Video Lead (Manchester)
Function: Creative Direction | Production Leadership | Performance Storytelling
Responsibility: Own creative vision and execution for high-production performance ad campaigns
Reports to: Producer (day-to-day operations) | Creative Director (creative standards & development)
Location: Full-time | Hambi Media MCR Studio, Central Manchester (1 day in studio / 3 days on set per week)
Compensation: £35,000 - £45,000 + Benefit Scheme + 27 Days Paid Holiday + Private Healthcare
Overview
The Soar Group is one of the UK’s fastest-growing performance agency groups, home to three specialist agencies. On the inside, we work as one:
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Hambi Media: Performance creative agency for Meta, delivering High Production, UGC, and Static ads. The UK’s largest performance creative division in the UK.
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For You Advertising: The UK’s #1 independent TikTok agency, specialising in TikTok paid media, TikTok Shop, and creator-led content at scale.
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Soar With Us: Paid social and paid search, managing media buying and growth strategy across the group’s client portfolio.
Together, the group manages over £100M in ad spend, works with category-leading D2C brands, and operates the UK’s largest Creative Strategy department with design, production, strategy, and UGC all under one roof.
What Sets Us Apart
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Nominated for Meta’s Creative Diversity Award 2025, the only independent agency recognised.
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Highest independent agency spend on Meta in 2025.
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Official TikTok Agency Partner, Creative Partner, and one of the only TikTok Shop Partners across UK and US.
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Two production studios (London and Manchester)
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Creators of D2C Diaries, one of the UK’s leading eCommerce podcasts
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Partnered with Meta, TikTok, Foreplay, and Triple Whale.
The Role
You'll own creative execution across our high-production shoots - directing talent, leading treatments, and ensuring every frame serves a commercial purpose. You'll work hand-in-hand with Creative Strategists who bring performance data and audience insight to every brief. From there, your job is to translate that into a detailed shot list before shoot day - arriving with creative intent fully formed, not figuring it out on arrival - and execute it on set with confidence. You'll know within days whether your work is performing, and you'll use that feedback to get sharper.
Requirements
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3–4+ years directing commercial, branded or performance content — agency or D2C experience strongly preferred
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Demonstrable understanding of what makes paid social content convert: hooks, pacing, scene variety, calls-to-action
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Proven experience directing a range of talent on set (actors, founders, real customers)
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Ability to present and defend creative decisions to internal stakeholders and clients
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Strong knowledge of Meta and TikTok ad formats, styles and best practices
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Experience working alongside a Producer to manage shoot budgets and timelines
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Excellent on-set leadership and communication skills
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A showreel or portfolio of commercial/branded work is required to be considered for this role
Preferred but not essential: -
Direct experience in D2C or performance advertising
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Familiarity with tracking creative performance metrics (hook rate, CTR, ROAS)
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Experience with post-production workflows for social-first content
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Ability to operate camera, lighting and audio equipment where required
Responsibilities
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Lead creative direction from treatment through delivery across UGC, VSL, testimonial, product, lifestyle and brand film formats
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Direct actors, models, founders and real customers to capture authentic, performance-driven moments on set
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Provide clear creative direction to the Videographer on framing, movement and capture priorities throughout every shoot
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Partner with Creative Strategists to translate performance data and audience insights into visual creative decisions
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Maintain accurate on-set logging, footage organisation and metadata for post-production handover
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Track the performance of your work (hook rate, CTR, watch time) and apply learnings to future shoots
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Stay ahead of Meta and TikTok creative trends and experiment with new formats and approaches
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Contribute to raising the creative bar across the production team
What Success Looks Like
In your first 90 days, you'll have led multiple shoots end-to-end, built strong working relationships with our Strategists and Producers, and have ads live and running in client accounts. Within 6 months, you'll have a clear track record of creative decisions tied to measurable performance outcomes - and you'll be actively using that data to evolve your approach. If this excites you then apply now.
Attitude
ou take creative ownership but you're not precious about it. You understand that in performance creative, the data & strategy is part of the brief - and you use it as fuel, not a constraint. You lead sets with clarity and calm, bring out the best in talent, and care as much about the results as the craft itself.
Benefits
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28 days paid holiday including birthday leave, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
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Long-service holiday scheme: After 2 years’ service, you’ll receive 1 extra day of annual leave for every year of service.
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Flexible and hybrid working (2 days in office).
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Regular team socials.
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Company Private Health and life insurance scheme.
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Company pension scheme.
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Work abroad for 1 month a year.
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Full-time Manchester-based role (1 day studio / 3 days on set per week).
