Reference Designer

Reference Designer About TrueShort TrueShort is one of the fastest-growing streaming apps in the United States. An AI studio and streaming platform where we experiment, develop and release original series and films constantly. No development purgatory. Built for mobile-first viewing, TrueShort delivers premium, bingeable storytelling across an expanding slate of genres, reimagining how modern audiences discover and experience great stories. Our team is experimenting at the frontier of AI-powered entertainment production across animation, live action, and emerging storytelling formats. Backed by Jeffrey Katzenberg (Founder of DreamWorks), Scott Belsky, Ravi Nandan (A24), Khosla Ventures, and others. Role Overview We’re looking for Reference Designers to help develop the visual foundation of original series and films across a wide range of genres and formats. Reference Designers are responsible for creating the core visual assets that guide production across each series, including character references, environments, props, color direction, and visual worldbuilding materials. Your work will help establish consistency and creative clarity for AI filmmakers, editors, and showrunners throughout production. This role sits at the intersection of concept design, visual development, and AI-native production workflows. We’re looking for artists with strong visual taste, storytelling instincts, and an understanding of how to design assets that translate effectively into AI generation pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design character reference sheets, props, environments, and worldbuilding assets
• Develop cohesive visual identities and style direction for original series
• Collaborate closely with Showrunners, writers, and AI filmmakers during development and production
• Create organized reference packs that help maintain consistency across episodes
• Iterate quickly based on creative feedback and evolving production needs
• Help establish visual rules, tone, color language, and design continuity for each project
• Prepare assets and references optimized for AI image and video generation workflows
• Contribute to the overall creative development of new series and worlds

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Strong background in character design, concept art, production design, or visual development
• Strong eye for composition, color, silhouette, shape language, and visual storytelling
• Experience with AI image-generation tools (Midjourney, Nano Banana, Seedream, Flux, etc.)
• Familiarity with AI video-generation workflows is a plus (Kling, Veo, Seedance, Runway, etc.)
• Comfortable working across multiple visual styles and genres
• Ability to create clear, production-ready visual reference materials
• Familiarity with Photoshop or other visual editing/compositing tools
• Passion for animation, filmmaking, internet culture, and emerging creative technology

Compensation & Details

• Contract Role
• Potential for long-term employment or full-time role
• $300 - $800 per series
• Los Angeles preferred (open to remote)

To Apply Please send:

• Portfolio or relevant work samples
• Examples of character, prop, or environment design work
• Optional: links to any animation, film, game, or visual development projects
• A brief overview of your workflow and preferred creative tools

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