Creative Lead – Photo, Video & Illustration Art Buying Freelance

The people here at Apple don’t just create products – they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionised entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. The International Services team is looking for a visionary creative leader to oversee our global Photo, Video and Illustration Art Buying organisation. In this role, you’ll shape how we tell stories across still and motion content-ensuring consistency, creative excellence, and cultural relevance across platforms and regions. You’ll lead a geographically diverse team and balance high-level creative direction with operational execution, while supporting the growth and development of individuals across your team.

Description

• Lead the Photography, Video Production, and Illustration Art Buying teams supporting Apple’s design work across services including the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. • Collaborate closely with Producers and Creatives to develop content briefs that are strategically aligned and creatively ambitious. • Oversee photo & live-action post-production processes, including photo & video editing, color grading, photo retouching, and sound design. • Provide clear creative direction to ensure all work reflects a cohesive brand narrative and aesthetic. • Present ideas and creative concepts with clarity, vision, and polish. • Participate in creative reviews to ensure output meets the brief and maintains a unified visual language. • Direct photo & video shoots that result in elevated, aspirational visuals across a range of deliverables. • Manage complex budgets, vendor negotiations, contracts, and policy alignment with Business Affairs and cross-functional partners. • Foster a team culture that values originality, quality, inclusion and growth. • Oversee research and licensing of stock imagery for requests across all international geos. • Manage the archiving of assets, budgets, licenses, and fee negotiations with production agencies, stock agencies, and artists. • Manage relationships with external artists and agencies, from photographers to illustrators to video directors. • Guide our design team in selecting the most appropriate illustrators for any given project.

Minimum Qualifications

• Tenured experience in photo art direction and/or video production.
• Proven leadership experience in creative team environments.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high-level photography and video work, plus illustration curation.
• Extensive knowledge of production workflows across still and motion.
• An established network of global production companies and freelance talent.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Deep passion for photography, video, and illustration, with a broad knowledge of styles, artists, and trends.
• Experience through a wide variety of productions: Editorial, documentary, social.
• Working knowledge of video editing process and tools (Final Cut, Premiere, After Effects).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of working in Asia or with Asia-based creative partners
• Strong track record of identifying and partnering with diverse creative talent, including photographers, stylists, and directors

Comfortable working across timezones and cultures in a fast-paced global organisation

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