FiveThirtyEight is seeking a part-time video and motion graphics producer to help us create weekly political videos to enhance our election coverage. The producer should be available to work up to 29 hours a week during U.S. East Coast hours. This job can be done remotely regardless of the status of the pandemic.
The producer’s main role will be to create videos based on FiveThirtyEight’s 2020 Election Forecast. Our forecast shows the chances each candidate has of winning the election in November, and is rich with material we’d like to make into videos. The producer should feel comfortable editing short interviews with FiveThirtyEight reporters, creating original motion graphics and animations, and working with our existing graphics packages and design elements. While this is a part-time role, the producer would be wholly integrated into the FiveThirtyEight team as a full-fledged member of our newsroom. When not creating forecast videos, the producer is encouraged to pitch original ideas and work with reporters and visual journalists to bring new stories to life. The video and motion graphics producer will report to the senior video producer and work closely with the video team and art director (though, as FiveThirtyEight is a small newsroom, there will be opportunities to collaborate with many staffers in other departments as well).
Being able to leverage our existing forecast graphics and present them in fun, accessible ways to a video audience is a big part of the role. As such, the producer should have experience working with Adobe Illustrator and After Effects, as well as Photoshop to integrate branding from our design team. We work in Adobe Premiere for video editing, but we are not picky about editing software. We care more about whether you are detail-oriented, can work on a deadline, and have a good narrative sense. Experience working in a newsroom, especially on political stories, is a plus.
While the role will be focused on election coverage in the beginning, the focus will shift to our other beats — politics more generally, sports, and science — after the election.
We’re looking for someone with:
- Experience animating graphics packages and creating motion graphics and animations using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects
- Fluency in Adobe Premiere or equivalent software
- Experience editing videos on a tight deadline (e.g., in a breaking-news setting)
- An interest in and familiarity with U.S. electoral politics
Bonus skills:
- Newsroom experience
- Political reporting, particularly reporting on an election
- Script writing
To apply, please send your resume, a cover letter and links to two samples of your work to Anna.Rothschild@abc.com with “Video and Motion Graphics Producer” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!