Meet the Expert: Christian Hendricks

Christian Hendricks is an associate vice president and creative director in Fenton's creative department.

What made you choose this career path?

I’ve always worked in creative media, and over time I naturally gravitated towards social change work. Before Fenton, I had produced a few political advocacy films, and that work always excited me more than the commercial work I was also doing because it was tangibly linked to real people and focused on improving lives. So when I found Fenton, it was just a perfect fit!?

Can you tell us about some of the accounts you’re working on and the impact they are having??

One of my main accounts is Creatives Rebuild New York, an organization that supports artists and advocates for social and economic change for artists and creative professionals. As a creative professional living in New York, I find it very near and dear to my heart, and the CRNY team is a group of incredible people. At the moment, they are preparing a robust policy platform that will advance policies that would provide worker protections, benefits, and wage protection for artists.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring creative director???

A big part of being a Creative Director is being an astute listener of our clients, which means interpreting their wants and needs and making strategic suggestions in real-time (and then, of course, translating all of that back to your production team in an actionable manner). Shaping the idea and the project itself through that collaborative process is really at the heart of my own practice as a CD, and it’s a type of creative problem-solving that I enjoy.

What’s an accomplishment – either personally or professionally – that you’re most proud of?

This year I led the rebrand of Asphalt Green, which is a fantastic organization based here in NYC. AG has been around for many years, but they’ve grown and transformed, which required a new look. We’re all super happy with the final result, and I think it’s a great match for who they are now, and where they are going as an organization. Check out this brand launch video we produced here!

What social issues are at the forefront of your mind right now?

Last year I directed a 5-part docu-series on abortion, which followed legislators in the first legislative session after the fall of Roe v. Wade. The situation has become more dire, and there are entirely new tactics in play to further restrict reproductive rights, so that has been an issue I’ve tracked closely. Fenton is currently working with several organizations in the reproductive rights space, and it’s one of those issues that is going to require relentlessness to preserve (and reinstate) the right to bodily autonomy.?

What do you enjoy doing outside of work??

I love to shoot portraits and videos with friends. I have a lot of musician and dancer friends, so you can usually find me making music videos and photo shoots. Here’s one I directed for my friend’s musical project “Window Seat” featuring my brilliant dancer friend Liana Zhen-Ai.