ATLANTA
LOS ANGELES
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR ✦ STRATEGIST ✦ LEADER
I make the
vision clear.
Creative leadership, strategic vision, and operational execution that turn ambitious ideas into measurable results.
Brand
Strategy
FROM IDEA TO IMPACTCreative
Direction
VISION THAT PERFORMSDesign &
Production
DIGITAL · PRINT · SPACESStorytelling
& Culture
BRANDS PEOPLE REMEMBERLeadership
& Execution
TEAMS · PROCESS · RESULTSExperiential
& Consulting
IMMERSIVE SPACES · STRATEGIC ADVICE01 / SELECTED CASE STUDIES
Case Studies
That Move Culture.
From brand identities and built environments to national media operations, my work connects creative ambition with organizational performance.
EXPLORE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE ↗KING↗
VVS KING
Brand Creation · $400K+ Retail Transformation
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗GANNETT↗
USA TODAY / Gannett
Built Centralized Ad Operations · 700+ News Sites
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗ROBBINS↗
Village of Robbins Municipal Center
Manufacturing Leadership · Civic Installation
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗Purses↗
Penelope's Purses
End-to-End Retail Buildout · Custom Lighting & Signage
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗STORY GARDEN↗
Sankofa Story Garden
Spatial Design Leadership · Community Placemaking
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗SPORT COURT↗
Chicago Blackhawks Sport Court
3D Vision · Cross-Functional Execution
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗EPPS↗
Michael V. Epps
Official Website · Digital Talent Positioning
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗WASHINGTON↗
Olympian Tyree S. Washington
Unified Identity · Interactive EPK · Digital Presence
VIEW CASE STUDY ↗THE CREATIVE FORMULA
Good creative gets attention.
Great creative changes what happens next.
02 / ABOUT
Creative Vision.
Executive Discipline.
I’m Ace Wallace, an Executive Creative Director and strategic leader with 20+ years of experience across brand, digital, experiential design, and media operations.
I’ve built and led multidisciplinary creative work, founded The Formula Creative, and managed enterprise-scale operations at USA TODAY / Gannett. I bring a combination of original creative vision, team leadership, budget ownership, and the operational discipline to deliver results within complex organizations.
MY EXPERIENCE →03 / EXPERIENCE
Vision
Meets Execution.
Creative leadership, measurable business growth, and operational scale across brands, media, and built environments.
The Formula Creative
Executive Creative Director (Founder) · Led brand strategy, creative teams, production, and client delivery for 200+ businesses; approximately $600K in cumulative agency revenue and a 70%+ repeat-client rate.
BUILD ↗BC Chicago Carpenters
Chief Executive Officer · Secured $500K in new contracts, drove 30% revenue growth, and led a $50K Chicago Blackhawks project.
LEAD ↗USA TODAY / Gannett
Digital Advertising Manager · Established centralized operations across 700+ news sites, leading 12 direct-report managers and production of 1,000+ digital ads daily.
SCALE ↗Windy City Word / NNPA
Senior Managing Editor · Led editorial, creative and commercial operations; increased advertising revenue 30% and profit 20%.
GROW ↗Cold City Production
Art Director · Led a four-person creative team and company rebrand contributing to 25% year-over-year sales growth; developed music licensing opportunities.
CREATE ↗TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Leadership Beyond Design.
ADA Title II qualification, with accessibility considerations incorporated into public-facing spaces and project planning.
Respecting Ethnic and Cultural Heritage (REACH) — cultural awareness and inclusive collaboration.
Served as a Junior Officer with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL); professionally trained peer mediator since 2006, with ongoing refresher training.
Participated in CIIMS training during tenure at USA TODAY / Gannett.
Executive résumé · PDF
04 / WHAT I BRING
Creative Solutions
That Perform.
05 / SPEAKING & KEYNOTES
Ideas Worth Sharing.
Perspectives Worth Hearing.
Leadership. Cultural storytelling. Crisis management. Community transformation. I bring real-world executive and creative experience to conversations that move people and organizations forward.
EXPLORE SPEAKING & KEYNOTES ↗06 / NEXT MOVE
Let's Build
What's Next.
Ready to create something meaningful? Let's talk about the next project, partnership, or opportunity.
LET'S WORK ↗
