The Senior Media Producer plays a critical role in bringing the Pepperdine Brand to life through compelling imagery and storytelling. This role is responsible for creating digital video, audio, and photography assets, the documentation of campus life, recording select events, and leading the artistic methods used to capture marketing messages for the University. This role will propose, script, produce, edit, and deploy compelling video, photo, and audio-based initiatives for recruitment, fundraising, social media, and external communications; consistently delivering high-quality assets representing the University brand standards. This role combines technical proficiency, creative styles, leadership, client relations, and highly creative and artistic cinematographic techniques to produce marketing messages for the University.

Integrated Marketing Communications is directly tasked with supporting the University's mission and strategic plan by building brand equity, elevating the University's national reputation, providing strong and consistent institutional message leadership, and implementing effective marketing and communication strategies. The Senior Media Producer is directly tasked with a critical role in helping the department accomplish its goals.

Duties

• Video Production:
  • Works both independently and leads team-based productions from idea to finished product.
  • Provides innovative and creative ideas and concepts to determine the best setups for all types of productions, to craft visually appealing shot compositions, lighting arrangements, and sound-recording methodologies using appropriate equipment.
  • Effectively troubleshoots issues related to cameras, software, support, sound, focus, and lighting.
  • Tells the Pepperdine story through compelling audio, video, and photography, produced with a creative vision utilizing best practices and industry standards. 
  • Serves as the primary licensed drone operator for the team. 
• Leadership and Oversight:
  • Mentors and guides team members in specific tasks and manages production personnel to assist with all production tasks to ensure high-quality results.
  • Assigns student interns/workers to projects, providing training and overseeing their quality of work.
  • Provides on-site leadership for the team through production direction, independent decision-making, creative vision-casting, and overall team mentorship. 
• Video Documentation:
  • Uses discretion to record video that captures campus life-based events and showcases various features on all campuses.
  • Records b-roll including classes, meetings, facilities, and events represented in testimonial interviews.
• Production Development:
  • Provides ideation for new productions and concepts, develops approved productions through scripting, pre-production coordination and planning, researches trends and best practices, and provides outreach to various departments to assist with developing compelling stories. 
• Post Production:
  • Performs expert-level editing utilizing Adobe Premiere and/or DaVinci Resolve, including incorporating filters, titling, motion graphics, audio sweetening, and image handling to achieve desired results.
• Asset Management:
  • Determines the selected "best" shots. Transfer and log all selected files into a shared storage device.
  • Maintains a central organizational system.
  • Applies accurate and effective metadata to photographs for individual and batch file retrieval. 
• Consultation, Planning, Scheduling, and Client-Relations:
  • Independently negotiates priorities, coordinates assignments, and maintains calendars.
  • Performs customer outreach to plan, consult, and determine client needs on all requests. Utilize project management software to update project status and store all pertinent records.
  • Collaborates with the Integrated Marketing team and university partners on strategic and creative approaches to projects involving abstract or technical content to meet objectives within time and cost constraints.
  • Proposes new video initiatives, assists in document writing, and researches and maintains expertise in technology trends and best practices. This position is responsible for the full scope of client relations on assigned projects, from initial consultation and needs assessment to project completion, ensuring all stakeholders are served effectively. This autonomy is crucial, requiring a professional who can independently manage timelines, resources, and artistic direction to consistently deliver assets that align with the University's strategic marketing objectives. 
• Photography:
  • Produces professional-quality digital photographs under the direction of the Media Production and Creative Design teams. This role includes planning, coordinating, and executing photo assignments, both in studio and on location, including photo-journalism, sports, landscape, events, and general marketing. 
• Image Editing:
  • Perform expert-level editing utilizing Adobe Creative Suite, including incorporating filters and tools to lightly correct and touch up photos, prepare digital camera raw files, and JPG images to achieve desired results for immediate use. 
• Resource Maintenance:
  • Maintain a variety of photography/videography equipment and resources, including but not limited to: a fully equipped studio, light modifiers, photo and video cameras, mobile lighting equipment, and audio equipment. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Uphold University mission through work performed. 

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's Degree in Communications, Media Production, Journalism, Film/Television Production, Photography, or similar field.
• 3+ years of experience in digital video production, lighting, and audio recording at a college, university, news media organization, government agency, or other complex knowledge-based organization.
• 2 - 3 years of experience utilizing an enterprise digital asset management system.
• Demonstrated initiative and creativity. Entrepreneurial, proactive, and resourceful.
• Demonstrated success at working under deadlines with tight time frames required.
• Awareness of contemporary trends in photography and videography.
• Experience in managing all phases of photo and video shoots.
• Experience in working with clients to achieve strategic visual assets that advance the organization's brand and messaging.
• The ability to formulate recommendations through creative analysis and interpretation
• Broad knowledge of all aspects of professional quality productions, including field and studio cameras and lighting.
• The ability to manage a variety of simultaneous projects; excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, mature judgment, and diplomacy required to interact effectively with and provide customer service to a broad audience.
• Strong project management skills.
• Strong collaborative skills with demonstrated experience in successfully working with peers and leadership.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven artistic and creative ability with a related portfolio of recent work samples.
• 4+ years of pre-production experience, such as planning, writing, storyboarding, scheduling, as well as client & talent communication
• 5+ years of technical experience using photography equipment, including but not limited to various camera systems, lighting, and lighting modifiers
• 5+ years in digital video production, lighting, and audio recording, including the use of DSLR-based videography, cinema camera systems, drones, stabilizers, LED & tungsten lights, field sound recorders, microphones, and safety procedures.
• 4+ years of experience with Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Camera Raw, Audition, Acrobat, Media Encoder/Compressor, and other relevant Creative Cloud applications.
• 7+ years of experience with PowerPoint, Keynote, Office, and Google Suite.
• Experience writing metadata and catalog media in digital asset management databases.
• Submission of a digital portfolio with samples of photo and video work.

Preferred:

• Master's degree.
• Experience working in higher education.
• 3+ years of experience in leading teams and/or managing and developing creative strategies to achieve desired results.
• 5+ years managing an enterprise digital management system.
• Supervisory or leadership experience.
• Understanding of key trends and issues in media production technology.
• Experience in developing imaginative and visionary visual content from ideation to interpretation to final product.
• Experience in developing creative and strategic visual content that aligns and supports as it integrates marketing/branding goals and best practices.
• Ability to set the visual aesthetic by utilizing advanced and artistic knowledge of shot composition, scenes, and sequences, as well as color, mood, and tone to elevate the visual experience.
• Comprehensive awareness and interest in new trends, platforms, and technologies for the emerging digital landscape preferred.
• Ability to design and tell visual stories through advanced creative interpretation that transforms shot-lists, location scouting, talent casting, narrative, camera angles, lighting, etc.
• Ability to interact with stakeholders from all levels of the organization to identify goals and make recommendations on how to best achieve those goals through the development of original visual content.
• Ability to self-direct to discover new opportunities and generate ideas that are then translated into original, innovative, and artistic content outside of university client requests.
• Experience planning, coordinating, and executing archival digitization projects.
• Experience working with project management software is preferred.
• Advanced technical experience using digital media equipment, photo and video creation, editing software, and/or digital media control software. This includes Adobe After Effects, Adobe Media Encoder, Adobe Audition as well as video compression/conversion codecs, and color grading.
• Experience managing/administrating a digital asset management online library
• Knowledge and experience with various audio/video formats, delivery methods, and camera systems (including legacy).

This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $70,200 - $78,000 per year 

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.