Discover Durham is Durham, North Carolina’s marketing and sales agency, generating economic impact by drawing 12+ million leisure, business, and sports visitors to our vibrant community. Discover Durham also operates the Durham Sports Commission (DSC), a 501(c)3 whose mission is to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support and promote sporting events at every level. And Durham Next, a 501(c)3 created to lead the research, planning and implementation of initiatives put forth in the Destination Master Plan that advance Durham as the best place to live, work and visit.

Discover Durham is seeking an experienced Multimedia Production Manager who can raise awareness through on-brand, authentic visual storytelling that conveys Durham as an attractive and engaging visitor destination. This individual will create multimedia content to support Discover Durham’s mission by balancing serving as the lead producer for photo/video content and also managing freelancers, agencies and other external partners to create and secure imagery. This manager will also oversee the multimedia strategy, including maintaining a visual capture calendar, budgets/project management for freelancers, and managing the organization’s YouTube channel. The manager will also work cross-departmentally to grow, curate and audit the organization’s image library to meet the strategic needs of multiple departments and stakeholders.

This position requires someone comfortable with DSLR/mirrorless camera-quality production for campaigns as well as fast-paced mobile-based content creation for social media, and the flexibility to pivot when an opportunity presents itself regardless of what camera you happen to have on you. This role requires a strong attention to detail, the ability to self-direct and prioritize competing tasks, along with critical thinking, stakeholder communications, and problem-solving skills. This role reports directly to the Sr. Director of Design & Research.

Primary Responsibilities:

• In-house multimedia capture & production
  • Capturing and editing of photography and video footage along strategic themes of partners, major attractions, people, and events for Discover Durham, the Durham Sports Commission and Durham Next
  • Production of videos to support marketing, social media, and ad creative needs
  • Collaboration with Content team on ideation, execution and production of social-first content that engages target audiences (e.g. Instagram Reels, photo gallery/carousel posts to highlight multiple partners and experiences, etc.)
  • Right-sizing existing assets for use on social media, organizational websites, presentations, digital signage platforms, etc.
• Freelancer and project management
  • Management of freelance photographers, videographers, and models, including maintaining contracts and releases
  • Management of freelance visual asset creation/licensing budget
  • Coordinating and participating in RFPs to secure vendors for larger creative projects
  • Project managing out-of-house creative projects, such as agency video projects, etc.
• Image library management and YouTube channel management
  • Organization, management, auditing, and growth of Discover Durham’s photo & video digital asset management (DAM) library, including managing galleries, B-roll footage sequences, image metadata, model releases, and image rights/licenses
  • Communication and coordination with our community partners to solicit existing photography and to organize photo/video capture opportunities via direct outreach, use of our CRM/extranet, etc.
  • Fulfillment of media/journalist requests for imagery with appropriate licensed assets
  • Curation of lightboxes/collections of images for campaigns, themes, and other projects.
  • Management of Discover Durham’s YouTube channel presence, including curating and publishing videos to increase brand visibility and optimizing content for search engines.
• Multimedia Strategy
  • Maintaining an image capture calendar to meet strategic storytelling needs
  • Strategizing with our Content, Sales, Partnerships, Durham Sports Commission and Durham Next teams to grow visual assets (both photo and video) to continue to support their priority initiatives and marketing themes
  • Convening trainings, workshops, mentorship opportunities and resources to empower staff and community partner multimedia production (especially for social-first content).
  • Experimenting with and adopting new tools and technologies to enhance multimedia storytelling and productivity

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Applicants must submit a portfolio showcasing at least 2-4 years of multimedia production experience, including DSLR/mirrorless photography, social-first content production with mobile phone visuals, and video capture/editing
• Excellent organizational and planning skills with an attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills (especially in working with internal stakeholders, our local hospitality businesses and diverse photo/video subjects)
• A desire to incorporate feedback and performance metrics into improving future work
• Willingness to work on nights and weekends as needed to cover Durham events with flex time provided.

Software Requirements

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, including Lightroom, Photoshop, or equivalent
• Proficiency with desktop video editing software, e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve, or equivalent
• Experience using mobile apps for video editing and content creation, e.g., CapCut, Instagram Edits, or equivalent
• Comfortable with basic graphics editing in Canva, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative cloud, or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

• Lightroom catalog, photo metadata or digital asset management experience
• Project management experience a plus
• Degree in communications, marketing, documentary arts, journalism/media studies or similar preferred, or may be supplemented with relevant experience
• Durham residency is preferred, if not an understanding of the destination and what sets it apart

Discover Durham offers exceptional benefits, including employer-paid insurance premiums for staff and employer contributions to HSA, generous retirement contributions to the NC pension program, a flexible hybrid work schedule, an enviable vacation and holiday allowance, paid parental leave, a wellness stipend, paid downtown parking and a great team of coworkers. It is a hybrid work environment, with employees expected to be in the office at least three days a week. Plus, you’ll work in a prime location on Main Street in the heart of downtown Durham. As the Multimedia Production Manager, you can expect a salary in the $55,000 to $65,000 range.