Freelance Support Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

About the role

Samsara's Brand & Creative team is a tight-knit collective spanning brand, communication, digital, film/video, motion graphics, and photography. We operate as an internal agency, and we move fast.

We're looking for a cinematographer/DP + video editor who owns a story from pre- to post-production. You'll be behind the camera and in the timeline: documentary customer stories shot on job sites and out in the field with operators, product films that make complex technology clear, and brand work with real emotional weight.

We're a small and mighty team, so this is a hands-on role. You'll shoot and cut most of the work yourself, with freelance support on the productions that need it.

This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco. We're open to candidates within 90 minutes of our SF headquarters.

You should apply if

• You want to impact the industries that run our world. Your work will tell the stories of the people who keep the world's operations moving.
• You're the architect of your own career. You'll have the autonomy to lead major initiatives and define the future of video at Samsara.
• You're energized by our opportunity. You'll use film to make complex technology clear for a global audience.
• You want to be with the best. You'll work alongside a team of top-tier creatives: filmmakers, designers, and storytellers.

In this role, you will

• Shoot and edit world-class films across marketing, sales, product, customer, recruiting, and corporate communications
• Lead productions end to end, and solve ambiguous problems that carry real weight across multiple teams
• Shape narrative, pacing, and visual direction from the earliest stage of a brief, not just at execution
• Manage color, sound mix, finishing, and delivery across formats and channels, including social and vertical cutdowns
• Influence the broader direction of Samsara's visual media and contribute to our creative strategy
• Dig into what's slowing our productions down, find the root cause, and define how we fix it
• Bring multiple teams into alignment on complex video initiatives, building consensus across organizational lines
• Pitch new visual concepts that push our creative work forward
• Build realistic timelines and communicate clearly through review cycles and final delivery
• Source and manage freelance support as needed
• Partner with Motion Design so live action and motion feel like one brand
• Own media management across productions: backups, archive, and shared storage
• Own equipment inventory and make the case for what we need next, in line with budget
• Be a steward of the Samsara brand on every production

Minimum requirements

• 8+ years of experience in video production and strategy
• A portfolio URL, with a description of your specific role in each production
• Advanced skill in crafting visual story, particularly micro- to medium-form documentary
• Proven experience leading large-scale, cross-functional video projects from concept to delivery
• Firm knowledge of pre- and post-production workflows at 4K and above
• Advanced knowledge of Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Media Encoder; intermediate in After Effects
• Knowledge and expertise with the best and latest cameras, lights, audio, and A/V gear on the market
• Deep understanding of video and audio codecs, resolutions, frame rates, bitrates, and file formats
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Bachelor's degree at minimum
• Based within 90 minutes of our San Francisco headquarters, and able to travel up to 35%

An ideal candidate also has

• Established subject matter expertise in evolving video technology, including AI-enhanced production tools
• A track record of delivering on-brand work against tight deadlines, at a high standard, on or ahead of date
• Comfort moving between several projects at once in a fast-paced environment, without losing the plot or the tone
• Experience working independently and with third-party production vendors and agencies
• A real passion for music, design, art, film, and where motion and technology are heading