The Media Producer plays a critical role in bringing the Pepperdine Brand to life through compelling imagery. This role is responsible for creating high impact photography and video assets by documenting the many facets of Pepperdine’s brand story including academic, spiritual, athletic, social, and extracurricular life on campus and off-campus. The Media Producer will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of their video and photo projects including reviewing all footage, pulling selects, and performing editing on both photos and videos. This role will produce and deploy compelling media-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, and modern photographic techniques and cinematographic styles to capture marketing messages for the University. Photographic techniques include landscape, photo-journalism, sports, stock, and portraits that are posed, candid, and staged photography. Cinematographic styles include documentary, interview, sports, commercial, drone, and staged.

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 Media Producer is directly tasked with a critical role in helping the department accomplish its goals.

Duties

• Video Production -
  • Act independently, be innovative, and creative to determine best set up to produce high-quality HD footage by using appealing shot compositions, lighting, and sound using appropriate equipment.
  • Effectively troubleshoot mechanical, sound, focus and lighting issues to visually tell the Pepperdine story through compelling footage and interviews shot with a creative vision utilizing best practices and industry standards.
  • Serves as the licensed drone operator. 
• Photography -
  • Produce professional quality digital photographs as required by IMC.
  • Includes planning, coordinating and executing photo assignments, 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. 
• Video Editing -
  • Review all footage, pulling selects, and editing the videos.
  • Perform expert level editing utilizing Adobe Creative Suite, including incorporating color adjustments, sound sweetening and graphics to achieve desired results for immediate use on a variety of channels. 
• Video Documentation -
  • Use discretion to record video that captures campus life based events and showcases various features on all campuses.
  • Record b-roll including classes, meetings, facilities, and events represented in testimonial interviews.
• Asset Management -
  • Determine the selected "best" shots. Transfer and log all selected files into a shared storage device.
  • Maintain a central organizational system.
  • Apply accurate and effective metadata to photographs for individual and batch file retrieval. 
• Consultation, Planning, Scheduling -
  • Independently negotiate priorities, coordinate assignments, and maintain calendars.
  • Perform 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.
  • Collaborate 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.
  • Propose new video initiatives, assist in document writing, as well as research and maintain expertise in technology trends and best practices. 
• Resource Maintenance -
  • Maintain a variety of photography/videography equipment and resources including but not limited to; a fully equipped studio, light modifiers, Digital SLR and mirrorless 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.
• Two plus years experience in photography or digital video production within marketing, advertising, news media, or creative agency.
• Demonstrated initiative and creativity. Entrepreneurial, proactive and resourceful.
• Awareness of contemporary trends in photography and videography
• 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.
• Ability to work independently as well as effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to manage a variety of simultaneous projects, excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong collaborator with demonstrated experience in successfully working with peers and leadership.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• 2+ years of technical experience using photography equipment, including but not limited to various camera systems, lighting and lighting modifiers
• 2+ years in digital video production, lighting, and audio recording. Including use of DSLR based videography, cinema camera systems, drones, stabilizers, LED & tungsten lights, field sound recorders, microphones, and safety procedures.
• 2+ years experience with Adobe CS Premiere, Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw, Audition, Acrobat, Media Encoder/Compressor, and other relevant Creative Cloud applications.
• 2+ years experience with PowerPoint, Keynote, Office, and Google Suite.

Preferred:

• Experience working in higher education is preferred.
• Understanding of the online photo environment and online distribution.
• Demonstrated experience creating digital content in high pressure situations and under tight deadlines.
• 3+ years managing an enterprise digital management system
• 2+ years experience managing photo and video shoots.
• 2+ years experience working with clients to achieve strategic visual assets that advance organization brand and messaging an asset; 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.
• Understanding key trends and issues in video production technology.
• Experience in developing imaginative and visionary visual content from the idea phase to interpretation to final product.
• Experience in developing creative and strategic visual content that aligns and supports integrated marketing/branding goals and best practices.
• Setting the photographic 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 interact with stakeholders from all levels of the organization to identify goals. Make recommendations on how to best achieve those goals through the development of original visual content.
• 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.
• Proven artistic and creative ability with a related portfolio of recent work samples preferred. 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.
• Experience writing metadata and catalog media in digital asset management databases.
• Knowledge and experience with various audio/video formats, delivery methods, and camera systems (including legacy).

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

Expected Pay Range: $28.00 - $31.25 per hour

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. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.

Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.

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.