Marian Wright Edelman (l) and Henry Hampton (r) during the filming of Edelman’s 1988 interview for Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads (1965-1985) Henry Hampton Collection, Washington University Libraries Film & Media Archive: https://library.wustl.edu/spec/filmandmedia/

Media Asset Manager

Position

Media Asset Manager (full-time)

Location

New York, NY USA

Application Date

January 01, 1970

Job Link

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2927276108

Job Contact

assetmanagerjob@criterion.com

Salary range $60,000-$80,000, based on prior experience, skills and training

About us

Criterion is a New York-based company devoted to bringing a carefully curated library of international classic and contemporary films together with an audience of passionate movie lovers. With in-house departments devoted to design, editorial, image and sound restoration, production, and post-production, we produce a celebrated line of DVDs and Blu-rays; publish an online magazine, The Current; release new films and restorations in theaters through our partner company, Janus Films; and run our own streaming service, The Criterion Channel.

About the role

As Media Asset Manager, you will play a crucial role in Criterion’s dynamic production workflow, from designing and tweaking the asset-management systems that support it to fully implementing these systems and the improvements you make to them. You will have the unique opportunity to oversee the full lifecycle of your organizational designs, from inception, to execution, to revision. You’ll also get to maintain the integrity of Criterion’s rich media archive – both digital and physical – through system design and application of technological solutions.

A typical day will involve working closely with the production team to carry out essential asset-management tasks such as managing deliveries, cataloging, data management, and archiving. Through this practical application of the workflow design, you will develop an expert knowledge of how these systems are functioning and how they can be improved. You will use this knowledge to inform projects aimed at systematic improvement and collaborate with the engineering team to bring them to life.

This is a full-time, salaried position with competitive benefits and regular work hours. The nature of the work will require you to be physically present in our New York, NY office.

About you

The ideal candidate will possess an obsessive commitment to order, a detail-oriented mindset, a fascination with organizational systems, and confidence in navigating highly technical environments. You are able to translate human needs to organizational systems and can propose technical solutions to implement them. You communicate in a precise manner and are proactive in establishing clarity, hesitating to make assumptive leaps. You are constantly seeking improvements, but always prioritize stability and appreciate the importance of iterative changes. You strive to understand the purpose and function of existing systems before updating them.

Responsibilities

  • Process media assets at milestones, from ingest to archive
  • Design, implement, and support organizational strategies and data lifecycle policies
  • Actively manage production storage usage
  • Maintain and update asset-tracking databases
  • Oversee digital and physical media accessions; including housing, organization and off-site storage coordination
  • Manage and generate licensor and partner deliverables
  • Work with IT to monitor health of asset management systems
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry trends in media asset management

Qualifications

  • Knowledge and practiced application of archival theory and best practices, especially digital preservation concerns
  • Knowledge of digital file formats, specifically moving image
  • Advanced knowledge of broadcast, digital video and audio formats
  • Working knowledge of Unix shell and ability to parse text-based system commands
  • Experience troubleshooting technical issues
  • Strong written and verbal skills

Desired experience

  • Deploying and maintaining digital asset management systems
  • Filemaker database design and management
  • Ingesting tar/LTFS archives from LTO tape
  • Operation of data-tape libraries and related archive management software
  • Operation of digital and analog VTRs
  • Media transcoding
  • IT troubleshooting, especially macOS and Windows platforms
  • Ability to lift 20 lb boxes

Interested candidates should send a résumé and cover letter to assetmanagerjob@criterion.com