Business Development Representative

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a driven and hungry Business Development Representative to join Shade's growing sales team. As the first point of contact for prospective customers, you will be the engine behind our pipeline — identifying, engaging, and qualifying the creative businesses that will benefit most from Shade's cloud platform. This is a foundational role with a clear path to Account Executive for someone ready to outwork and outthink the competition.

OUR MISSION

Shade is scaling and fast. In a year and half, we’ve built out the combined tech of FrameIO (acq by Adobe for $1.275B) and LucidLink ($40M ARR) while combining it with proprietary AI search/labeling. We handle thousands of hours of video and tens of millions of requests every day, and we’re a critical piece of infrastructure for post-production houses, creative agencies, sports teams, and internal media teams at large companies. Customers include Salesforce, Snowflake, Grüns, Hello Fresh, Deloitte, Motorola, Stagwell Media Group, and Lennar. We’re growing 150% QoQ, 120% NRR.

Backed by Khosla, General Catalyst, Contrary, Signalfire and Bling

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Research, identify, and prospect into target accounts in the Media & Entertainment software space through cold email, cold calling, LinkedIn, and events

• Qualify inbound and outbound leads to generate a consistent pipeline for Account Executives

• Conduct high-volume, personalized outreach that reflects Shade's brand and resonates with creative businesses

• Set up discovery calls and product demos, then hand off qualified opportunities seamlessly to the AE team

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all prospect activity in the CRM

• Collaborate with the CEO and AE team to refine outreach messaging, sequences, and targeting strategies

• Provide real-time market feedback to inform the product roadmap and marketing initiatives

• Assist with event planning, sales collateral, and any documentation that supports the go-to-market motion

• Continuously improve prospecting tactics and contribute to building a repeatable, scalable outbound process

QUALIFICATIONS

• 1–2+ years of experience in a BDR, SDR, or similar outbound sales role — M&E or SaaS software experience is a strong plus

• Proven track record of hitting or exceeding outreach and pipeline generation targets

• Exceptional written and verbal communication — you write emails people actually respond to

• Creative thinker who can tailor messaging to different personas and verticals

• Highly organized and self-motivated; comfortable managing a high volume of prospects without dropping the ball

• Genuine curiosity about creative industries — film, TV, music, advertising, gaming, or adjacent fields

• Willingness to travel for tradeshows, industry events, and team offsites

• Hybrid-friendly, with preference for candidates in the Tri-State Area for in-person collaboration

• Comfortable working in an early-stage environment where processes are still being built — and excited to help build them

HOW WE WORK

Our team is flexible, moves quickly, and is always interested in new technologies and ideas to accelerate development and improve our processes. We value people who take ownership, communicate proactively, and bring fresh ideas to the table. You won't be handed a fully built playbook — you'll help write it.

COMPENSATION

Shade offers a competitive compensation package designed to reward top performers:

• Base salary commensurate with experience, plus performance-based variable compensation

• Clear, attainable quota with an accelerator commission for overperformance

• Compensation and OTE structure reviewed every 6 months as you grow with the team

• Potential for equity participation

• Defined promotion path to Account Executive for BDRs who consistently hit targets