# Founding Filmmaker & Video Lead

**Company:** [Kaizen Labs](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/kaizen-labs)
**Location:** New York, NY
**Role:** Brand Design
**Salary:** $140k – $180k/yr
**Skills:** Video Production, Video Editing, Visual Storytelling, Documentary Filmmaking, Cinematography, Motion Design, Graphic Design, AI Tools, Pre-Visualization, Creative Direction, Contractor Direction
**Posted:** 2026-08-31

> Leads Kaizen Studio and owns end-to-end video storytelling across customer deployments, recruiting, founders, and launches. The role requires strong solo or small-crew production skills, a distinctive visual point of view, contractor direction, and comfort traveling to on-site and federal environments.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Build and run Kaizen Studio, setting the creative direction and visual identity across customer, candidate, and investor audiences.
- Produce cinematic customer films documenting Kaizen deployments in the field.
- Shoot documentary-style behind-the-scenes footage of the team, agency work, offsites, and on-site collaboration.
- Run a recurring recruiting film series covering team events, culture, and employee stories.
- Produce founder pieces and launch content tied to federal contracts and deployments.
- Own lean-shoot production end to end, including filming, editing, and delivery.
- Direct and brief contractors on larger productions and maintain creative quality standards.
- Scope shoots appropriately, determining when to work solo and when to hire a crew.
- Travel periodically to agency visits, offsites, federal sites, and other team locations.
- Eventually lead and grow an in-house production and editing team.

## Requirements
- Experience producing and directing video solo or with a small crew from concept through final edit.
- A distinctive point of view on visual storytelling, beyond technical execution.
- Portfolio demonstrating cinematic storytelling, documentary-style capture, and content for customer-facing, recruiting, and executive audiences.
- Experience working directly with founders to shape company storytelling.
- Experience briefing and directing contractors on larger shoots.
- Good judgment in scoping productions and selecting solo or crew-based approaches.
- Willingness to travel and work on-site, including at federal sites.
- Experience using AI tools for pre-visualization, assembly, and cleanup, with a clear perspective on their appropriate use.
- Interest in embedding with a team long term rather than pursuing one-off freelance work.

## Nice-to-haves
- Comfortable appearing on camera for lighter, scrappier content.
- Experience building an in-house creative studio or content function from scratch.
- Motion design and graphic design experience in video contexts.
- Experience filming in sensitive, access-limited, or bureaucratic environments such as government, healthcare, or defense.
- Experience with B2B creative studios or in-house brand and content teams at technology companies.

## Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary: $140,000–$180,000.
- Real equity and a production budget.
- Fully covered employee and dependent medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- $100,000 fully paid life insurance; FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
- One Medical membership and fertility and family-building support through Carrot.
- 401(k) with a 2% company match.
- 16 weeks paid parental leave for birthing parents and 10 weeks for non-birthing parents.
- Unlimited PTO with a two-week minimum, federal holidays, and a company winter break.
- Company offsites throughout the year.
- Home office or desk setup stipend, commuter benefit, expensed office lunches, and company-provided laptop.
- Covered gym membership or fitness reimbursement for remote employees.
- Utility, professional development, recreation, and pet-care stipends.

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