Head of Creative
Video · Photography · Content
Thorp Arch, Wetherby, North Yorkshire Full-time, permanent · On site · Up to £55k OTE, depending on experience
This is one of the more exciting briefs you'll come across. We build one-of-a-kind classic Land Rovers by hand: Series, Defender and Range Rover Classic. Every donor vehicle is completely disassembled and rebuilt to each client's exact specification, for owners all over the world. A build takes between twelve and eighteen months depending on complexity, and the car that leaves our studio is among the best built anywhere in the world.
Our studio is nothing like the workshop you're picturing. Eight bays, immaculate, and closer to an art gallery than a place cars are built. We're proud of every last detail that goes into these cars, and we want to show it.
The people who commission them are exceptional in their own right. Our clients include a Formula 1 world champion, royalty, and many of the most successful names in business. They come to us because a Retro Defenders build is made to be kept and passed on. Legacy is Everything, and it is the principle the whole company is built around.
That's the job. Our content today is good, but the cars are exceptional and the way we show them needs to be too. We're looking for the person who can take it there.
The opportunity
We've built a strong, engaged following on Instagram, and we want to do the same on YouTube and TikTok. Instagram is working well, though it can still be elevated. YouTube and TikTok are close to a standing start, so there's a great deal to build and plenty of room to make it your own.
This is a senior, standalone role. You'd be responsible for our video and content output and for how Retro Defenders comes across on screen. You'd have a great deal of creative freedom, though it isn't a blank cheque: the work needs to sit within our brand and our wider plans, and you'd shape it alongside us rather than on your own. We're currently a team of eleven. You'd work directly with our Marketing Manager and with the co-founder who crafts our customer experience from start to finish. Any growth in the team around this role will come as a direct result of your success in it.
You'd have full access to the studio and to the cars. You'd film builds from the chassis up to the day they're handed over, and you'd travel abroad to shoot them on location.
Beyond the skills, character matters to us just as much. We're a highly passionate team with a unity we've worked hard for, and we want someone who'll add to it: a fundamentally good person who wants to belong to a team like ours, not just do a job within it.
What you'll do
- Run all our video content across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, from the idea through to filming, editing and posting
- Build a long-form series on YouTube that follows a car through the build, from bare chassis to handover
- Make short-form content for TikTok and Reels that does justice to the detail and the craft
- Work up concepts and storyboards with the marketing and sales team, in line with our brand guidelines
- Keep building on our Instagram, which is working well but can be elevated further
- Take ownership of the channels from start to finish: planning, filming, editing, scheduling and watching what works
- Use the analytics to work out what lands, and adjust accordingly
- Cover events and location shoots, working with photographers, influencers and clients on the day
- Be on camera when the content calls for it Help us present the business well to a demanding, high-net-worth audience around the world
- Help us present the business well to a demanding, high-net-worth audience around the world
What we're looking for
- A minimum of 5 years' professional experience in videography and content creation. This is a senior role and we're hiring at that level.
- A background in automotive photography and film, or content for premium, luxury or elite brands of a comparable standard to our work.
- A strong portfolio and showreel. Your work matters to us more than anything on your CV.
- A real eye for detail. Our clients are particular, and the content needs to be too.
- A track record of growing audiences on YouTube and TikTok, not just keeping existing ones ticking over.
- Fluent in professional photo and video editing software, with a good instinct for colour and finishing.
- A sound understanding of analytics and reporting.
- Comfortable and natural on camera.
- Able to set up and manage lighting across very different conditions and locations.
- Self-motivated, able to run your own workload, and happy working as part of a small team.
- Discreet around valuable cars and high-profile clients.
- A full UK driving licence.
- Able and willing to travel abroad for shoots.
Desirable
- Drone and aerial experience (A2 CofC or GVC an advantage).
- Experience producing long-form, narrative YouTube content.
- Photography to the same standard as your video work.
What we offer
- Up to £55k OTE, depending on experience. We'll pay properly for the right person.
- Ownership of the content side, with real creative freedom.
- A large collection of professional camera and production equipment, all provided. You won't need to use your own kit.
- A company iPhone 17 Pro.
- 28 days' holiday plus your birthday off, rising by a day for every year of service.
- Access to the cars, the studio and a business that's growing.
- Travel abroad to film on location.
- Workplace pension and life insurance.
- Bupa private health insurance for you, your partner and your children.
- Training and development.
- On-site parking, a relaxed dress code and a good place to work near Wetherby.
How to apply
Send us your CV along with a showreel and portfolio. We can't consider applications without a showreel, as it's the first thing we'll look at.
Retro Defenders. Legacy is Everything.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: Up to £55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Private medical insurance
Work Location: In person
