Cinematic Documentary Filmmaker for Real Customer Story

WHAT WE DO Poplin is a peer-to-peer marketplace for laundry serving more than 8,000 cities worldwide. Customers tap the app, put their laundry outside, and get it back clean, folded, and ready to wear. But what they really get is freedom. A parent is free to be with their child. A cancer survivor is free to rest. A fisherman is free to return to the water. A woman with ADHD is free from a task her brain won’t cooperate with. Poplin does the laundry. What happens in the meantime is the real story. WHY THIS PROJECT EXISTS We want to tell those stories. Not testimonials. Not talking-head social clips. Not disposable content built for the scroll. We want miniature documentaries with drama, atmosphere, tension, beauty, and emotional weight. Films that make an ordinary life feel important. Short, cinematic films about real people, real passions, and real lives, with Poplin placed naturally inside the story. Poplin isn’t the hero. The customer is. The primary audience isn’t Poplin’s followers. It’s the customer’s community. THE PROJECT This isn’t a content creator assignment. It isn’t a social media management project. We’re looking for a filmmaker who can meet a stranger, earn their trust, uncover what matters, and turn it into a short cinematic film people want to watch and the customer is proud to share. For the first assignment, you will create one 60–90 second documentary about a real Poplin customer. You will: Find the story inside their life Conduct a pre-interview Develop the creative treatment Travel to the customer Direct, shoot, and record sound Edit, revise, color, mix, and deliver Show Poplin naturally without turning the film into a commercial Create a film the customer wants to share with their family, friends, and community WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR A Reel That Makes People Feel Something We don’t care where you went to school. We care what you’ve made. Show us real people telling real stories. Show us that you can make something beautiful. Story Instinct You know the difference between a person with a testimonial and a person with a story inside them. Interviewing Skill You can make strangers comfortable, ask the question beneath the obvious question, and recognize the answer that changes everything. The Ability to Disappear The best documentary filmmakers become invisible. The subject forgets they’re there. Cinematic Craft You understand composition, light, sound, pacing, music, and restraint. Editorial Judgment You can turn hours of real life into a clear, emotional story. One-Person-Crew Energy You’re willing to plan, travel, shoot, solve problems, and finish the edit. Scrappiness You don’t need a full crew and a six-figure budget. You can make something stunning with a camera, a lens, and good light. Hunger You’ve been making things because you can’t not. You have opinions about cinematography. You watch films the way other people watch sports. THIS IS A PAID TRIAL We’re starting with one film. If the work is exceptional, we plan to produce more. We are ultimately looking for someone available full time and interested in a long-term role, but we will start with the work and build from there. TO APPLY Please send: Your three best character-driven films At least one project you shot and edited yourself A short note about why this project interests you Your proposed fixed price for the first film Do not send a generic agency reel. Show us real people. Show us restraint. Show us that you can find the film hiding inside someone’s life.