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DC AREA – Seeking Full-time Director of Production at Meridian Hill Pictures

DC-based documentary production company Meridian Hill Pictures seeks to hire a full-time Director of Production to join the studio’s creative team immediately (listed on Idealist at http://www.idealist.org/view/job/tndD5fz23FXd).

About MHP: Meridian Hill Pictures makes it possible for people to share authentic and compelling stories through the power of documentary. MHP produces independent documentary films (most recently CITY OF TREES, broadcast nationally and played at renowned festivals including Full Frame, St. Louis International and the Yale, Princeton and DC Environmental Film Festivals) and produces award-winning commissioned short-form documentaries and facilitated video storytelling trainings with non-profit, educational and public partners. MHP produces work that demonstrates excellence in storytelling craft and strategic thinking, establishes trust with participants and partners, and a deep embrace of documentary ethics. MHP’s work raises awareness of pressing social issues, democratizes the medium, builds people’s storytelling capacity, and shares under-represented community perspectives with broad audiences. In 2014, MHP received the DC Mayor’s Arts Award, the highest honor given to working artists in the District of Columbia.

About the position: The Director of Production will support the studio’s independent feature films and short films produced for nonprofits, schools and government agencies. The position is ideal for an exceptionally organized producer who is passionate about working within a dynamic mission-driven business. Strong applicants will have a proven track-record managing field production of multiple verité and character-based documentaries, proven experiences in various roles of pre-production, production and post-production, and proficiency with media management workflows, production schedules, budgets, operations, logistics. Applicants should be well-versed in the social, artistic and ethical language of producing community-based and authentic documentary stories.

Core duties include:

  • Developing new project concepts and proposals with diverse nonprofits, government agencies and community members in collaboration with MHP’s Director of Development
  • Pre-Production.Preparing production schedules and budgets; managing collaboration, logistics and relationships with crew, clients and partners
  • Creative field producing; managing collaboration with film directors, crew and interns; troubleshooting ethical, technical, creative production issues; supervising media offload process and gear
  • Post-Production.Creative management of editorial team; supervising export/delivery process of cuts for client review; managing online edit and transfer to post-production support team (sound mix, composer, colorist)
  • Outreach/Marketing.Collaboration with MHP’s Director of Marketing in developing outreach and engagement strategy for client film projects


The ideal candidate:

We are looking for a candidate who is interested in not only filling the immediate need — but someone who is interested in continuing to cultivate new skills and grow within the company. Ideally seeking a candidate with a Bachelor’s Degree in related field and at least two years professional work experience, with a focus on production, post-production and/or media management of character-based and verité documentaries.

  • Passion for documentary films.Demonstrated interest in Meridian Hill Pictures’ mission, verité and community-based approaches to documentary filmmaking
  • Exceptional producing ability.Demonstrated ability to produce professional-level documentary productions and manage multiple client relationships
  • Innovative thinker and creative problem-solver.Talent for thinking outside of the box, learning new skills and information quickly, able to recognize problems early, develop creative solutions and stay focused and organized in a highly innovative environment
  • Highly organized, meticulous and an expert planner.An outstanding project manager, able to plan ahead, motivate others and keep team members on-track, adapt to constantly shifting variables, not just a list-maker
  • Operationally-minded.Not afraid to get hands dirty in the production management details, workflows and systems (schedules, travel, equipment, production logistics) to serve broader creative and social impact goals
  • Technical proficiency.Works well with a variety of production equipment, software and aptitude for strategically managing media in tapeless digital workflows
  • Highly-collaborative team-player.Brings a positive attitude and able to work with diverse collaborators within a small company
  • Highly adaptable, flexible, culturally-sensitive.A strong ethical and social maturity in relating to people from diverse backgrounds, flexibility and passion for working within the variable environments of verité documentary productions
  • Working knowledge of post-production software.Final Cut Pro Suite, Adobe CS required; cloud-based project management tools (including Basecamp and Google Drive) highly desirable

Please send a cover letter explaining your relevant educational and professional background, your interest in working in this position with Meridian Hill Pictures, along with a resume and writing sample (no more than 2 pages) and/or link to video portfolio (if available) to jobs@meridianhillpictures.com. For video samples, please be very specific about your role on each project. Please include contact information for three references.

We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis until we identify the right candidate.

Lance Kramer

Executive Director

Meridian Hill Pictures
202.450.4085
@meridianhillpix
meridianhillpictures.com

cityoftreesfilm.com