Storyteller Isn’t a Job Description

Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring new Creative Director opportunities and I keep running into things like this:

“Lead brand storytelling through impactful content creation.”

On paper, that sounds aligned but in practice… I’m not always sure what it means.

I’m a Creative Director rooted in brand systems and visual design. Strategy. Craft. Translating complexity into clarity.

So when I see words like:

“Storyteller.”
“Content creator.”
“Content lead.”

I pause. Because those words can mean very different things.

Does “storytelling” mean:
• Writing long-form brand narratives?
• Developing campaign concepts?
• Producing social video?
• Owning thought leadership?

Does “content” mean:
• Copywriting?
• Graphics?
• Video?
• Product marketing?
• All of the above?

I understand why companies use umbrella terms. One word can cover five disciplines. But from the candidate side, it creates friction and confusion.

Am I being hired to write the narrative?
Shape the narrative?
Visualize the narrative?
Distribute it?
Optimize it?

Those are different skill sets.

All valuable but not so interchangeable.

As our industry matures, precision in language matters — especially at the leadership level. Clear definitions don’t limit creativity. They help companies hire the right people and set them up to win.