He is seen everywhere on campus. From the classroom to the field, he is there, capturing the essence of Hill on film. Few people, however, know the man behind the camera: Eli Eisenstein.

Eisenstein, also called Mr. Eis, is a new faculty member this year who works as the school’s cinematographer. It was his creative force that is behind the infamous athletic hype videos and theater recordings alike.

In between living in Pennsylvania most of his life and attending Germantown Friends School, he has always been familiar with The Hill School. Since he was a kid, Eisenstein has had an affinity for the arts, especially cinema. In high school, this passion only grew, so much so that he took to making his own videos and posting them online. As a young cinematographer, Eisenstein took issue with filmmaking’s inaccessibility and founded the Philly Youth Film Festival to bring together other young cinematographers.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck while Eisenstein was attending college at the University of Pennsylvania, working towards a degree in linguistics. When he was able to, he took an opportunity to study abroad in London, and, after graduating, worked in Israel making branded content videos for tech and gaming companies through Onward Israel, an organization that connects Jewish students and recent graduates to Israeli companies

During this time, Eisenstein was contacted by Head of School Zach Lehman about a job opportunity. Eager to get out of the realm of freelance work and begin a rewarding, stable career, he accepted.

Just as any new student discovers, The Hill School can be a wonderfully strange place. For Eisenstein, the biggest adjustment has been the academic dress code and boarding school environment. However, he was incredibly stuck by the school’s intense spirit and student involvement.  From our steadfast loyalty to honored traditions to the rowdiness of our student section, Mr. Eisenstein has found the experience to be “awesome and inspiring.” Coming into this job, he did not anticipate just how much time he would be spending with teams, but the student’s enthusiasm continues to inspire him.

Eisenstein recalls that at his first blue light game he had so much fun capturing and being a part of the experience.  Furthermore, the sheer number of fans was something he “had never seen before.”

However, Eisenstein’s job is more than just holding a camera.  He is tasked with creating content that appeals to the whole Hill community: alumni, trustees, parents, faculty, and most importantly, students.

“My philosophy,” Eisenstein explains, “is that there are modern trends and older trends. Older trends cater to the older audience, so I try to find a balance by making content that parents want to see, and that students are excited to be a part of.”

Mr. Eisenstein wants to say thank you to the Hill community for being more welcoming than he could ever imagine. He encourages any and every student to reach out to him if they want to talk about videography, a cappella, or life. He also asks that students with recordings from Hill events send them to him. However, his main ask of the Hill student body is that they continue being excited about helping him make his videos memorable.