organizations develop new operating models, the real challenge begins after the strategy work ends. How do you inspire thousands of international leaders to adopt and act on complex organizational changes? The answer lies in transforming strategic frameworks into communications that provide structure, meaning, and momentum.
Adidas had spent a year developing a sophisticated new operating model…
EXECUTIVE ALIGNMENT & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: OECD Digital Transformation
Executive communications succeed when complex strategic initiatives become clear and compelling stories that drive stakeholder action. The challenge lies in translating technical complexity into narratives that resonate across diverse audiences and secure the endorsement needed to move forward.
The OECD's CTO needed to articulate a major digital transformation project to member country stakeho…
TRANSFORMATION & INNOVATION COMMUNICATIONS: MURAL Business Model Innovation
Rapid expansion creates opportunity and chaos in equal measure. When global disruption accelerates that growth, organizations require strategic innovation that positions them for sustainable success while the landscape continues shifting around them.
MURAL faced the dual challenge of managing rapid expansion while navigating the complexities of global lockdowns that fundamentally changed how teams …
EVENT & EXPERIENCE DESIGN: IHG Owners Conference Mainstage + Activations
Large-scale events require more than logistics—they need consistent storylines that resonate across thousands of attendees and create lasting impact. My approach centers on developing cohesive themes that guide everything from mainstage presentations to breakout sessions and environmental design.
IHG's biennial Mainstream Owners' Conferences bring together thousands of stakeholders for critical bus…
CUSTOMER JOURNEY MANAGEMENT PLATFORM: ONE by Thunderhead
Thunderhead set out to unify three disparate technologies; document collaboration, omni-channel campaign management, and customer journey analytics—into a single enterprise platform . Each user group had distinct needs, technical abilities, and work modes, requiring a design system that could flex across contexts without sacrificing usability.
We created the ONE Engagement Hub, an omni-channel pla…
Experience
Creativity Media LLC
Author & Founder
Jul 2024 - Present
Creativity Media awakens creative potential as a path to renewal and growth. Through practical tools and accessible teaching, we guide individuals and organizations from creative doubt to confident daily practice. As AI reshapes work, we help people develop the human skills that matter most.
- Oct 2025: Selected our foundational publishing partner, Wiley & Sons
Territory, Inc.
Co-founder, Head of Creative
Aug 2017 - Present
At Territory, we’re a nimble, seasoned team of business consultants, strategists, and designers. Leveraging design thinking principles, we surface solutions to inspire purpose and passion, driving organizations forward.
- Co-founded Territory, Inc., exemplifying leadership and entrepreneurial acumen in steering a leading design and consulting firm.
- Leveraged design thinking to aid organizations in strategy, innovation, transformation, and storytelling, effectively moving audiences and enhancing business processes.
- Pioneered and executed comprehensive solutions that significantly improved clients' competitive standing, agility, and responsiveness.
- Spearheaded the development of compelling narratives and presentations that highlighted clients' stories, ensuring strategic support and client success in various projects.
Thunderhead LTD
Executive Creative Director
Sep 2012 - Jan 2017
Recruited to lead Thunderhead’s transformation into a SaaS-driven customer engagement platform, shaping brand, product, and experience strategy. Led the creation of a first-in-class, award-winning platform that ushered in the purchase of Thunderhead by Medalia.
- Designed the award-winning ONE Engagement Hub, redefining CX strategy across industries.
- Built a globally distributed Experience Design (XD) team, establishing a center of excellence.
- Partnered with C-suite leadership to align brand strategy with scalable digital transformation.
Jackalope
Chief Creative Officer
Sep 2011 - Jul 2017
Built and scaled a design consultancy from scratch that Compass52 acquired within the first year of business.
- Founded an agile remote-first organization to service an expanding bench of clients.
- Quickly built and retained global clients using a network of expert practitioners.
XPLANE
Global Creative Director
Jun 2007 - Sep 2011
Led global visual thinking and business transformation initiatives, guiding clients through strategic storytelling and digital experience innovation.
- Expanded the agency’s interactive design practice, introducing motion graphics as a core offering.
- Built and remotely managed an Amsterdam-based satellite studio, integrating global teams.
- Led multi-studio collaboration across Portland, Madrid, and St. Louis, ensuring seamless execution.
- Led the publicly-accessible Visual Thinking School weekly
Curiosity Group
Art Director, Senior Designer
May 2006 - Jul 2007
Via Training, LLC
Senior Art Director
Mar 2002 - Apr 2006
Flying Rhinoceros
Marketing Communications Director
Apr 1999 - Apr 2000
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