Open to opportunities

Ujjwal Gawand

@ujjwalgawand

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AI Video Creative Director blending cinematic storytelling and generative AI to deliver brand films at speed.

Netherlands

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can direct AI-assisted cinematic content—translating brand strategy into visual narratives fast—while collaborating with stakeholders to solve “impossible” creative briefs and build scalable, high-quality generative visual identities.

I’m a visionary AI Video Creative Director with 20+ years of cinematic storytelling, art direction, and brand campaign experience, now operating at the frontier of Generative AI. I’m equally fluent in classic craft—rule of thirds, colour theory, and lighting—as I am in seed values and prompt engineering.

In my current role, I direct end-to-end AI-assisted brand campaigns for F&B clients, using tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to produce campaign visuals at unprecedented speed and scale. I also produce generative AI brand films and social-first content, bridging cinematic storytelling craft with AI video production to solve complex creative briefs. I’ve developed 20+ AI-powered campaign concepts and defined color systems, typography, and AI-generated visual tone to keep every touchpoint cohesive.

Before this, I translated high-profile feature film scripts into immersive visual worlds, and I led large teams across costume, camera, set, and VFX—coordinating 300+ and later 800+ crew members. I’ve also taught visual storytelling and art direction as an Associate Professor at FTII Pune, mentoring 50+ student film projects, and I’ve built creative leadership through founding and curating large-scale brand and cultural experiences.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

AI Creative Consultant

Current

Video Self-Employed

Feb 2025 - Present (1 year 3 months)

Directed end-to-end AI-assisted brand campaigns for F&B clients, using Midjourney and Stable Diffusion to produce campaign visuals at unprecedented speed and scale. Produced generative AI brand films and social-first content and defined cohesive AI-generated color/tone systems across touchpoints.

Generative AI Prompt Engineering Midjourney Stable Diffusion AI Assisted Campaigns Adobe Creative Suite

Art Director - Love & War

SLB Production India LLP

Jun 2024 - Jan 2025 (7 months)

Translated a high-profile screenplay into premium, large-scale visual environments using core cinematic craft principles like color theory and visual continuity. Led and coordinated 300+ crew members across costume, camera, set, and VFX teams to deliver production-ready visual execution under demanding schedules.

Art Direction Visual Storytelling Rule Of Thirds Production Design

Set Designer, Ramayana

DNEG

Jan 2024 - May 2024 (4 months)

Directed visual execution for a large-scale film production by translating conceptual briefs into immersive environments delivered at scale. Led 800+ crew members and managed rapid set transformations to maintain seamless visual continuity while bridging practical and VFX-driven design elements.

Set Design Production Design Rapid Set Transformations Practical + VFX Blending

Associate Professor - Visual

Thinking FTII Pune

Oct 2017 - Jan 2024 (6 years 3 months)

Taught visual storytelling, art direction, and design thinking to post-graduate students, mentoring 50+ student film projects from concept to final delivery. Designed interdisciplinary programmes and delivered masterclasses on the convergence of cinematic craft and digital creative innovation, including emerging generative visual design.

Visual Storytelling Art Direction Design Thinking Mentorship Curriculum Strategy Masterclass Delivery Creative Education

Co-Founder & Creative Director

New Bombay Design

Jan 2014 - Oct 2017 (3 years 9 months)

Built and led a multidisciplinary creative studio delivering integrated branding, advertising, and content-driven campaigns for clients across real estate, banking, and cultural sectors. Directed end-to-end campaign execution—ideation through production and channel orchestration—while managing creative teams and client relationships to ensure consistently high-quality output.

Campaign Strategy Creative Direction Content Production Channel Management Client Management Team Leadership Stakeholder Management

Curator & Co-Founder

Matheran Green Festival

Mar 2015 - Aug 2016 (1 year 5 months)

Conceptualised and curated an international art festival featuring artists from 26+ countries, designing immersive installations and public art experiences. Collaborated with government bodies on sustainability initiatives to drive regional visibility through large-scale experiential brand communication.

Public Art Installation Sustainability Partnerships

Assistant Art Director

Various Production Companies

Jan 2004 - Jan 2014 (10 years)

Served as Assistant Art Director on 60+ advertising films and multiple feature films, contributing to set design, visual execution, and production coordination across high-volume projects (2010–2014). Led production design for Marathi feature films and built research-driven narrative visual design capabilities (2008–2011) from strong fundamentals in typography, layout, and visual communication.