Creative Director for New Hydration Brand

About the role

**Creative Director/Content Director (Contract, Monthly Retainer)** Type: Independent contractor · Monthly flat rate · Remote, LA/SoCal based required Hours: 20 to 30 hrs/week, flexible, with heavier weeks around shoots, launches, and events **About the role** SAINT is a hydration drink launching across Southern California specialty retail, DTC, and live events. The hydration category is bright, cartoonish, and empty of culture. SAINT is the opposite: a black can, a high-contrast visual language rooted in modern edge and streetwear, and a brand built around the action sports, music, and art scenes of LA. We're looking for a true creative to own SAINT's video content and build the visual world of the brand. We are not looking for "can in hand" shots. We're interested in world building, full storytelling immersion, and work that stops the scroll because it means something. You'll have real creative ownership, and we want someone who takes pride in that and wants to make a name for themselves doing it. We'll put you out front with us: credited and tagged on your work, and representing SAINT on panels, in profiles, and in press. *What you'll create* - Short-form social video: the core of the role. Original concepts for Instagram and TikTok, built for culture. - Cinematic longer-form pieces: bespoke, story-driven work that deepens the SAINT world, for social, our website, and press. - Occasional stills and editorial imagery to support video campaigns, the site, and email. - Concepts and treatments: pitching ideas, writing scripts and shot lists, and developing recurring formats and series. - Directing and shooting: leading productions from concept through capture, on location across LA and SoCal. - Editing and finishing: cutting, sound, color, and type treatments, delivered in the formats each channel needs. - Crew and talent: pulling together the right people for each shoot (talent, stylists, wardrobe, set and prop, editors, and other collaborators) from your own network. *What we're looking for* - A reel that shows a clear point of view and original ideas. - Expert-level directing, videography, editing, and writing. You can take an idea from blank page to finished cut. - Scrappy and resourceful. You can make great everyday content on your own with minimal resources, and scale up when a bigger production calls for it. - Deep roots in the LA/SoCal creative community, with an established network of talent, stylists, editors, wardrobe, and set and prop designers. - Fluency in streetwear, action sports, music, and art culture, and an instinct for portraying communities authentically. - A sharp understanding of what works on social and why. - Ownership and self-direction. You'll work closely with a small founding team and won't need hand-holding. - Photography experience at a professional level. - Flexibility. Volume ebbs and flows around shoots and launches. *Nice to have* - Motion graphics or animation (After Effects or similar). - Experience with lifestyle, streetwear, music, or action sports brands. - Experience with music video, documentary, or fashion film. - An existing following or public profile as a creative. - Formal film school training is welcome but not required. *What this role is not* - Graphic design, packaging, or web design (handled separately). - Day-to-day social media management, community management, or posting. *Engagement terms* - Independent contractor, $3,000 to $3,500/month flat rate DOE, with room to grow as the brand grows. - 20 to 30 hours per week, scheduled flexibly around shoots and deliverables. - Everyday content is produced within the retainer. For larger editorial productions, SAINT budgets separately for crew, talent, and locations. - Remote, but you must be based in LA/SoCal for shoots and in-person collaboration. - All work product and IP created under this engagement is owned by SAINT. You're welcome to feature your SAINT work in your own portfolio. - Long-term relationship intended. *Technical requirements* - Your own professional camera, audio, and lighting kit (or reliable access to it). - Licensed editing software (Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, or similar) and a machine that runs it smoothly. - Reliable transportation for shoots across SoCal. *To apply* Send your reel and portfolio, a link to your Instagram or other channels, your weekly availability, and a few sentences on how you'd approach building SAINT's world. Music video, fashion film, or documentary work especially welcome. Thanks!