Social Video Producer

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

Impact has also been at the core of our mission since we launched in 2008. Our investigative journalism does more than expose wrongdoing and injustice; we intend for it to spark real-world change. A big part of sparking that change is making sure our journalism meets people wherever they may be and however they’re consuming information. We understand that video has been and will continue to be how many people receive news about the world around them, which is why we are looking to expand ProPublica’s audience team to include two full-time social video producers.

These roles will translate our long-form journalism into short-form, video-first content for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and our other social platforms. It’s important to note that we see our platforms not just as traffic drivers to our stories, but also as a means for us to build stand-alone editorial products. In any given month, these roles will be producing video experiences that cover a wide range of topics. This spring, for example, our investigations have covered unrest at school board meetings, railroad safety, health insurance denials, tribal water rights, dairy farm workers and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Because these are new positions for our newsroom, there is a great opportunity to set the standard and tone for how we’ll continue to connect with our audiences via social video on these platforms as well as bring new audiences to our journalism. And you will be at the epicenter of one of the most exciting newsrooms in the country, where visual storytelling is integral to the mission.

These positions will report directly to our deputy audience editor and sit within the larger ProPublica audience team.

Essential Responsibilities:

Create video content that is grounded in ethical journalistic principles, standards and practices, and use editorial judgment to translate stories with the sensitivity, care and appropriate tone required of our investigations.
Own the creative and technical production for videos from beginning to end, including writing and editing scripts, working with reporters and editors to gather visual assets, designing any as-needed still and motion graphics, and writing the social post captions.
Serve as the on-screen narrator/host for videos, helping us determine and develop what is our “voice” and approach for this explainer-type and host-led video content.
Monitor the editorial calendar and pitch ideas for social video content and packages.
Define and maintain our workflow processes and systems to ensure a consistent weekly production of video content.
Define and maintain monthly video analytics reports that can help inform future optimization, strategy and more.
Be the team’s knowledge center for how social platforms are continuing to adapt for video and evolving audience video-viewing trends.

About You

We are looking for people who have proven that they can use video and design skills for journalistic ends.

The ideal candidate will have many of these skills:

Two to three years of video editing and content production experience.
Fluency telling stories for social platforms with voice overs, direct to camera or other methods.
Proficiency in media production software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Figma).
Strong writing and editing skills.
The ability to communicate social storytelling ideas through scripts or storyboards and advocate for projects with social potential across the newsroom.
Experience with project management software such as Trello, Airtable or Notion.
A collaborative mindset, stellar communication skills and the ability to work on several projects at once. You’ll need to stay organized and focused and meet deadlines.

And some of these:

Experience using a digital asset management system such as Swivle.
Knowledge of media rights and clearances and a working knowledge of copyright permissions.
Experience in a newsroom or media organization (a plus).

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but we’re open to remote candidates. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $80,000 to $100,000.