erika abrams
erika abrams
CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE · VISUAL STORYTELLING · INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT · AI-DRIVEN MEDIA

resume

Creative Operations Executive

 

Consulting Producer

/ DEEP VOODOO

An AI-native Creative Studio · Los Angeles · 2026 – Present

Production leadership at a Venice-based AI studio working at the frontier of synthetic media and high-end visual storytelling. A boutique operation known for bespoke, ethical AI work with individual high-end creatives and production houses.

Senior Campaign Producer, Global Brand and Communications

/ RIOT GAMES
A global interactive entertainment company · Los Angeles · 2025 – Present

Embedded within the Global Brand and Communications department of one of the world's most recognized gaming companies. Branding Producer for Riftbound, the first new franchise IP launched by this organization in years. Global release across multiple regions and languages, with visual identity and brand coherence guided across launch and four expansion sets.

CORE CONTRIBUTIONS

  • Franchise IP and brand production for a major global gaming launch, from initial visual identity through four expansion sets

  • Creative operations and workflow design for a worldwide brand and communications organization

  • Internal leadership team member contributing to org structure, team culture, and cross-regional alignment

  • Executive counsel to department heads on operational strategy, creative systems, and cross-functional partnership

Creative Organization + Operations Consultant

/ SCATTERED GOOD, INC.

2020 - Present

An operations, culture, curation, and impact consultancy with a call to support mission-driven creative organizations.

Executive Creative Director

/ LA DESIGN FESTIVAL · Los Angeles · 2019 – 2025

Led creative vision, programming strategy, and operational execution for Los Angeles's premier multi-day celebration of design culture and the creative economy. Six years building one of the city's most recognized cultural platforms, from curatorial direction through live event production at scale.

  • Grew event to 20K+ in-person attendees and 243M total media impressions across the 2023 "Design for the People" and 2025 "Design Futurism" editions

  • Built and sustained audience infrastructure: 22K unique website visitors and 12.6K newsletter subscribers

  • Directed full creative production lifecycle: curation, programming, brand identity, experiential design, and community engagement

  • Established LA Design Festival as a nationally recognized platform for design culture, creative economy, and emerging voices

DIRECTOR, PGA CREATE SCRIPTED FELLOWSHIP

/ PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA  · 2022

Directed a Google-sponsored fellowship for underrepresented creative producers, designing program strategy, curriculum, and the industry network development that shaped participants' next career moves.

CREATIVE PRODUCER & BRAND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

/ ‘THE MOVEMENT’ APP  · 2020 - 2023

  • Developed content and storytelling strategy for The Movement app, a platform preserving cultural history for modern audiences, at the convergence of tech and national cultural institutions.

Managing Editor

/ THE GREAT DISCONTENT · 2021 – 2022

Led editorial curation and art direction for the magazine's 2022 relaunch, featuring a roster of internationally recognized creative voices.

Featured Creatives: Kamilah Rashied / Monica Ahanonu / PJ Vegas / Sofía Gallisá Muriente / Giorgia Lupi / Demar Matthews / Michael Two Bulls / Jordan Wong / Lucy McRae / Tony Whlgn® / Carly Ayres / Rick Garzon / Zykera Tucker / Meena Khalili and Sheharazad Fleming

PROJECT MANAGEMENT, CREATIVE DIRECTION & SOCIAL STRATEGY

/ MAYOR’S FUND OF LOS ANGELES / LA ORIGINAL / MASTERCARD · 2021

Led campaign production and social strategy for the 2021 LA Original Christmas campaign — @MakeLAOriginal reach increased +591% and engagement +986% quarter-over-quarter.

DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE OPERATIONS

/ WE MUST BE BOLD · 2021 – 2022

Led creative operations and cross-functional production for a mission-driven live and digital content organization, overseeing workflow design, resource allocation, and execution across creative and production teams.

Director of Production, North America

/ COMPANY 3 / METHOD STUDIOS / ENCORE VFX · Los Angeles · 2016 – 2020

C-suite operational leadership of a distributed North American creative studio spanning Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, and Atlanta, with a 300–500 person production operation in Pune, India. Scaled the organization from 45 to 300+ creatives. P&L ownership above $50M annually across worldwide studio locations.

  • Delivered double-digit profitability growth in year one of taking operational leadership across North American and India operations

  • Designed and implemented workforce planning, compensation strategy, and organizational development frameworks across all locations

  • Established Atlanta market presence ahead of competition, securing key client accounts in advance of the industry's migration to Georgia

  • Led 50+ person production team as Executive Producer delivering 18,000+ VFX shots per season on time and within budget

  • Managed executive-level client relationships across the full production lifecycle for major studio feature and episodic work

Producer + Director of Operations

/ FURIOUS FX · Los Angeles · 2004 – 2016

Twelve years at a boutique, client-focused VFX studio known for high-touch creative partnerships and studio-quality output. Operated across two simultaneous functions: producing major studio feature films and running the full operational infrastructure of the company.

Produced VFX for 20+ major studio feature films including Ghostbusters, Deadpool, Spy, Gangster Squad, and Underworld: Awakening · IMDB

  • Managed end-to-end production: client briefs, creative team coordination, timelines, budgets, and delivery across simultaneous high-profile projects

  • Directed all studio operations including CAPEX and OPEX management, facilities, technology, and business continuity across a growing creative organization

  • Built HR infrastructure: talent recruitment, compensation programs, performance management, and employee relations for a scaling creative team

  • Developed the operational playbook, financial reporting systems, and production workflows that supported the studio's growth over more than a decade

 

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS + ROLES

National Organization of Minority Architects, Southern California · Director of Communications & Public Relations · 2023 – Present

Get Lit – Words Ignite · Advisor, Community Engagement · 2019 – Present

Santa Monica College Interaction Design Baccalaureate Program · Advisor · 2024 – Present

Wildlife Recovery Think Tank · Member · 2025

Information Architecture Conference · Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging & Accessibility · 2022 – 2023

The Creative School, Washington DC · Advisor, Culture & Organizational Structure · 2019 – 2022

AIGA Los Angeles · DEI Advisory Board Chairperson · 2016 – 2021

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences · Peer Group Executive Committee Member · 2018 – 2020

University of Southern California, Iovine Young Academy · Guest Lecturer, Creative Operations · Ongoing

 

TALKS + WORKSHOPS

A Conversation on Design Inspiration with Ruth E. Carter · LA Design Festival

Creative Coalescence: Music, Tech and Design · LA Design Festival

Lead the Charge · Los Angeles Sparks / We Are Girls

Art and Science of Workshop Design · UXPA – Washington DC

Advisory Boards: How to Build Them & Why? · AIGA National Leadership Retreat, Atlanta

Pipeline Review & Revision · Deluxe Creative Services · Workshop

10 Things to Know After You Graduate · USC Roski School of Art & Design

Brainstorming with Empathy · USC Iovine Young Academy · Recurring Workshop

 


Working with Erika was a real pleasure. She has a direct approach to her work, meaning she gets things done with little fuss and is able to tackle problems head-on. She is a very strong leader and she has in-depth knowledge of the creative industry. Erika has a wonderful sense of humor and a lot of compassion which made her very approachable and put people around her at ease.

/  maria stroka / production manager  /