About
James Free
Ten years cutting brand films, commercials, and motion work for Apple, Western Digital, and Workday.
South Bay Area, CA
Full-pipeline editor. From set to screen.
I'm a video editor and post-production specialist with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of technology and storytelling. My career spans Apple, Western Digital, and Workday — brands where the bar for craft is exceptionally high.
I work the full pipeline. On set, I manage data, signal flow, color management, and dailies as a DIT. In post, I cut, grade, design motion graphics, composite, mix audio, and deliver. That end-to-end fluency means I anticipate problems before they happen and move fast when it matters.
Today I edit and localize Apple Marcom content across 28 global regions, and I'm building generative video workflows with AI tools on the side. I'm always open to the next great project.
Capabilities
Editing
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Final Cut Pro X
- DaVinci Resolve
- Adobe After Effects
- Cinema 4D
- Mocha
Production & DIT
- Daylight
- Silverstack
- Offshoot
- ChronoSync
- Livegrade
- SAN / XSAN
Cameras & Formats
- SONY
- RED (R3D)
- Blackmagic
- Canon
- Multi-cam & RAW
- HDR / LUT Management
Disciplines
- Color Correction & Grading
- Motion Graphics
- Compositing & Rotoscoping
- Audio Mixing
- Storyboarding
- Localization
Experience
Video Editor & Localization Specialist — Apple Marcom
Localization editor and assistant editor on events, product films, and social content across 28 global regions. Delivers 25–30 localized assets a month, and built automated localization workflows with Claude AI, Premiere Pro scripting, and custom templates.
Video Tech / DIT — Apple Marcom
Owned the on-set pipeline for 12+ Apple marketing campaigns with zero data loss, from ingest to verified SAN handoff. Primary production-to-post link, delivering selects and XMLs to editors.
Video Producer / Editor — Workday
Delivered ~50 consumer-facing videos for Workday.com. Designed and launched a localization pipeline from scratch with an external vendor team, scaling each video to 10–20 languages.
Video Editor — Apple
Delivered ~50 training videos now used by Apple retail staff globally. Integrated virtual production (XR stage) into Final Cut Pro X multi-cam workflows, managed XSAN and transcoding, and mentored incoming contractor editors.
Video Editor / Cinematographer — Freelance
Commercial and branded content for Big Picture SF and independent clients. Multi-cam shoots on SONY and RED, including color, audio, green screen compositing, and motion graphics.
Video Editor — Apple
Multi-cam edits, color, audio, and motion graphics on two-week cycles for global retail training content.
Video Editor / Cinematographer — Western Digital
Dozens of videos for the public website and company events: executive profiles, product launches, social, and live coverage. Shot, lit, and recorded audio on set, then finished with 2D/3D motion graphics, compositing, rotoscoping, and sound design.
Video Creative Pro — Apple Retail
Internal knowledge authority for all photo and video tools. Coached ~100 customers and staff on iPhone photo and video production.
Certifications
Education
Masters Certification — Audio Production
Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences · Gilbert, AZ
Bachelor of Arts
University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY