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Courtney Richardson
Courtney Richardson
01:03

Courtney Richardson

Droga5

New York, NY USA

"Every day, I ensure that my mission is to, as I rise up, reach back."

Career Roadmap

Courtney's work combines: Business, Art, and Being Creative

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Day In The Life

Creative Director

I lead the creative direction for an advertising agency.

My Day to Day

Each day requires me to be inspired by the world around me and many lived experiences (including my own) to conjure up creative ideas and stories that impact people, clients, and brands. But also as a creative leader, each day also requires me to lead by example and mentor the emerging talent that work with me to find their voice and learn to break boundaries of creativity.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

I'd recommend an undergraduate degree in a creative field like writing or art. If not, make sure your side hustle or passion is related!

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Education and Theater

    Howard University

  • Graduate Degree

    Mass Communications & Media

    Howard University

  • Certification

    Women's Entrepreneurship

    Cornell University

  • Certification

    Entrepreneurship

    Howard University

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Creative Director:

Bachelor's Degree: Writing, General

Bachelor's Degree: Arts, General

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I grew up in the Bay Area of California.

  • 2.

    I’ve always been a very creative person—my mom put me in Montessori school when I was a kid.

  • 3.

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in education and theater and master’s degree in mass communication and media from Howard University.

  • 4.

    After graduate school, I took a chance and moved to New York, where I started working in television, doing digital marketing for shows like “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.”

  • 5.

    I continued to round out my experience through various roles in the creative field, including brand manager for Chowder Inc. and marketing manager for Lush Cosmetics.

  • 6.

    In 2017, I founded Do It For The Brand, a social collective with a mission to empower brands and creatives of color in the beauty and lifestyle industries.

  • 7.

    After two years working as the creative director for Do It For The Brand, I moved on to work as the creative director for Paper Magazine.

  • 8.

    I currently work as creative director for Droga5 and am also the founder of the Museum of Nail Art.

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