ok so a little background — ive been freelancing for about 18 months, it's been going ok, not great. had a media company reach out last week saying they want a dedicated drone operator on staff for their video production team. salary, benefits, the whole thing. the number they quoted is honestly pretty solid, probably more than im averaging freelancing right now if im being honest with myself.

part of me is excited but part of me is like... is this a step backwards? i spent a lot of time building up my own thing and the idea of being an employee again feels weird. also i dont know how much creative input id actually have, they said i'd be working under their lead videographer which could be great or could be annoying depending on the person. has anyone gone the in-house route and either loved it or regretted it, just trying to get a realistic picture before i go back to them

i did something similar about four years ago, took a staff position with a regional tv network doing aerial and general camera work. honestly? no regrets. the consistency was such a relief after the feast or famine thing that freelancing turns into. you stop thinking about where the next job is coming from and you can just focus on the actual flying and shooting. yeah you give up some freedom but unless your freelance pipeline is really dialed in, that freedom is kind of an illusion anyway because you're spending half your time doing admin and chasing invoices. only thing id say is make sure you ask what the gear situation is — whether you're using theirs or expected to bring your own matters a lot for how you think about wear and tear

the working under a lead videographer thing would be my main question honestly. some of those relationships are great and you learn a ton, others you're basically just a camera on a stick and nobody cares what you think. worth having a real conversation with them about what input you'd have on shot selection and planning before you commit. the salary stability sounds nice but creative misery gets old fast