01 · Creative direction
Road Armor
Creative Director · 2025
“Protect What Matters,” turned into people-first photography and print with photographer Averie Lloyd and designer Sarah Knowles.
Available for freelance · Open to creative leadership roles
I build brands
people slow down for.
Film: TOM FORD Soleil de Feu (spec)
Brand direction, Campaigns, Film, Content, Experiences
Selected work
All work and the archive
02 · Creative direction
USA Streetlifting
National Creative Director · 2025–
Brand direction, competition creative, and event communications for the national federation, directing its photographers and designers.
03 · Agency team
U.S. Navy × VML
Art Director, VML · 2023–2025
Strike Group tour graphics, Sneaker Con concepts and insignia, and two co-concepted Snapchat lenses that reached 8.8M users.
04 · Co-led partnership
Off Road Gear Guys
Creative strategy + brand direction, with Chris Merbler · 2026
Positioning, brand direction, and field content from Moab and Overland Expo West for an INEOS Grenadier outfitter.
05 · Creative direction
Passages
Brand Manager, leading brand + creative direction · 2026–
Brand and creative direction for Turning Point Ministries’ next-generation ministry across shows, campaigns, content, and publishing.
Also: a company I founded, and a self-initiated film
06 · Founder
Verus Coffee
Founder + owner · 2025–
A private-event coffee company built from the ground up: brand, service concept, sales, content, and client experience.
07 · Self-initiated
TOM FORD — Soleil de Feu
Concept + creative direction · 2023
A self-initiated fragrance film, not commissioned by the brand.
What I do
I find the idea. Then I build the world around it.
Freelance creative leadership. I set the direction and lead the designers, writers, photographers, and producers who make the work.
- 01
Creative direction
A clear creative vision, actionable briefs, and direction from concept through launch.
- 02
Brand development
Positioning, brand story, and a coherent direction for how a brand speaks, looks, and shows up, developed with the right creative partners.
- 03
Campaign concepting
Campaign platforms, launch ideas, and stories that connect a business goal to an audience.
- 04
Creative team leadership
Briefing and directing designers, writers, photographers, and producers; aligning collaborators, feedback, and decisions around one idea.
- 05
Founder collaboration
Practical creative guidance for new ventures, informed by building and running Verus Coffee.
Experience
Where the work has happened.
Each case study separates what was mine, what was shared, and what others made.
- Creative leadership
Turning Point Ministries · USA Streetlifting · Road Armor
Brand Manager for Passages · National Creative Director · Creative Director.
- Contract
Phoenixeer
Creative Director.
- Co-led
Off Road Gear Guys
With Chris Merbler.
- Founded
Verus Coffee
- Inside agency teams
U.S. Navy at VML · The Integer Group / TracyLocke
Art Director. Integer clients: Neutrogena, Aveeno, OGX, Maui, Rogaine, and Band-Aid.
- Freelance clients
Gather25 · Hold the Rope · Leeway HQ · Blueprint Creative · Logos Lab · Johnny’s Kicks
- Self-initiated
TOM FORD Soleil de Feu
Spec film. Not commissioned.
About
I’m most useful when something is unfinished or unclear.
I’m Theodora Trandafir, Theo, a Creative Director and brand builder based in San Diego, and the founder of Verus Coffee.
More about how I work