JUNIOR ANIMATOR • DESIGN ASSISTANT • VFX/FINISH ASSISTANT • GENERAL INFO

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Location: Chicago, IL

Objective:

Optimus is looking for Assistant Editors to support the needs of the editorial team. The Assistant Editor will collaborate with other Assistant Editors, work alongside assigned Editors and Post Producers on projects, and report to the Managing Editor.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing hands-on technical, creative and project management support to Editors and other Assistant Editors alike, on all manner of creative editorial projects, primarily for agency/brand clients.

Duties include transcoding multiple HD file formats, logging and loading of dailies footage, screening, rough cutting, graphic creation and integration, music and sound design acquisition, web encoding/posting and finish prep. Will foster close communication with Editors, Post Producers and other post artists regarding project workflow, schedule and priorities. Client service and rapport is also a crucial part of the job.

Requirements:

Applicants with 1-4 years of professional experience working as an Assistant Editor within a commercial post-production facility are preferred. Proficiency in Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere and After Effects are a must.

College degree preferred, with a focus on such studies as film, editing, video production, media, marketing and communications, etc. Candidates should be detail-oriented with strong communication skills, a positive attitude and possess a desire to learn and grow in the commercial post-production industry. The ability to multi-task, to deliver under pressure and to work collaboratively within a team are also key attributes.

Employment Status/Benefits:

This position is ultimately a non-exempt (inclusive of overtime) staff position with full company benefits. Depending on the applicant’s experience, however, the position may begin as a temp to hire role, with the candidate entering a 2-4 month, full time, hourly agreement with the opportunity for a full staff position. The position will start as mostly remote, and then revert to in-person when it is deemed safe to return to office work per company policy.

Company Summary:

Optimus is a leading commercial post-production company based in Chicago that represents a diverse team of award-winning editors, artists, designers and engineers, and that delivers top-notch commercial work and branded content. Together with production division One at Optimus, we offer all production services from shoot through post, under one roof - a singular, streamlined creative force.

Instructions:

Please send your cover letter and resume to 

Optimus and One at Optimus are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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JUNIOR ANIMATOR

Location: Chicago, IL

Objective:

Optimus Design is looking for a dedicated, passionate, and driven animator to join our team as a Junior Animator. The ideal candidate should have a working knowledge of Cinema 4D and the main components of CGI: modeling/texturing/lighting/rendering and also have an intense desire to expand those skills in a professional environment. You will work closely with other animators and designers in creating visually compelling projects for a wide range of agency and brand clients.

Candidates should be familiar with the work shown at design.optimus.com and should apply with cover letter, resume and links to examples of relevant work.

Primary Duties:

• Create dynamic, original, and inspired animated elements to be integrated into edited videos.
• Work alongside other animators, designers, editors, finish artists, and others involved in the entire post-production process.
• Collaborate within project files as well as in meetings, brainstorms, and discussions of the overall project scope.
• Be unafraid to take a lead on a job when our project load demands independence. Don’t worry, senior artists are here to help if needed!

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Find inspiration for quick reference for new work. This will involve scouring Vimeo, YouTube, studio websites, design blogs, Behance, Pinterest, etc. As a project begins, having a sense of what else has been done and what can be done is essential to setting and then exceeding expectations.
• Assist with prep work. On the 3D side, this can involve modeling, texturing, ZBrush, simulations, pre-lighting, etc. in support of the senior artist in the creation of realistic executions. This will also include pre-viz where needed, including rough tests of camera moves and simplified animations. On the 2D side, this can involve cutting mattes, rotoscoping, keying, etc. This can also involve editing selects in After Effects or Premiere to help senior artists begin projects.

Additionally, our Junior Animator can expect to:

• Shadow our artists - and ask questions! We do not want any barriers to learning. You should feel comfortable asking about process and techniques, even opening projects and looking at how we do what we do!
• Share your perspectives/opinions - We value feedback and we know that more input always beats less. Working individually can, at times, become so focused that we can’t see the bigger picture. If you have an idea on how to improve a design or a technique that could help simplify a process, speak up!
• Listen in on client calls/Join client Zooms. This is critically important at Optimus as we pride ourselves on client service, and we know every successful project begins by truly listening for what the client wants to achieve.
• Join us as we collaborate throughout the building. Meet the editors, assistants, audio engineers, colorists, etc. and learn how they contribute to our projects and/or how we support their work.
• Learn even more. Utilize our professional accounts for tutorials and training in areas that you have never explored or in software that you hope to improve.

Qualities we are looking for:

• Self-Awareness. It takes a healthy ego and a good amount of courage to want to create something from nothing. But none of us are experts. We’re always learning. Knowing your limitations and asking for help and guidance is not a flaw, it’s a sign of confidence in your own growth path.
• Generosity of Spirit. Share your knowledge and put your learning into action. If you learned a tutorial, turn it into a 5 second piece and share it with all of us. If you open one of our projects, show us what you learned, or ask us procedural questions like "why did you do it THIS way?"
• Curiosity. We are creative professionals. Let’s always remember which of those words come first: creative. If you have a chance to walk down some tangential path that yields something unexpected, do it! We have often been surprised at how detours on one project become clear paths on the next one.

Minimum Requirements. Candidates should:

• Have a degree (or similar professional experience) in a relevant media field, i.e., Animation, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Editing, Film Production, etc.
• Must possess a working knowledge of Cinema 4D as a primary tool of animation.
• Some experience with additional CGI packages and software (i.e., Houdini, Blender, RealFlow, Blender, etc.) is preferred.
• Additional abilities in the Adobe Suite as a base for Animation (After Effects) and Design (Photoshop, Illustrator) and Editing (Premiere) or other relevant tools is a plus.
• A hunger and passion for animation, and curiosity in the art of animation even when outside of the computer (i.e., everything from supervising VFX, animating in stop-motion, hand-drawn animation, etc.)
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Be open to constructive criticism.
• Have a "client comes first" attitude.
• Be a team player.

Employment Status/Benefits:

• Location: Chicago.
• Employment status is non-exempt.
• The position will start with a training period, either in-person or remote, and become mostly in-person when it is deemed safe to return to office work per company policy.
• The position will report to the Animation Director.
• General hours are from 9am to 6pm, Monday-Friday, but flexible as projects demand.

Company Summary:

Optimus is a leading commercial post-production company based in Chicago that represents a diverse team of award-winning editors, artists, designers and engineers, and that delivers top-notch commercial work and branded content. Together with production division One at Optimus, we offer all production services from shoot through post, under one roof - a singular, streamlined creative force.

Instructions:

Please send your cover letter, resume, and examples of your work to .

Optimus and One at Optimus are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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DESIGN ASSISTANT

Location: Chicago, IL

Objective:

Optimus Design is looking for a dedicated, passionate, and driven motion designer to join our team as a Design Assistant. The ideal candidate should not only have a solid base of technical and artistic abilities, but should also have an intense desire to expand those skills in a professional environment. You will work closely with other animators and designers in creating visually compelling projects for a wide range of agency and brand clients.

Candidates should be familiar with the work shown at design.optimus.com and should apply with cover letter, resume and links to examples of relevant work.

Primary Duties:

• Create dynamic, original, and inspired animated elements to be integrated into edited videos.
• Work alongside other animators, designers, editors, finish artists, and others involved in the entire post-production process.
• Collaborate within project files as well as in meetings, brainstorms, and discussions of the overall project scope.
• Be unafraid to take a lead on a job when our project load demands independence. Don’t worry, senior artists are here to help if needed!

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Find inspiration for quick reference for new work. This will involve scouring Vimeo, YouTube, studio websites, design blogs, Behance, Pinterest, etc. As a project begins, having a sense of what else has been done and what can be done is essential to setting and then exceeding expectations.
• Assist with prep work. On the 2D side, this can involve cutting mattes, rotoscoping, keying, etc. This can also involve editing selects in After Effects or Premiere to help senior artists begin projects. On the 3D side, this can involve modeling, texturing, ZBrush, simulations, pre-lighting, etc. in support of the senior artist in the creation of realistic executions.
• Assist with internal administrative needs. This will be both practical (like helping to archive and restore projects) and casual (like social media experiments and management, edit project case-studies, etc.).

Additionally, our Design Assistant can expect to:

• Shadow our artists - and ask questions! We do not want any barriers to learning. You should feel comfortable asking about process and techniques, even opening projects and looking at how we do what we do!
• Share your perspectives/opinions - We value feedback and we know that more input always beats less. Working individually can, at times, become so focused that we can’t see the bigger picture. If you have an idea on how to improve a design or a technique that could help simplify a process, speak up!
• Listen in on client calls/Join client Zooms. This is critically important at Optimus as we pride ourselves on client service, and we know every successful project begins by truly listening for what the client wants to achieve.
• Join us as we collaborate throughout the building. Meet the editors, assistants, audio engineers, colorists, etc. and learn how they contribute to our projects and/or how we support their work.
• Learn even more. Utilize our professional accounts for tutorials and training in areas that you have never explored or in software that you hope to improve.

Qualities we are looking for:

• Self-Awareness. It takes a healthy ego and a good amount of courage to want to create something from nothing. But none of us are experts. We’re always learning. Knowing your limitations and asking for help and guidance is not a flaw, it’s a sign of confidence in your own growth path.
• Generosity of Spirit. Share your knowledge and put your learning into action. If you learned a tutorial, turn it into a 5 second piece and share it with all of us. If you open one of our projects, show us what you learned, or ask us procedural questions like "why did you do it THIS way?"
• Curiosity. We are creative professionals. Let’s always remember which of those words come first: creative. If you have a chance to walk down some tangential path that yields something unexpected, do it! We have often been surprised at how detours on one project become clear paths on the next one.

Minimum Requirements. Candidates should:

• Have a degree (or similar professional experience) in a relevant media field, i.e., Animation, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Editing, Film Production, etc.
• Possess a working knowledge of the Adobe Suite as a base for Design (Photoshop, Illustrator) and Animation (After Effects). Additional Adobe knowledge for Editing (Premiere) or other relevant tools is a plus.
• Experience in at least one 3D software package (i.e, Cinema 4D, Maya, etc) and a basic understanding of different renderers.
• A hunger and passion for moving images, from abstract to realistic, from typography to visual effects.
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Be open to constructive criticism.
• Have a "client comes first" attitude.
• Be a team player.

Employment Status/Benefits:

• Location: Chicago.
• This position is a full-time, non-exempt (inclusive of overtime) staff position with full company benefits.
• The position will report to the Design Creative Director.
• General hours are from 9am to 6pm, Monday-Friday, but flexible as projects demand.
• The position will start with a training period, either in-person or remote, and become mostly in-person when it is deemed safe to return to office work per company policy.

Company Summary:

Optimus is a leading commercial post-production company based in Chicago that represents a diverse team of award-winning editors, artists, designers and engineers, and that delivers top-notch commercial work and branded content. Together with production division One at Optimus, we offer all production services from shoot through post, under one roof - a singular, streamlined creative force.

Instructions:

Please send your cover letter, resume, and examples of your work to .

Optimus and One at Optimus are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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VFX / FINISH ASSISTANT

Location: Chicago, IL

Objective:

Optimus is looking for a VFX / Finish Assistant to support the needs of our busy Finish Team. The Finish Assistant will collaborate with and work alongside Effects & Finish artists and designers, and foster close communication with post producers and other post artists regarding project workflow, schedule and other priorities. The Finish Assistant will report to the Operations Manager.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing hands-on technical, creative and project management support to Finish artists and designers on all manner of creative projects, primarily for agency/brand clients. Postings and commercial releases are a crucial part of the job, as well as client service and rapport. Will receive technical training from the Operations Manager and Senior Assistant.

Finish Assistant must:

• Be able to adapt to change and learn quickly.
• Be able to work within tight deadlines.
• Be able to communicate effectively with all of our production and post teams.
• Be able to give accurate time/workload estimates on a per project basis to producers.
• Be comfortable working with clients in person.
• Be detail-oriented with the many technical and aesthetic facets of a project.
• Be able to juggle multiple projects at once.
• Be able to manage time and prioritize tasks.
• Be proficient in Adobe Creative Suite / After Effects. Knowledge of Flame helpful.
• Be able to work independently, as well as within the team environment.
• Have compositing skills and be able to do roto work.
• Have strong organizational skills.
• Have the flexibility to work overtime hours.

Requirements:

Preferably applicants will have some professional experience working within a commercial post-production facility. Proficiency in Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and After Effects are a must, and familiarity with other compositing and animation software packages a plus. The ideal applicant should already have working knowledge of VFX workflow and a reel with compositing, animation, or CG work to show.

College degree preferred, with a focus on such studies as film, editing, video production, media, graphic design, animation, etc. Candidates should be detail-oriented with strong communication skills, a positive attitude, and possess a desire to learn and grow in the commercial post-production industry. The ability to multi-task, to deliver under pressure and to work collaboratively within a team are also key attributes.

Employment Status/Benefits:

This position is ultimately a non-exempt (inclusive of overtime) staff position with full company benefits. The position will start with a training period, either in-person or remote, and become mostly in-person when it is deemed safe to return to office work per company policy.

Company Summary:

Optimus is a leading commercial post-production company based in Chicago that represents a diverse team of award-winning editors, artists, designers and engineers, and that delivers top-notch commercial work and branded content. Together with production division One at Optimus, we offer all production services from shoot through post, under one roof - a singular, streamlined creative force.

Instructions:

Please send your cover letter, resume, and a link to your reel to

Optimus and One at Optimus are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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