Job Description

PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHER

Hawthorn Innovations | Studio

Louisville, KY | Full-time | On-site

WHO WE ARE

Hawthorn is a place where ideas become real things. Campaigns, products, programs, and experiences that exist in the world, not just on a screen or in a deck. We design, build, and scale work for some of the biggest names in beverage and hospitality, brands like Diageo, The Macallan, Red Bull, Outback, and Applebee's, and the goal is always the same: bring ideas to life in ways people can see, touch, taste, and experience. Work that makes a consumer feel something.

The work here is a real mix. Some weeks it's full-on commercial production: ATL campaigns, out-of-home, connected TV, lifestyle shoots, and the social and digital content that runs with them. Some weeks it's cocktails for a client's beverage program, a custom-built piece fresh out of the shop, drinkware and packaging for the portfolio, or content headed to hundreds of restaurants. Some of it is marketing for Hawthorn itself. Monday might be a broadcast spot. Thursday might be a garnish. Both get the same care.

We come from a world where concepts are tested in public, execution happens in real time, and details matter. A great idea only matters if it works when it leaves the building, whether that's a drink, a piece of packaging, or a frame of video on national TV. Nobody remembers the shoot that went perfectly. It's a process, and it rarely does. Everybody remembers the final asset, and we obsess over every edit and every cut to get it right.

Our Studio sits alongside our creative agency, bar consulting practice, design and prototype lab, manufacturing operation, and supply chain team. The campaign you're shooting was probably developed down the hall, and the thing in frame was mixed, designed, or built a few doors down by people you'll see at lunch. That's on purpose. We pull ideas from every discipline in our early creative rounds, and we don't want anyone working in a silo. Think of Hawthorn less as a set of departments and more as one multi-faceted creative team.

Not many studios get to shoot work that was invented and built in the same building. We want you in it from the first creative conversation, not handed a brief at the end. If you have an idea that makes the work better, on camera or beyond it, we want to hear it.

THE ROLE

We're looking for a senior photographer and videographer to join our Studio, an established team of art directors, stylists, photographers, videographers, and editors. You've got 8 to 10+ years of real-world experience, you're a weapon behind the camera and in the editing bay, and you know how to work inside a creative team: collaborating on a production from the first creative conversation through to the final graded, delivered asset.

This is a flex role. The ideal candidate is equally strong in photo and video and moves comfortably between the two. We're also open to a photographer or a videographer whose creative ideation, production, and post workflows are excellent across the board, provided they can be willing to learn and help with video and photo productions.

What we care about most is range. You'll shoot hero product photography one day, run a multi-camera video production the next, and spend the afternoon in the edit bay grading a spot. You'll be in creative direction meetings and storyboard sessions, on set with teammates and clients, and at the desk getting work out the door.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Creative direction, planning, and pre-production

• Be a real voice in creative direction meetings: bring ideas, ask good questions, and help shape the concept before anyone picks up a camera
• Contribute to storyboards, shot lists, lighting plans, and production schedules
• Work with Creative, Accounts, Bar, and Build to understand what a project actually needs to accomplish for the client, and plan the production to deliver it

Production

• Shoot product photography and video for commercial use, primarily in beverage, spirits, food, and hospitality
• Run productions on Phase One, RED, and multi-body Canon setups, and know when each one is the right tool
• Collaborate with teammates on set and represent Hawthorn well with clients in the room
• Keep productions moving: solve problems in real time, protect the schedule, and keep the quality bar where it belongs

Post-production

• Edit, retouch, and grade in Capture One, Photoshop, Premiere, and dedicated photo and video grading tools
• Deliver finished assets built for where they'll actually live, from a phone screen to a billboard to a broadcast
• Keep project files organized and current in Dropbox, our internal NAS system and Airtable so the team can always find the latest version of the work

Making the system better

• Help the Studio figure out how to get productions through the system faster without losing what makes the work good
• Manage many concurrent projects with real deadlines, communicate your capacity in both directions, and flag risks early
• Follow the SOPs that exist, help improve them, and don't let a missing detail quietly stop progress

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 8 to 10 years+ of professional photography and/or videography experience, with a portfolio of commercial product work
• Hands-on experience with Phase One systems, RED cameras, and multi-body Canon workflows
• Deep expertise in Capture One, Photoshop, and Premiere, plus color grading tools for both photo and video
• Experience producing assets across a wide range of environments: social media, above-the-line campaigns, out-of-home, connected TV, and full commercial and feature-length productions
• Meticulous attention to detail paired with the ability to juggle lots of different projects and deadlines at once. We need both, at the same time, and we know that's a hard combination to find
• A genuine team player who is as comfortable contributing in a planning meeting as running a set or sitting in the edit bay
• Clear, direct, professional communication with teammates and clients
• Curiosity about what happens before and after your part of the process, and the judgment to zoom out and see how your decisions connect to the rest of a project
• Open to feedback from clients and the creative team, and generous with your own. We want someone who takes a round of edits in stride and also pushes back when they see a better way to make the asset stronger.

BONUS POINTS

• Beverage alcohol industry experience or a background behind the bar. Knowing how a drink is built, poured, and served changes how you shoot it
• Prior agency experience and fluency with agency workflows, briefs, rounds, and client approvals
• After Effects, motion graphics, and animation
• 3D workflows

HOW WE WORK

We're a small but mighty team. In many departments, one person leads or owns a specific skill set, which means your availability and follow-through matter to the people and projects around you. We wear a lot of hats, workloads shift between departments as projects move through the building, and we expect everyone to keep their capacity visible. If your plate is overflowing, ask for help. If you have room on your plate, ask how you can help.

We value people who can balance creative thinking with operational functionality: curious, resourceful, and willing to solve problems while staying grounded in practicality, and scalability. We move quickly, learn as we go, we have seen a lot of growth and systems are constantly changing, and we need people who are apart of building better systems along the way.

Standard hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but this is a production role. Shoot days, installs, travel, and client deadlines will sometimes require early starts, late finishes, and short-notice flexibility. We'll give as much notice as we can and expect the same consideration in return. Candidate will need to be open to travel for productions as they arise and with notice.

Most importantly, we're looking for people with a positive disposition who are excited to show up every day, make things, and collaborate with the people around them. That part isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential.

This role is based at Hawthorn HQ in Louisville, Kentucky. We believe being together allows for better collaboration, faster communication, and the spontaneous exchange of ideas that matters to this kind of work.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Pay is based on experience, performance, and the market, and we'll talk real numbers early in the process rather than making you guess. More experience and skill = more pay opportunities.

This is a full-time role with paid time off, paid holidays, and sick leave, and the PTO is on the generous side because we'd rather you actually take it. Beyond the basics, here's what comes with the building badge:

• A 401(k) plan, because future-you deserves a retirement fund too
• Health and dental insurance plans
• A free, fully stocked snack bar for the editing marathons when the render bar is moving slower than you are
• An on-site gym with showers, so you can get a workout in before a shoot or sweat out a long day on production
• Company happy hours and social events. We work in beverage. We take our happy hours seriously.
• A studio full of gear, a shop full of things to shoot, and a team that's genuinely fun to make things with

TO APPLY

Apply on linkedin or through our website. Send a portfolio or reel, a resume, and a short note about the kind of work you want to be making. Please make sure anything you share is work you're cleared to show. We'll ask about your specific role on collaborative projects, because we care about that.

Hawthorn Innovations is an equal opportunity employer. We make employment decisions based on qualifications, performance, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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