Creative Traffic Manager
The workflow maestro—traffic managers keep the creative pipeline flowing, juggling priorities and timelines like a pro.
What is a Creative Traffic Manager?
The flow master behind the creative chaos
In a busy agency, ideas are flying, deadlines are looming, and inboxes are screaming. So who’s making sure the right brief gets to the right team at the right time—without the whole thing blowing up?
That’s the Creative Traffic Manager.
The person keeping creative momentum alive by managing workload, resourcing, and flow across departments.
Think of them as the heartbeat of the agency machine. If they stop, everything stops.
What do they actually do?
A Creative Traffic Manager owns the operational flow of projects. Their job is to balance creativity with structure—to know who’s doing what, when it’s due, and how to make the pieces fit together without burning anyone out.
Their core responsibilities:
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Assigning creative tasks based on team capacity and skill
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Managing timelines and deadlines across projects
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Coordinating between strategy, creative, production, and accounts
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Identifying bottlenecks before they become fires
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Reallocating resources when priorities shift
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Creating visibility for everyone—without the micromanaging
Their mantra: no one’s overloaded, nothing’s overlooked.
What’s in their toolkit?
This role is equal parts operational precision and people awareness—and they’ve got the tools to do both.
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Project scheduling software: TrafficLIVE, Workamajig, Asana, Monday.com
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Resourcing tools: Float, 10,000ft (by Smartsheet), Resource Guru
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Internal workflow systems: Notion, Trello, Slack
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Real-time tracking: Time Doctor, Harvest, Google Sheets
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Reporting & dashboards: Airtable, Tableau, custom agency CRMs
And, of course, the best tools of all: empathy, intuition, and a no-BS communication style.
Why it matters for creative agencies
Without a Creative Traffic Manager, your agency turns into a pressure cooker. Deadlines are missed, teams burn out, and clients feel the cracks.
But with a great one?
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Projects move smoothly through each phase
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Creative teams stay focused (instead of firefighting)
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Resource usage becomes strategic, not reactive
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Everyone knows what’s coming next—and what’s possible now
They’re not just pushing timelines—they’re creating flow.
A day in the life—where calm meets chaos
A new campaign kicks off. There’s motion, static, long-form copy, social edits, and last-minute asks coming in hot.
The Creative Traffic Manager:
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Reviews the ask, scopes resource availability
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Shuffles timelines without derailing other deliverables
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Brings in a freelance editor to cover overflow
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Flags capacity issues before they hit
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Communicates changes clearly to everyone involved
The creatives stay in the zone. The client gets what they need. And no one pulls an all-nighter. Win-win-win.
What makes a great Creative Traffic Manager?
They’re not just spreadsheet people. They’re systems thinkers with real people skills. The best ones keep the trains running—without making the team feel like they’re on a conveyor belt.
Key traits:
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Hyper-organized, but not rigid
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Proactive communicator
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Emotionally intelligent
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Detail-oriented and deadline-driven
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Comfortable saying no—and even better at saying “not yet, but here’s how we make it work”
They’re not afraid to hold the line, because they know the creative deserves it.
RIOT’s POV
At RIOT, we’re driven by rebellion—but even rebellion needs structure. Our Creative Traffic Managers aren’t traffic cops—they’re traffic conductors, orchestrating timelines, talent, and tension into creative rhythm.
They help us protect our people, hit our marks, and create space for the kind of wild, brave, culture-defining work that defines us.
They’re not background players. They’re backbone players.
Related Glossary Terms
Creative Operations, Project Scheduling, Resourcing, Studio Workflow, Creative Brief, Capacity Planning
Related Job Roles
Traffic Manager, Studio Manager, Resource Manager, Project Manager, Creative Operations Manager, Producer
