Pranav Kalra — Ad Creative Director & Media Strategist
Ad Creative Director & Senior Media Buyer

I'm not saying I'm better than agencies at Meta ads.
I'm just different. And maybe different is exactly what your brand needs.

Hi, I'm Pranav Kalra.
9+ years building ads
that actually convert.

I'm a Senior Media Buyer and Ad Creative Director with over 9 years of experience across Meta, Google, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, AppLovin, and Native. I've managed $100M+ in ad spend, directed creative for 50+ brands, and built performance systems at companies like DOE Media, Ads That Disrupt, Lunx Labs, and Liaison Labs.

I don't just run ads — I build the creative systems and testing frameworks that find champions and scale them relentlessly.

9+
Years in Performance Marketing
$100M+
Ad Spend Managed
50+
Brands Directed
8
Ad Platforms
$100M+
Ad Spend Managed
Career total across all platforms
9+
Years Experience
Performance marketing & creative direction
11+
Brands Directed
DTC, SaaS, Legal, Health & more
8
Platforms
Meta · Google · TikTok · Native · More
Platforms I Run
📘
Meta Ads
Facebook & Instagram — primary channel across all clients
🔍
Google Ads
Search, Display, Shopping & PMax
▶️
YouTube Ads
Pre-roll, skippable & non-skippable video
🎵
TikTok Ads
In-feed video & branded content
💼
LinkedIn Ads
Sponsored content & lead gen for B2B
📱
AppLovin
Mobile performance & app install
🌐
Native Ads
Taboola, Outbrain & programmatic native
⚡
Full-Funnel
Creative systems built to compound
01

Work Experience

Feb 2025 — Dec 2025
Cake Equity
Full-time · 10 mos
Remote
Marketing Director
Led all marketing strategy and paid acquisition for Cake Equity, a fintech platform helping startups manage equity and cap tables. Owned multi-channel performance advertising across Meta, Google, and LinkedIn — developing creative strategy, directing ad production, and scaling campaigns targeting founders, CFOs, and HR leaders. Oversaw brand positioning, messaging frameworks, and go-to-market execution across all paid and owned channels.
Marketing DirectorMeta AdsGoogle Ads LinkedIn AdsCreative DirectionGTM StrategyFintech
Nov 2023 — Feb 2025
DOE Media
Full-time · 1 yr 4 mos
Remote
Sr. Marketing Manager
Led end-to-end paid social strategy and creative direction at a high-growth performance marketing agency. Oversaw campaign management, creative testing frameworks, and cross-channel reporting for multiple DTC and lead gen clients simultaneously. Responsible for media buying strategy, creative briefing, and performance reporting across Meta, Google, and YouTube.
Paid SocialCreative DirectionMedia Buying ReportingA/B TestingTeam Leadership
Dec 2022 — Sep 2023
Ads That Disrupt
Contract · 10 mos
Dallas, TX · Remote
Lead Media Buyer
Lead media buyer at a boutique performance agency later acquired by Scale Up Agency. Managed paid social and SEM campaigns across a portfolio of clients, owning media strategy from creative briefing through buying, optimization, and reporting. Built systematic hook-testing and scale frameworks that became core agency methodology.
Paid SocialSEMMeta Ads Creative StrategyAgencyScale Strategy
Sep 2020 — Sep 2023
Lunx Labs
Contract · 3 yrs 1 mo
San Diego, CA
Senior Media Buyer
Long-running contract role managing paid social advertising strategy and execution. Developed and scaled performance campaigns across Meta, with deep expertise in audience targeting, creative iteration, and budget scaling. Built the testing methodology — launch wide, find signal fast, scale winners — that underpins all current client work.
Paid SocialMeta AdsAudience Strategy Creative TestingBudget Scaling
Oct 2021 — Oct 2022
Liaison Labs
Full-time · 1 yr 1 mo
San Diego, CA
Product Marketing Manager
Owned product marketing for a San Diego-based startup. Bridged product and performance marketing — developing go-to-market messaging, ad creative strategy, and paid acquisition campaigns. Built foundational paid social expertise that accelerated into full media buying roles.
Product MarketingGTM StrategyPaid Social Creative StrategyMessaging
Jan 2021 — Aug 2022
Expaaand
Full-time · 1 yr 8 mos
San Francisco Bay Area
Head of Growth
Led all growth initiatives for a web3/paid social focused company in the SF Bay Area. Owned paid social advertising and broader growth strategy, developing expertise at the intersection of emerging platforms and performance marketing.
Head of GrowthPaid SocialWeb3 Growth StrategyUser Acquisition
Mar 2020 — Jun 2022
Stealth Startup
Full-time · 2 yrs 4 mos
San Diego, CA
Founding Marketer
First marketing hire at a pre-launch startup. Built the entire paid acquisition function from zero — strategy, creative, execution. Developed early-stage expertise in customer acquisition, performance creative, and paid social that formed the foundation for all future work.
Founding Role0→1 MarketingPaid Social User Acquisition
Jan 2021 — Oct 2021
College Finance Company
10 mos · San Diego, CA
Technical Product Marketing Manager → Product Marketing Manager
Held two progressive roles at College Finance Company across 10 months — starting as Technical Product Marketing Manager then transitioning to Product Marketing Manager. Managed paid social advertising and performance marketing strategy in the fintech/education space.
FintechProduct MarketingPaid Social
02

Brands I've Directed

⭐ Featured Client — Deep Engagement
Car Accident Counsel
Legal Services / Lead Generation
Meta
My most comprehensive client engagement. Developed and directed multiple distinct ad formats: B-roll campaign series with multi-hook and script variations, champion long-running visual mashup tested across hooks/music/scripts, spokesperson campaigns with multiple actors, celebrity hook formats, AI-enhanced creative production, and Spanish-language adaptations. Built rigorous A/B testing infrastructure. Multiple champion creatives still running.
View Ad Library ↗
Fella Health
Men's Telehealth / GLP-1 Weight Loss
MetaGoogle
Creative direction for a leading men's GLP-1 and TRT telehealth clinic. Performance-driven strategy targeting time-crunched men seeking medically supervised, results-guaranteed weight management. Strong social proof hooks and before/after narrative frameworks.
RARE-ROMANCE
Luxury Statement Jewelry / DTC Fashion
MetaTikTok
Creative direction for the LA-based luxury jewelry brand featured in Vogue, GQ, and High Snobiety — worn by Billie Eilish, MGK, and Avril Lavigne. Gothic-industrial aesthetic translated into scroll-stopping, conversion-focused social ads.
Lead Zolo
Lead Generation
MetaGoogleYouTubeTikTok
Full-platform ad creative leadership. Wide-format spokesperson campaigns across all four platforms with systematic hook, music, and format testing. Built the champion iteration system I use across all client work today.
Cake Equity
Fintech / Startup Equity Management
MetaGoogleLinkedIn
Creative strategy and ad direction for a startup equity platform — targeting founders, HR leaders, and CFOs with channel-specific messaging optimized for each platform's unique audience intent and behavior.
Alpha Signal
AI Newsletter / Media Brand
MetaGoogleLinkedIn
Performance ad direction for one of the leading AI-focused newsletters. Multi-platform strategy with audience-tailored creative for tech leaders, investors, and AI practitioners who ignore generic ads.
Collective
Business Finance / Tax Platform
Meta
Comprehensive creative strategy and performance ad formats for a business banking and tax platform serving self-employed professionals. Multiple campaigns remain active in the ad library.
View Ad Library ↗
Ambrook
Agricultural Finance
Meta
Distinctive visual identity and audience-specific messaging for a niche ag-finance platform serving American farmers — a category demanding deep creative empathy and category fluency to earn trust.
View Ad Library ↗
Flintts
Consumer Goods
Meta
Established brand voice through creative direction with a rigorous multi-format testing approach — launched wide, found the highest-performing creative framework, then scaled with precision.
View Ad Library ↗
Modern Mammals
Men's Wellness & Grooming
Meta
Directed brand campaigns with cohesive visual storytelling calibrated for a modern male wellness audience that demands authenticity, specificity, and credibility over polish.
View Ad Library ↗
Abundant Earth
Wellness / Supplements
Meta
Audience-focused messaging with structured creative testing — identifying winning angles, then iterating aggressively on formats, hooks, and offers until finding the champion creative.
View Ad Library ↗
+ More Brands
Additional engagements under NDA or with inactive ads. Happy to share more on a call.
03

Ad Formats & Creative Systems

"Find the champion. Then squeeze every variation out of it."

Every format below has been battle-tested with real spend. The goal is always the same: launch wide, identify what works, then scale relentlessly.

I don't just make ads — I build creative systems. Hook libraries, variation matrices, champion scaling playbooks, and production pipelines designed to compound over time.

Multi-Hook B-Roll Campaign
Multiple hooks & scripts created simultaneously — efficient A/B testing from day one, no wasted early spend
View ↗
Champion B-Roll Format
Long-running visual mashup style — ongoing hook, music & script iterations to sustain performance at scale
View ↗
High-Performing B-Roll
Key messaging with optimized visual flow and pacing for maximum hook retention and click-through
View ↗
Spokesperson / UGC Campaigns
Directed multiple actors in monologue, split-screen, and hook-test formats — talent diversification to maximize finding the best performer
View ↗
Celebrity Hook Format
Leveraging celebrity recognition to boost initial engagement and build top-of-funnel trust signals fast
View ↗
AI-Enhanced Creative
AI technology integrated into the creative layer for dynamic, scalable, and cost-efficient ad production
View ↗
Multilingual Campaigns (ES)
Spanish-language adaptations of champion English ads — core messaging preserved, culturally optimized for delivery
Native & Programmatic Creative
Top-of-funnel editorial-blending creative for Taboola & Outbrain — designed to generate clicks without screaming "ad"
LinkedIn B2B Lead Gen
Thought-leadership sponsored content and lead gen creative for SaaS, fintech, and professional services audiences
"

The best creative directors don't guess. They build systems that make the data tell them what works — then they move faster than anyone else to exploit it.

Pranav Kalra — Creative Philosophy
04

How I Think

01
Launch Wide, Not Deep
Never launch one creative and hope. Build a testing matrix from day one — multiple hooks, scripts, formats, music. Gather signal across the matrix, not just within a single ad.
02
Find the Champion
Identify the top performer and dissect why it wins. Is it the hook? The offer? The talent? The pacing? That insight is the real asset — not just the ad itself.
03
Scale With Precision
Expand champions through targeted variations — new hooks, music, talent, formats — without reinventing what's working. Iterate until performance degrades, then find the next champion.
04
Platform-Native First
What converts on Meta won't work on TikTok won't work on LinkedIn. I build channel-specific creative that respects the format, the feed, and the audience mindset of each platform independently.
05
Creative Meets Data
I speak both languages — creative intuition and performance analytics. Gut-feel decisions backed by data; data decisions backed by creative clarity. Both matter equally.
06
Systems, Not One-Offs
A single great ad isn't a strategy. I build creative systems — hook libraries, variation playbooks, testing cadences — that compound over time and make every dollar of spend smarter.

Ready to build ads
that actually convert?

I work with a select group of brands at a time. If you're serious about performance creative that scales, let's talk about what we can build together.

Book a Call ↗