Lead Cinematographer & Editor Charleston, SC

Wild Stride — Lead Cinematographer & Editor

Charleston, SC | Full-Time

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Wild Stride is a premium outdoor education and lifestyle brand launching in 2026. We produce cinematic instructional video series across fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, overlanding, and more. Then we pair that content with all of the gear our subscribers need to succeed in whatever they're learning. Think "Master Class of the outdoors" meets REI. We’re building from the ground up, which means this hire has direct creative influence over what Wild Stride’s core product — our video series — looks and sounds like from day one.

We’re looking for a Lead Cinematographer & Editor who owns the full production lifecycle of our "Mastery Path" courses — from pre‑production through final delivery. You’ll work directly with the founder, shoot in the field alongside subject matter experts, and edit content that meets a cinematic standard. This is a hands‑on, full‑cycle role, though we may hire additional editor(s) and freelancers to help as needed.

You’ll be behind the camera in a duck blind at 5am, managing audio on a river at noon, and in the edit suite finishing a sequence by evening. All with a fun, well funded startup in downtown Charleston, SC. If that sounds like your ideal job, keep reading.

• Lead pre‑production planning: shot lists, location, gear prep, and scheduling
• Operate camera and manage lighting in demanding outdoor environments — remote locations, early mornings, variable weather, physically demanding terrain
• Capture and manage clean, production‑ready audio in field conditions
• Edit, color grade, and deliver polished final content aligned with Wild Stride’s visual and tonal standard
• Create basic motion graphics and titles consistent with brand guidelines
• Maintain organized project files, footage libraries, and delivery workflows
• Collaborate directly with the founder on creative direction, pacing, and course structure
• Coordinate freelance support (second camera, audio, advanced motion graphics) as production volume grows

• 2+ years of end‑to‑end video production experience — you’ve shot it, edited it, and delivered it yourself
• Portfolio that demonstrates cinematic quality; documentary, instructional, or outdoor/adventure content strongly preferred
• Proficiency in DaVinci Resolve and/or Adobe Premiere Pro; comfortable with color grading and audio mixing at a professional level
• Basic motion graphics capability in After Effects or DaVinci Fusion
• Genuine passion for the outdoors — hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, or some combination
• Comfortable in physically demanding field conditions; remote locations are a perk, not a hardship
• Strong visual storytelling instincts — you think in sequences and narrative arc, not just individual shots
• Self‑directed; you manage your own time, deliverables, and quality bar without micromanagement
• Bonus: experience with Sony camera systems (A7, FX3 or FX6)

Stock footage. A committee approving every cut. Content that looks like everyone else’s. A strictly desk job.

• Competitive salary based on experience and portfolio quality
• Full‑time with field flexibility — we go where the content is
• Real influence over Wild Stride’s creative identity
• Clear path to Director of Content Production / Photography as the brand and team scale
• All production equipment provided (but if you have a nice camera that’s great too!)

• Send your portfolio, a brief note on your outdoor background, and one piece of work that best represents your cinematic standard. 📥  | subject:
  Cinematographer — [Name]