Dan Riley: Creative Director in Lakeville, MN

Gunn Design has served some of the world’s hardest-hitting brands. It has been an honor as a creative director to manage the roles of designer, social media content producer, and influencer. I’ve helped clients achieve growth in online sales, via custom websites, and targeted paid social media advertising and the like. I’ve worked with teams on email campaigns managing over 20,000 subscribers, averaging 20% open rates. I’ve worked with teams and oversaw creative on paid social media campaigns of $20,000 per month, bringing in $350,000 monthly in sales. I’ve been the art director on social media accounts totaling over 25,000 followers. I’ve directed and designed on several 100+ page full color catalogs. My team work with clients assets, and also help facilitate new assets for each catalog. I was responsible for layout, brand voice, and creative content throughout each catalog. Several of the catalogs had over 2,000 SKUs. My company has garnered international acclaim, and has been featured in hard-cover print publications, Fortune 500 advertising materials, as well as featured on world-renowned editorial websites. Our activities range from content production and graphic design, to custom build projects and experiential brand activations. Notable clients include ~ Ski Doo (BRP), Polaris (via agency Six Speed), 509 Inc (a Polaris-owned subsidiary) Six Speed Advertising Agency, BMW, Race Tech, Tucker Powersports, and Sunstar Engineering Americas

Darius Clothing is a lifestyle apparel brand, serving the ultra-niche demographic of young motocross racers. I started this brand in 2012, and sold in 2016 for a profit. While running this company, I helped lead the way in motocross apparel. I managed an email subscriber list of over 20,000 subscribers, and social media accounts with over 15,000 followers. I was responsible for curating and designing the company website, gathering assets, and directing photographers to capture the brand’s image. Our work was loved by our customers, and imitated by our competitors. As the founder and creative director, I was responsible for directing the brand voice, product offering, marketing initiatives, experiential event marketing, social media outreach initiatives, as well as retail and wholesale sales initiatives. I directed and produced several on-premise experiential branded events.

Caliber Products is a leading brand for trailer accessories, specifically designed for snowmobile enthusiasts. Caliber produces a wide variety of products aimed at solving problems, and holds numerous patents on these solutions. Working with a smaller team, I wore a lot of hats. I was responsible for the creative direction of the brand. This includes custom design and photography for ~ company website, packaging, point of purchase displays, and event brand activations. I set up and managed the company’s social media account on Instagram, and managed the existing Facebook account. I worked with sponsored athletes and B2C customers to create content and have open Social Media dialogue that pointed back to the company’s products. Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office products were the tools I used to get the job done digitally.

Vurbmoto is regarded as the leading online publication for the niche market of motocross racing enthusiasts. In a short period of time, Vurbmoto rose to the top of its class and was imitated by competitors. My responsibilities at this game changing company included writing custom editorial pieces, working with photographers, and ultimately scheduling each piece to be released to the public. I worked on a team dedicated to managing their social media accounts with over 600,000 followers. I was responsible for copywriting on the website, which garnered 2,100,000 monthly pageviews. I also served in the role of working with advertisers for their brand activation on the website ~ by way of display advertising and editorial features. I was responsible for writing advertising programs to fit each brand’s budget and driving valuable revenue to the Media Group.

At Black Diamond MX I was responsible for creating custom designs for customers as well as for Black Diamond’s website and social media. Every day, I was communicating with customers about developing the perfect graphics for a wide range of applications ~ many of which were vehicle wraps and business signage. This was a relatively small shop, and I was able to adapt to working in a fast- paced and multi-faceted working environment. I also was able to meet the demands of a wide range of unique customers and help them achieve their custom graphics goals.

Kline Auto World is a multi-line auto dealer with 3 locations, serving Central Minnesota. I worked with traditional media vendors for radio, print, and billboard advertising. I worked with internal teams to coordinate marketing initiatives, collaborate on creative design, and strategize on future projects. I managed the company’s advertising budget to make strategic marketing spend initiatives. I coordinated special events, and worked with local influencers to generate traffic and awareness for the Kline Auto World business. My responsibilities spanned across their 3 stores, and even helped launch new ventures into used vehicle sales and auto detailing. I facilitated new websites, new company branding, and marketing collateral for each of the 3 main stores, plus 2 new business ventures.