Videographer - Educational Content (Pleasanton, CA)

Are you passionate about creating educational and technical videos that empower consumers and enthusiasts alike? Do you possess a knack for breaking down complex topics into engaging visual narratives? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you at Apex Wheels.

We're seeking a Videographer to join our team and play a pivotal role in producing dynamic video content that educates and inspires our audience. While experience in motorsports is beneficial, what truly sets you apart is your ability to craft compelling videos across various styles, including lifestyle, product showcases, interviews, and educational content.

At Apex Wheels, we're committed to delivering content that not only excites but also informs our audience. As we prioritize video format to enhance viewer engagement, we're looking for someone who can seamlessly blend creativity with technical expertise. Your role will involve a diverse range of tasks, from capturing captivating b-roll footage to producing clean and consistent product showcases, as well as delivering educational talking head videos that keep viewers hooked.

While you may have specialist experience in a specific type of content, this role will stretch your skills to include filming consumer education, product videography, interview-style videos, lifestyle shoots, and much more.

You’ll be getting in on the ground floor of what will become a key department at Apex, contributing an ever-increasing amount of video content to what we post. Your people skills will matter just as much as your video skills, as you’ll need to be a friendly host to the enthusiasts who are taking valuable time out of their days to stand around while you work. Typically, while you’re filming, someone else will be taking photos simultaneously. They’ll need your support and coordination to maximize the limited time we have with each car. When we’re not shooting, you will be involved in post-production, so you’ll need to be proficient with Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or the equivalent.

This job is local to the Bay Area and requires routine visits to our Pleasanton office for in-house work, as well as shoots in various locations in the Bay Area. A background in automotive and product videography is preferred – someone who has been there, done that, and can help mentor others, but we are also open to novices who have serious talent. A fantastic portfolio, the right work ethic, and a positive attitude will go much further than just a long work history.

Please note that before we extend a formal offer to anyone for this full-time position, as a final assessment and real-world test of skills/character, we will hire the top candidates for a few small video shoots on a contract basis. We’re not looking for freebies -- these gigs will be executed at your hourly/daily rate so that everything is fair if things don’t work out.

How to apply: To be considered for this position please answer the following question in your cover letter. Besides videography/photography, what have you done that proves you are an automotive enthusiast?

As our Automotive Videographer you will:

• Create engaging video content based on our products. Content will include but not be limited to showcase reels, educational guides, updated vlogs, and event coverage.
• Travel all over the Bay Area and beyond to interesting, unique locations, including race tracks, car shows, and race fabrication shops.
• Ensure that our brand values are effectively communicated through videography.
• Be a courteous and professional host, making our volunteers feel comfortable, appreciated, and glad they reached out.
• During shoots, talk with vehicle owners who may or may not already be customers. You’ll need to become comfortable explaining the technical aspects of our wheels while helping promote our brand.
• Help take our website, forum threads, social media, and technical articles to the next level with crisp, stunning visuals.
• Work closely with our sales and marketing teams to deliver footage that clearly articulates the intended concepts in our guides and tech articles.
• Work with the marketing team to help create digital ads, web content, social media posts, etc..
• Upload videos to our hosting services with the appropriate tags, titles, and descriptions so that they can be easily found by customers as well as other members of our team
• Seek out and arrange your own shoots within guidelines.
• Positively contribute to ROI by utilizing your time and skills wisely and recommending areas for change.
• Proactively propose, seek out, and organize creative projects to achieve and consistently maintain a full-time workload.
• Achieve and maintain high performance and quality standards while maintaining productivity and budgetary expectations for your assigned projects.
• Track your time and effort going into each project so that we can determine which projects have the highest ROI and biggest customer impact.

Requirements

Must be a huge car nerd and motorsports enthusiast that understands what our customers want to see.

• Clearly passionate about videography. This is more than a job to you.
• Professional/commercial videography experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in relevant field of study.
• Demonstrate your experience and talent through a meaningful portfolio.
• Be fluent in the fundamentals of videography: lighting, depth of field, framing, audio, etc.
• Possess the technical acumen to be able to operate, configure, set up, and fix video, audio, lighting, or other production equipment.
• Be able to produce both artistic and technical interpretations of the same concept.
• Great at being mobile and can produce consistent results in any given location with various lighting conditions.
• Be streamlined with your organizational workflow -- able to successfully manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Continuously leveling up your videography education. Always learning new things and engaging with other videographers.
• Well-versed in creating effective visuals for social media posts. You never forget the vertical.
• Must be familiar with the safe and proper procedures for lifting a car and removing/installing wheels in the rare case you have to lend a hand.
• Editing/post production experience with Adobe Creative Suite or similar software required.
• Must be able to take concept to finished production. Experience with storyboarding and scripting prefered.
• Experience running a Youtube channel and Facebook/Instagram page preferred.
• Graphics design, animation, and/or CGI experience is a plus.

Benefits

• Full-time position $25 - $34 per hour depending on experience but flexible for the right candidate.
• Employee Medical, dental, and vision benefits are 100% company-paid.
• Company contributions towards spouse/partner and dependent Medical benefits.
• 401k with employer matching.
• Paid vacation and sick leave, and paid holidays
• Support your track addiction with reimbursements for HPDE and autocross event registration fees.
• Dedicated track car available for staff to drive at HPDE events.
• Full access to our shop with lift and tools to work on your car.
• Eligibility for the SEMA college grant and loan forgiveness program.
• Casual dress environment where T-shirts, jeans, and shorts are welcome.
• Get employee discounts and freebies on APEX products and schwag.
• Participation in company activities including karting, track days, VR sim racing, and more.