I help organizations connect purpose to performance, through brand, creative and experience leadership.
A former head of brand experience and corporate marketing, I'm a trusted partner to F100 C-suite leaders and cross-functional teams, known for translating complex ideas into executable strategy, scalable creative and results that have impact.
I deliver strategic and creative alignment across Purpose, Priorities, Principles and People.
Builder and activator of corporate brands Turner, WarnerMedia and Warner Bros. Discovery, leading full-service, in-house teams delivering on key B2B and B2E initiatives.
I help organizations clarify who they are, and activate that identity across brand, culture, initiatives and communications.
For more than 20 years, I’ve led internal brand and creative teams, spanning enterprise brand architecture, employee experience, executive storytelling, sales enablement and culture design. I help make ideas and complexity actionable, quickly focusing the ask, aligning stakeholders and driving cross-functional execution. My teams have built everything from global brand systems and related enterprise campaigns to interactive sales tools and C-suite partner packages.
My approach is collaborative, efficient and systems-oriented. I’ve been trusted as a go-to by leadership on special projects, working between creative and executive, and a builder of brand tools that actually get used.
If my experience and approach make sense for your organization, I’d love to connect.
Brand
From purpose and strategy to launch and daily activation, a builder of brands that foster belonging and move audiences to action.
Shaped and managed approach for three heritage brands, plus their ongoing initiatives and campaigns.
PURPOSE & NARRATIVE
STRATEGY & PLANNING
ARCHITECTURE & FLOW
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
AGENCY IDENTIFICATION & MANAGEMENT
EMPLOYER VALUE PROPOSITION
MEASUREMENT
Creative
Creative leader driving on-brand and bespoke solutions across B2B and B2E channels, always focused on amplifying purpose and business goals.
Grew a small transactional presentation team into a full-service enterprise creative hub of 50, producing 7,500 projects and assets annually.
CREATIVE DIRECTION
FULL-SERVICE TEAM MANAGEMENT
DESIGN, VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY LEADERSHIP
STORY & WRITING LEADERSHIP
INITIATIVE & CAMPAIGN CONCEPT
FULL-FUNNEL ASSET PRODUCTION
HIGH-END PRESENTATION PRODUCTION
ASSET MANAGEMENT & SELF-SERVICE
Activation
Strategic and creative partner in prioritizing and managing the approach, schedule and fulfillment of B2B and B2E corporate marketing and enterprise events, including Cannes LIONS, SxSW and corporate initiatives.
PRIORITIZATION & BUDGET
STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP
SPONSORSHIP & MARKETING
EVEN PROGRAMMING
EVENT MANAGEMENT
EVENT FULFILLMENT
Case Samples
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How do you build brand trust and engagement, just a few years after prior headline mergers, in an environment of upheaval, doubt and downsizing across the media industry?
BRAND STRATEGY & ENGAGEMENT
B2B, B2C, B2E -
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How do you connect with audiences where they are, while unifying multiple house brand, sales and corporate messages in a meaningful way?
EVENTS & ACTIVATION
B2B, B2C, B2E -
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How do you break through the noise and identify shared beliefs to bring together two strong cultures under the same banner?
CREATIVE STRATEGY & ROLL OUT
B2E -
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How do you reset a misaligned brand approach to have real purpose, full expression and intentional activations?
GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY, LAUNCH & ENGAGEMENT
B2B, B2C, B2E -
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How do you concept, produce and deliver creative output that unifies more than 150 house brands, tiers of sales strategies and leadership messages?
CREATIVE ALIGNMENT & EXECUTION
B2B, B2C, B2E -
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How do you unite the cultures of three world-class brands (Warner Bros., HBO, Turner), while integrating expectations of new parent company AT&T?
CREATIVE CONSISTENCY & ENGAGEMENT
B2E -
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How do you evolve positioning from legacy brand to modern start-up, while shifting focus to the consumer?
BRAND STRATEGY & ENGAGEMENT
B2B, B2C, B2E
Strategic. Creative. Efficient. Results.
Adapt and lead—quickly
As a veteran of several mega media mergers and reorgs over the last decade, I know a quick ramp up—balancing short- and long-term goals, while reshaping team functions for current needs. At each opportunity, I grew relevance, remit and results. And kept growing brand affinity.
Excavate why
I lead with finding purpose in everything. And work to align with company priorities, principles and our people. I’ve pitched, planned, produced and activated multiple corporate brands, initiatives and campaigns—and everything that comes with global launches.
Activate and connect
I lead efforts to build experiences ranging from Cannes LIONS and SxSW to Upfront and external, internal and employee engagement events—contributing to revenue growth, engagement and headlines.
Align and engage
for action
Passionate about fostering culture—building employer value propositions, guiding principles and engagement initiatives that help align and engage employees with business imperatives.
Make great stuff
“Why” doesn’t mean anything if you can’t express and deliver. I push partners and teams to dig deep—then collaborate, analyze, concept, produce and deliver more than 7,500 graphic design, photography and video projects annually. Produced by the full-service in-house team of more than 50, along with managing agency relationships and a pool of freelance experts.
Get it done
I’m known for delivering on brand and partner needs—but I also add value as trusted support for leadership, helping to achieve their goals. I partner closely with CEOs, CMOs, CCOs, CHROs—including exceeding expectations in merger-related integration efforts, identifying more than $40 million in savings in our business unit.
Consistent leadership, impact and value add through change.
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Owner
APRIL 2024 – PRESENT
Platform for professional and personal work in creative and project management across community, civic and small business activations.
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Head of Brand Experience and Corporate Marketing
APRIL 2022 – APRIL 2024
Selected to establish the merger-integrated full-service, 50-person team, delivering 7,500+ projects annually to drive alignment, market impact and growth. Brand champion responsible for defining and scaling brand strategy, creative execution and key audience engagement for the 40,000-employee global organization.
Brand Strategy & Differentiation
Launched new brand strategy, architecting the 4 Ps framework (Purpose, Priorities, Principles and People) to unify the brand, garnering positive sentiment to the brand idea with internal and external audiences.
Established first-ever corporate brand health metrics, enabling consistent measurement and adaptability.
Elevated enterprise expertise and self-service by establishing and evangelizing brand architecture, asset hubs and resource access, enhancing brand awareness and increasing capacity of workforce and partners.
Brand Identity & Creative Execution
Oversaw execution of refresh and then managed expression of corporate platforms, standardization of brand assets and office signage across 150+ locations, while leveraging IP, talent and leadership to execute daily production of high-visibility core and sub-brand assets across digital, print and events.
Led integration of the iconic Warner Bros. shield throughout the company’s business units, and for the evolution of the logos/identities of Warner Bros. Studios and other WB units. Partnered with CGH agency.
Experiential & Immersive Brand Engagement
Prioritized calendar and budgeting for, and design of activations at Cannes LIONS, SxSW and Sundance, elevating presence through talent and executive panels, press partnerships and interactive experiences.
Led creative strategy and execution for annual ad sales upfront event, directly impacting revenue growth in a challenging ad sales market, while garnering positive press reviews.
Core partner in designing and executing culture and engagement events, including key initiative launches and leadership/business unit town halls, influencing internal positive perception of company of over 90%.
Culture & Employee Experience
Conceived a unified design framework for organizational culture initiative, “Our Guiding Principles.”
Developed sub-brands and identities for Social Impact, DEI and BRG efforts, amplifying meaning.
Fiscal & Operational Efficiencies
Workstream lead for business unit integration efforts, exceeding expectations in identifying $40M+ savings.
Optimized teams and processes to meet current needs through continual refinement of roles and systems to keep workflow consistent but agile, including integration of post-merger roles and functions.
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SVP, Brand Strategy and Planning
SEPT 2019 – APRIL 2022
Positioned the Turner brand team to lead corporate brand strategy, brand activation and enterprise partner engagement for the post-acquisition iteration of TimeWarner by AT&T, creating a new enterprise hub and “One WarnerMedia” messaging after Turner, HBO and Warner Bros. were combined into one company.
Identified the need and successfully pitched the plan for an evolved brand strategy and identity, better defining positioning architecture and corporate narrative, in partnership with leadership and Wolff Olins.
Navigated corporate’s pivot to virtual experiences during COVID-19, sustaining engagement through Sundance, SxSW, and upfronts, creating themed and programmed digital hubs, rich with brand content.
Partnered with AT&T, WM legal teams and channel brand partners to establish IP frameworks, ensuring legal and efficient deployment of photographic, design and branded assets for promotional and internal use.
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VP, Brand Experience
SEPT 2014 – SEPT 2019
Built and scaled the corporate brand function, evolving it into a 40-person strategic team responsible for brand management, storytelling, creative production and event execution.
Pitched, budgeted, sourced, partnered with leadership and agencies, managed processes, and rolled out refreshed global brand, evolving the iconic Turner logo while developing a brand story and identity that immediately engaged the workforce and partners, emphasizing the “maverick” DNA of founder Ted Turner.
Led corporate brand strategy and activation, creative production, and digital functions and teams.
Senior Director, Presentation Group
MARCH 2004 – SEPT 2014
Transformed a high-volume presentation production unit into a strategic communication and design hub, aligning brand storytelling and design for global industry and executive presentations, messaging and brand comms.
Produced 10+ immersive interactive ad sales tools annually for channel brands, plus produced sales materials and design for large-scale annual upfront events.
Optimized in-house creative services, delivering $10 million in cost savings annually.
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Strategic Brand Leadership
Creative Direction & Design Thinking
B2B Marketing
B2E Engagement
Event Strategy, Design & Execution
C-suite & Stakeholder Influence
Culture & Engagement Development
AI & Emerging Tech in Branding
Team Leadership & Talent Development
Fiscal & Operational Efficiency
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EDUCATION & CONTINUED LEARNING
Bachelor of Arts, Corporate Journalism, Auburn University
Cable Executive Program, Harvard Business School
AI Essentials and Application, Emory University
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Board membership: past member of Museum of Design Atlanta and Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Mentorship: Business Resource Group leader and advocate for cross-team opportunities. Passionate about using my experience to foster creative and growth-potential environments.
Entrepreneurship: Founder of an independent design studio, consulting on brand creative and managing home renovation and design, refreshing and developing new project, technology and design skills.
Want to know more?
Happy to connect you with mentors/friends.
David Leavy COO / CNN Worldwide
Molly Battin CMO / The Home Depot
Lisa Harris Head of Global Real Estate / Warner Bros. Discovery
Ashok Sinha CCO / Dow Jones, Inc.
Sagi Haviv Partner / Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
I took time to reset after 25+ years in corporate, now working across community, civic and personal projects. I am open to discussing opportunities to join a purpose-led organization, in which I can make immediate impact as an individual contributor or leader.
Throughout my career across Turner, WarnerMedia and Warner Bros. Discovery, I have helped connect purpose to performance, through brand, creative and experience leadership. A former head of brand experience and corporate marketing, I'm a trusted partner to F100 C-suite leaders and cross-functional teams, known for translating complex ideas into executable strategy, scalable creative and results that have impact.
I excel at creating places where people have better experiences. Focused on B2B and B2E, I built and led brand and creative in-house teams that helped unify enterprise vision, improve employee engagement and support external-facing teams through storytelling, creative and events.
michael-tatum.com
mltatum@gmail.com.
If my experience and skills make sense for your business needs, let’s connect.
Based in Atlanta, but globally focused and open to new opportunities and potential relocation.
