Samuel sets and leads the company’s creative agenda. That means he makes sure every project achieves excellence in presentation and effect. 

His extensive experience and fresh approach to marketing through storytelling empowers the team to produce their best work. As one of Coal Creative’s first team members, Samuel has always urged the rest of them to think outside of the box, to come at problems from unique angles and to keep everything in perspective.

After successfully working to build out Coal Creative’s video department, he stepped up to become the company’s first Creative Director in 2019. He served in that position until his promotion to Chief Creative Officer in 2022.

He started his career in advertising at 15 years old, working part-time designing ads for a local magazine company. He credits his upbringing, in a big family surrounded by creatives, for his innate desire to tell better and more captivating stories. He’s a filmmaker and in 2011, he produced a semi-autobiographical feature film titled “Milk Mustache.” He went on to produce the award-winning independent film “blackhole.”.

In 2021, The Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal named Samuel to its Top 20 Under 40 Business Leaders list. In 2020, he was named the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce Cultural Ambassador of the Year. 

He serves on the boards of the Greater Wyoming Valley YMCA and the Rainbow Alliance. When he isn’t working, Samuel spends his time developing personal creative projects, and taking pictures of birds under the moniker @samsbirdstore.

Instagram: @samueljoconnell
Facebook: @samuel.j.oconnell