Head of Media Capture, Licensing & DAM

SXSW; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SXSW in Austin, TX seeks a Director of Digital Media Capture & Licensing to own photography operations, DAM governance, and licensing for all SXSW events. You will lead multiple photo crews, manage 850K+ assets, and coordinate with legal on licensing.

You will also direct video coverage, oversee budgets, and build automated workflows to ensure timely delivery and compliant usage across promotional, editorial, and commercial use.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years in managing large-scale photography or media production.
• 3+ years leading contract teams of 50+ at live events.
• Experience directing third-party video production and managing vendor outcomes.
• Budget management, contractor agreements, PO processing, invoicing.
• Experience with image syndication or royalty-sharing with photo agencies.
• DAM governance including metadata schema, taxonomy, and multi-year archiving.
• Rights and licensing knowledge for promotional, editorial, and commercial use.
• Event photography standards, coverage types, and delivery workflows.
• Familiarity with API calls for bulk system operations and automation.
• Knowledge of AI tools to build workflows and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Direct photography operations for SXSW conferences, festivals, and brand events.
• Build and maintain annual coverage schedules for photo and video events.
• Administer the enterprise DAM with standards for folders, metadata, and permissions; manage rights data.
• Lead seasonal staff to review, approve, or deny licensing requests; coordinate with legal.
• Schedule and brief contracted video production; specify deliverables and file naming standards.
• Manage the photography budget, contractor agreements, and invoicing workflows.
• Distribute images to partners and internal teams; manage syndication and royalty reports.
• Design and automate operational systems; develop databases, intake forms, and workflows.

Skills

Large-scale media production

Contract team leadership

Budget & invoicing

DAM & metadata

Event photography standards

Licensing rights

Communication & training

API & workflow automation

Decision-making under pressure

Training others

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in photography/related field

Job description

SXSW in Austin, TX seeks a Director of Digital Media Capture & Licensing to own photography operations, DAM governance, and licensing for all SXSW events. You will lead multiple photo crews, manage 850K+ assets, and coordinate with legal on licensing.

You will also direct video coverage, oversee budgets, and build automated workflows to ensure timely delivery and compliant usage across promotional, editorial, and commercial use.