Freelance Creative Lead / Motion Design

bonfirelabs Open · verified Sep 24, 2026

Contract Senior Creative

At a glance

Senior Creative role at bonfirelabs. contract.

Pay not stated Creative salary

RoleCreative

SenioritySenior

EmploymentContract

PostedNov 23, 2021 · 58mo ago

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

You'll take concepts from the brief through design, production, and final delivery
You'll lead creative teams, assign work, manage resources, and track several projects at once
You'll partner with producers and creative leaders on client work, pitches, and brand execution
You'll keep projects aligned with client goals, budgets, schedules, user needs, and technical limits
You'll share industry trends and help raise the studio's creative standards

What you bring

Bring at least five years in client services, including at least two years leading creative work
Show hands-on production experience, not only creative oversight
Use a combination of tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, 3D, Cinema 4D, or Premiere
Give clear direction and feedback, communicate well, and present confidently to clients
Mentor and collaborate effectively with creatives, producers, editors, animators, and freelancers

Who this fits

This contractor role suits a hands-on creative lead who combines motion design, storytelling, art direction, strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership. You need US work authorization because visa sponsorship is unavailable; California residents are preferred, and relocation may not be offered. The listing does not specify a location.

From the employer

Bonfire Labs is a creative studio born and bred in San Francisco.

We develop strategy, brand platforms, integrated campaigns, broadcast spots, web content, social, launch films, product and educational films, popcorn...we make it all.

We have long-running collaborative partnerships with many of the best brands in the world. In the parlance of our times, we’re scalable as hell. Our flexible model lets us fit process, talent, and timeline to any given project.

We are always looking for hands-on lead creatives with significant experience dreaming up and making content with a focus on motion design and storytelling. An ideal candidate will have strong ideation, presentation, and leadership skills: to develop creative concepts and lead a team of art directors, designers, animators, editors, and other key creatives to oversee the successful execution and delivery of projects. You love solving problems individually and through collaboration with others. You don’t subscribe to a single visual style, instead you have a knack for discovering and identifying what's right for the assignment at hand. You display a conceptual acumen combined with a "maker’s" ability to design and execute. You are a strategic thinker who is capable of blank-page ideation and concept development, as well as producing world-class work that has evolved beyond video and touched on interactive, social or installation-based solutions.

Responsibilities:

Concept and design solutions from brief to delivery. Lead projects on your own or collaborate with other Creative Leads on every aspect of creative production, including overseeing creative staff and allocating resources appropriately
Collaborate with project Producer to lead and inspire your team to produce inventive, thoughtful and relevant work
Participate in pitching and winning new projects and clients
Work with Head of Creative Strategy and Head of Content & Production to lead client relationships related to all things creative and content while contributing to overall brand strategy and execution
Oversee the development, design and implementation of multiple projects simultaneously; assign tasks and monitor progress
Lead your teams to work within project parameters: client goals and requirements, budgets, internal goals, user experience, technical constraints, budget, and schedule
You contribute to the culture at Bonfire Labs, ensuring that the level of creative work is always growing. You actively cultivate an understanding of larger industry trends and share those insights with the studio

Qualifications:

5+ years of experience -- with at least 2 years of experience in a creative leadership role -- driving the creative development process in a client-services environment (motion design studio, production company, agency, or digital agency)
Experience in producing material (not just overseeing) is critical
Demonstrated mastery in digital tools of the trade. Should include some combination of Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, 3D, Cinema 4D, Premiere, et cetera
Ability to provide clear creative direction and timely feedback to keep work on-budget and on-schedule
Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) plus the confidence to present them to existing and prospective clients
Ability to mentor and work effectively with team members (creatives, producers, editors, animators, freelancers, etc.)
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Must have authorization to work in the US.
Preference for California residents. Relocation may not be offered for this role.

Desired Skills:

Strong motion capabilities paired with design sensibility and/or ideation skills that translate into awarded work
Outstanding hands-on art direction and design skills; great systematic design / multichannel experience as well as campaign / storytelling abilities
Able and eager to work collaboratively within a strong creative team
Strategic, ‘big thinker’ who can balance aesthetics with considerations for the audience and the communication channel
Bring a defined point of view and be able to articulate conceptual and directional choices

Bonfire Labs is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.