Freelance Creative Lead / Motion Design

Bonfire Labs; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Bonfire Labs (San Francisco) is seeking hands-on lead creatives with a focus on motion design and storytelling. You will dream up concepts and lead art directors, designers, animators, and editors to deliver projects across strategy, brand platforms, campaigns, and interactive work.

You will mentor the team, present concepts to clients, participate in pitches, and help shape the studio culture while aligning work with client goals, budgets, and schedules.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a creative leadership role in a motion/design studio or agency.
• Proven ability to lead a team of art directors, designers, animators and editors.
• Strong ideation, presentation, and client-facing leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Concept and design solutions from brief to delivery.
• Lead projects solo or with other Creative Leads and allocate resources.
• Collaborate with Producer to inspire the team and win new projects.
• Participate in pitching and securing new clients.
• Partner with Head of Creative Strategy to guide client relationships and brand work.
• Oversee multiple projects, manage budgets, scope and timelines.
• Mentor team members and contribute to studio culture.

Skills

Leadership

Creative direction

Storytelling

Collaboration

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

After Effects

Cinema 4D

Premiere

3D

Job description

Bonfire Labs is a creative studio born and bred in San Francisco. We develop strategy, brand platforms, integrated campaigns, broadcast spots, web content, social, launch films, product and educational films, popcorn...we make it all. We have long-running collaborative partnerships with many of the best brands in the world. In the parlance of our times, we’re scalable as hell. Our flexible model lets us fit process, talent, and timeline to any given project. We are always looking for hands‑on lead creatives with significant experience dreaming up and making content with a focus on motion design and storytelling. An ideal candidate will have strong ideation, presentation, and leadership skills: to develop creative concepts and lead a team of art directors, designers, animators, editors, and other key creatives to oversee the successful execution and delivery of projects. You love solving problems individually and through collaboration with others. You don’t subscribe to a single visual style, instead you have a knack for discovering and identifying what’s right for the assignment at hand. You display a conceptual acumen combined with a "maker’s" ability to design and execute. You are a strategic thinker who is capable of blank‑page ideation and concept development, as well as producing world‑class work that has evolved beyond video and touched on interactive, social or installation‑based solutions.

Responsibilities

• Concept and design solutions from brief to delivery.
• Lead projects on your own or collaborate with other Creative Leads on every aspect of creative production, including overseeing creative staff and allocating resources appropriately.
• Collaborate with project Producer to lead and inspire your team to produce inventive, thoughtful and relevant work.
• Participate in pitching and winning new projects and clients.
• Work with Head of Creative Strategy and Head of Content & Production to lead client relationships related to all things creative and content while contributing to overall brand strategy and execution.
• Oversee the development, design and implementation of multiple projects simultaneously; assign tasks and monitor progress.
• Lead your teams to work within project parameters: client goals and requirements, budgets, internal goals, user experience, technical constraints, budget, and schedule.
• You contribute to the culture at Bonfire Labs, ensuring that the level of creative work is always growing. You actively cultivate an understanding of larger industry trends and share those insights with the studio.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience -- with at least 2 years of experience in a creative leadership role -- driving the creative development process in a client‑services environment (motion design studio, production company, agency, or digital agency).
• Experience in producing material (not just overseeing) is critical.
• Demonstrated mastery in digital tools of the trade. Should include some combination of Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, 3D, Cinema 4D, Premiere, et cetera.
• Ability to provide clear creative direction and timely feedback to keep work on‑budget and on‑schedule.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) plus the confidence to present them to existing and prospective clients.
• Ability to mentor and work effectively with team members (creatives, producers, editors, animators, freelancers, etc.).
• Unfortunately, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Must have authorization to work in the US.
• Preference for California residents. Relocation may not be offered for this role.

Desired Skills

• Strong motion capabilities paired with design sensibility and/or ideation skills that translate into awarded work.
• Outstanding hands‑on art direction and design skills; great systematic design / multichannel experience as well as campaign / storytelling abilities.
• Able and eager to work collaboratively within a strong creative team.
• Strategic, ‘big thinker’ who can balance aesthetics with considerations for the audience and the communication channel.
• Bring a defined point of view and be able to articulate conceptual and directional choices.

Bonfire Labs is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.