Creative Direction
Web Design & Development
During my time as an in-house Digital Producer at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, I led the creative and technical delivery of digital initiatives across websites, mobile apps, and audience-facing touchpoints. I worked closely with creative teams to shape the visual direction of microsites and digital campaigns, translating big ideas into polished, functional experiences. Some of my most rewarding work from that period was building interactive web experiences that brought the LA Phil’s programming and legacy to life in unexpected ways.
For Noon to Midnight, the LA Phil’s all-day festival of field recordings presented with PST ART/Getty, I co-created the Digital Meadow, an interactive experience built entirely on Google Sheets. The concept was intentional. Using an everyday, accessible platform to mirror the approachable, exploratory spirit of the festival itself. The result was something unexpected and alive, inviting audiences to discover the sounds of both natural and human-produced environments in a format nobody saw coming.
Read an interview featured in Acid Free Magazine, the official publication of the Los Angeles Archivists Collective
For Gracias Gustavo, the LA Phil’s 2025/26 season celebrating Gustavo Dudamel’s final performances after 17 years, I built an interactive timeline letting audiences revisit the full arc of his tenure. The experience guides users through key moments, milestones, and memories, capturing the legacy of a conductor who transformed both an institution and a city.
Creative Direction
Web Design & Development
For KUMO 99’s album launch for PULL!, I built an official website centered around a fully interactive 3D room experience, designed in Blender and brought to life through a custom JavaScript plugin built on Three.js. The room loads directly in the browser, letting visitors navigate the space in first person, interact with clickable objects, and trigger content tied to the album world, including their upcoming tour with Machine Girl. The visual aesthetic was intentional, low poly geometry and flat shading that evokes the look of an N64 era video game. It even comes equipped with a wireframe scan effect on load and a panic button.
Creative Direction
Motion & Video
Ride or Cry
Sunshine Mall
Working through my agency in partnership with Universal Music, I supported and helped develop creative direction and animation production for a 10-part animated series celebrating 60 years of Motown. Collaborating with studios including Sunshine Mall, we paired archival audio with bold, era-inspired animation, giving each episode a distinct visual style rooted in the decade it represented. I oversaw the project from concept through delivery, honoring Berry Gordy Jr.’s legacy and Motown’s cultural impact with clarity and originality.
For their Animated Classic Christmas Songs playlist, I helped produce the creative for a series of official music videos bringing a beloved catalog of Motown holiday classics to life through animation for the very first time. While Ride or Cry handled the direction, I worked closely with a group of independent animators and illustrators to craft warm, nostalgic visuals that honored the legacy of The Jackson 5, The Supremes, and The Temptations.
Creative Direction
Motion & Video
Digital Marketing
Ride or Cry
Corinne Schiavone
Brent Campanelli
Madison McKamey
Kyle Rose
I worked closely with Usher and his team across multiple productions, from brand partnership shoots to rehearsal documentation, getting close to the creative side of everything he does. Two of those projects stand out as defining moments in that collaboration.
For his Las Vegas residency announcement, I acted as executive producer and director for a crew producing a bold visual teaser that blended playful luxury with viral mischief. The video introduced the now-infamous Ush Bucks, a fictional currency that ignited widespread buzz across social media and press.
At the iHeartRadio Music Awards, I directed, produced, and shot an exclusive behind-the-scenes piece capturing Usher’s multifaceted role as both host and performer over the course of a full week. Filmed across rehearsals, dress runs, and live show moments, the piece offers an intimate, all-access look at his creative process as he prepared for the awards and the residency simultaneously.
Creative Direction
Motion & Video
Experiential & Events
Ride or Cry
KesselsKramer
Corinne Schiavone
To celebrate the opening of citizenM’s downtown Los Angeles hotel, Ride or Cry, the creative agency where I served as part-owner and creative director, set out to highlight some of LA’s unsung heroes. In collaboration with KesselsKramer and local photographer Corinne Schiavone, we photographed 52 creative, enterprising, and inspiring Angelenos using Polaroids, a format rooted in the city’s casting culture. The portraits became the centerpiece of a multichannel campaign, physically displayed across every hotel window and extended through video, digital, and social platforms.
The exhibition, “citizens of”, began at citizenM’s Bowery Hotel in New York before traveling to Zurich, Copenhagen, and Seattle. Apple News called it a major artistic upgrade and a photo exhibit unlike any other. It was also featured in Creative Review, It’s Nice That, and Adweek.
Copyright © 2026 Jacob Safari
Creative Producer in Los Angeles