The brand just chose to hire a video production team instead of relying on agencies or freelancers. This move opens up new chances to boost what video brings to the company. Figuring out which video production roles to fill first can feel like cracking a tough code. Setting the team up to win takes smarts and a plan that fits your goals. People who want to grow their company’s video power will find the right approach here. Keep reading to discover the insider tricks that make a production team click and take video projects from good to unforgettable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we\u2019ll walk you through how to choose your first hire, the qualities that hire should have, and how to set them up for success as you establish your in-house team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more in-depth information, including a full recommended equipment list based on budget and templates for organizing video projects, download The complete guide to building an in-house video production team<\/em><\/a> for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any time that you\u2019re setting up a brand new arm of an organization, getting the first hire right is a crucial step in making sure you have a solid foundation to build from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on how large you\u2019re planning on making your team, there\u2019s a number of different video production roles<\/a> you could consider for your first hire. From colorists to editors, video careers are very specialized, sometimes down to the industry level. Someone who edits feature-length movies will have a different set of skills than someone who edits short-form social media content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But rather than focusing on what role you should hire, you need to have a clear idea of what kinds of videos you want to create to determine what skills are necessary for your hire to have. Once you know the skills you want, then you can figure out the right role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Kyle Miller, the Video Production Manager here at Storyblocks explained, \u201cIf you\u2019re doing high-end commercial work, you want someone who has a cinematography background to produce those really high end, well designed sets. If you\u2019re just doing a ton of social content that\u2019s shot on a phone, go for someone who has experience creating that content and knows the ins and outs of running a YouTube channel or TikTok or Instagram page.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For small in-house teams, our best recommendation is first hiring someone who has experience in multiple areas of video production and editing. For smaller productions or teams, having a video generalist who can take on all of the main elements of creating a video from start to finish will allow you to start up quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nolan Nichols, Manager of Video Production at the U.S. Travel Association<\/a>, likens a generalist to a cross-country runner. \u201cFor an in-house videographer, you\u2019re really hiring a cross country runner, somebody that is going to be able to take it the distance and navigate different terrains, but can take it from the start to the finish because there\u2019s nobody in-between to handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m personally a little biased, as this is where I started with Storyblocks\u2019 in-house video team, but a producer is a great place to start. A producer with hands-on experience, someone who\u2019s organized, and can work on the strategic side as well. Those are the skills I came into Storyblocks with, and it gave us a strong foundation to build off of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another choice you\u2019ll need to make with building out your new team is deciding what department they\u2019ll sit under. Whether it\u2019s creative, design, marketing, communications, or another area, where you put your team should be where you primarily plan to utilize video content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want your team to create videos for social media or paid ads, then putting them under the marketing team would make the most sense. But regardless of where your team sits, you should put them in a department that allows them to be flexible. After all, as your video hire ramps up, it\u2019s likely that they\u2019ll get requests from other departments as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Nichols puts it, \u201cAs an in-house videographer, you want to set up the position to where it can be nimble. On paper, you need to live within some department. Like in my case, I\u2019m within the marketing department. But you really need to be nimble – there\u2019s times where I\u2019m hopping over to communications or public affairs, filming one of their events. So you want to make sure you keep that flexibility and adaptability within your organization. Because if you make it too rigid, well then, what was the point of having an in-house videographer?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you know what skills you\u2019re looking for and have your job description written up, it\u2019s time to post the open role. While HR can give you direction on this, it\u2019s worth considering niche sites that are specifically targeted for people in the video industry. Our curated list of the top 12 job sites for video jobs<\/a> has some of these that are worth adding to your usual choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHiring your first video team member<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Understanding production team roles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Determining what your organization needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Choosing where your team sits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where to post your job<\/h3>\n\n\n\n