Senior Specialist - Image Operations

Job Description

The Senior Image Operations Specialist is responsible for all stage handling of static digital assets for movies and television series licensed across Starz programming services and partnered platforms. The ideal candidate will possess strong task management and Photoshop and Illustrator image editing skills with a design acumen used to manage the lifecycle of asset intake and output supporting a wide range of digital, print and other creative product needs. This is an opportunity for an individual to use creative practices within an operational environment by effective planning for and creation of high quality, reusable assets to boost visual interest of the Starz brand across all media channels and partner platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Source and download photographic stills, poster/hero art, logos, and other static marketing materials supplied by studio and network licensors. Directly liaise with the providers to request content as needed and foster these relationships to drive efficient delivery streams.
• Upload, organize and maintain files in digital asset/content management systems with a high level of accuracy and quality assurance. Ensure assets adhere to file (formats, dimensions, layer organization, etc.) and management (organization, metadata, etc.) standards.
• Perform image editing and design as needed on artwork and images to standardize source files into flexible, reusable formats. This includes photo enhancements, retouching, resizing, vector graphic conversions and minor content modifications to fit various layouts.
• Utilize task/project management tools to monitor licensed movie and series programming deals. Input and track statuses title-by-title to ensure assets are processed and available in time to support programming and promotional schedules and deadlines.
• Collect and report on metrics, regularly analyze data to plan and project team resource needs and goal setting while also identifying areas for growth or improvement.
• Creates and applies automations to increase title processing efficiency, proactive about surfacing best practice or standardization updates.
• Conduct digital asset audits and quality checks on re-licensed titles to ensure they continue to align with file, quality and brand standards. Retrieve new assets from licensors if existing files do not meet standards.
• Select artwork and images to best represent each title/episode on programmatic platforms and ad-hoc company asset requests. Generate image product sets (per title) that will accommodate all app and partner dimensions and ingest into an internally developed content management platform. Adhere to brand, advertising/promotional, legal and affiliate compliances and their collective specifications.
• Collaborate with other operational teams to validate title continuity across media delivery components (video, programming data).
• Provide support on other image and photo operational processes as needed.
• Contribute to maintenance of internal knowledge base, process documentation and guidelines.

Qualifications & Skills

• 5+ years of professional experience in using creative tools such as Adobe Bridge, Photoshop and Illustrator, including advanced knowledge of image editing, design principles, scripting and automation.
• Ability to independently carry out job duties with minimal supervision, consistently executing tasks with precision to meet expected standards and ensuring high accuracy and exceptional attention to detail.
• Communicate effectively with interdepartmental teams and studio licensors.
• Have a keen eye for the best visual representation of how the content will look when applied across multiple platforms and devices.
• Ability to work across multiple productions and projects, managing large volumes of data/content while prioritizing time and resources effectively in a fast paced, high production environment with tight deadlines.
• Flexible to changes in business priorities, ability to adapt to new processes and standards, and re-prioritize work as needed. Adapt and re-prioritize when programming and marketing pivots occur.
• Possess outstanding communication skills and the ability to work well within a team environment.
• Previous background working with content management (CMS), digital asset management (DAM) systems, and task/project management tools.
• Understanding of metadata application, taxonomy and controlled vocabulary standards.

Nice to Haves

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred, previous background in the entertainment industry, or conventional/digital photography.
• Experience with broadcast management systems for content information retrieval is a plus.
• Ability to work in a cross-functional and cross-cultural environment.