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Rachel BIRNBAUM
Creative Director | REFINERY29
Rachel Birnbaum is a Creative Director on the Brand Experience team at Refinery29, where she focuses on the lifestyle category. Prior to that, she served as a freelance and full-time creative director at organizations including JWT, Saatchi and Saatchi, StrawberryFrog, Harry’s Grooming, Time Inc., FCB and more. In 2013, Rachel was named a Game Changer by AWNY (Advertising Women of New York). She has helped develop work for a range of clients such as Band-Aid Brand, Oreo, Diet Coke, Fortune Magazine, City Meals on Wheels, City Harvest, International Rescue Committee, Starbucks, Nickelodeon and others. Her work has been recognized by The Cannes Lions, The Webby Awards, The Addys, The Art Directors Club, The Clios, The One Show and The Wall Street Journal. Rachel's personal essays have appeared in Salon, The New York Times, Newsday, New York Press and her 7th grade journal.
questionnaire
What was your very first job?
Waitress at a local pizzeria.
Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.
I help develop smart, strategic and creative content programs for brands. It involves collaborating with a lot of talented R29 team members, an unfailing sense of humor and plenty of snacks.
How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was the train of events that brought you to where you are today?
I’ve always loved the art of storytelling. When I was a kid, I’d put on sketches and original plays. At 8 years old I wrote my first commercial, complete with storyboards. (Admittedly, it wasn’t very good).
In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?
I’m a lifelong student. I love surrounding myself with people I can learn from. Live music, travel, a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, a messy art project with my daughter---these are all things that instantly get my brain going.
If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be?
To launch Cynthia Rowley’s line of designer Band-Aid bandages a few years ago, our team created the Glambulance, a tricked out ambulance that treated actual fashion emergencies between runway shows at Lincoln Center. It was a fun and cheeky way to reach our target organically, when they were running around in injury-inducing heels and accessories and in desperate need of Band-Aids.
