17th Street Deli is looking for a creative, reliable and social-media-savvy content creator to help bring our neighborhood deli to life online.

We have been serving the Costa Mesa community since 1989, and we are looking for someone who can help us tell our story through engaging, authentic content that showcases our sandwiches, catering, team, community and personality.

This is a freelance independent contractor opportunity, not a traditional employee position or internship. College enrollment is not required. We welcome applications from students, recent graduates, aspiring creators, early-career freelancers and others who are actively building experience in social media, photography, video or digital marketing.

What You’ll Create

Each month, the creator will produce approximately:

8 polished social media feed posts
4 short-form Reels
8–12 Instagram Story sets
1 monthly content calendar
1–2 short on-site content-capture sessions at the deli
Captions and basic copywriting
Photo and short-form video editing
Content featuring catering and group orders on a regular basis
Seasonal, community and promotional content
A short monthly performance recap highlighting what worked and ideas for the following month

Content may include:

Sandwiches and menu items
Catering orders and party trays
Behind-the-scenes preparation
Team and deli culture
Local Costa Mesa community content
Seasonal and limited-time offerings
Customer favorites
Deli history and personality
Special campaigns and recurring features

What We’re Looking For

You may be a good fit if you:

Have a strong eye for food, lifestyle or local-business content
Enjoy creating Instagram Reels, Stories and photo content
Understand what makes short-form content engaging
Can write natural, concise captions
Are organized and able to meet agreed deadlines
Are comfortable coming to our Costa Mesa location for occasional content capture
Have your own smartphone, camera and/or basic content-creation equipment
Can edit your own photos and videos
Are comfortable receiving brand feedback and making reasonable revisions
Are interested in building a strong real-world portfolio

Previous restaurant experience is not required.

A formal marketing degree is not required.

College enrollment is not required.

Freelance Structure

This is a 3-month pilot contract at:

$500 per month
$1,500 total for the initial 3-month term

The freelancer will determine their own working hours and production process, subject to mutually agreed content deadlines and occasional on-site content-capture sessions.

The freelancer may work with other clients and will generally use their own equipment and software.

All public-facing content must receive approval from 17th Street Deli before publication.

If the relationship is successful, there may be an opportunity to continue working together after the initial 3-month term.

How to Apply

Please send:

A brief introduction
Links to your Instagram, TikTok, portfolio or examples of content you have created
Any food, restaurant, lifestyle or small-business content you have produced
One idea for a Reel you would create for 17th Street Deli
One idea for promoting our catering business
Your general availability for occasional on-site content capture in Costa Mesa

We care much more about creativity, reliability and good instincts than years of experience.

Pay: $500.00 per month

Benefits:

Flexible schedule

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Costa Mesa, CA 92627

17th Street Deli

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