The MS NOW Politics Video Coordinating Producer/Editor will play a key role in shaping our social and digital video coverage of the 2028 election cycle. Working closely with campaign embeds, field producers and reporters across the country, this producer will identify the biggest stories and most compelling moments from the campaign trail and turn them into sharp, distinctive video for digital platforms.
We are looking for someone who lives and breathes politics, has exceptional editorial judgment and is an expert video editor. This person knows how to look at a complicated political story, candidate event or interview and quickly distill it down to the key headline and the most compelling video. They understand what matters, why it matters and how to make it resonate with a broad audience.
This role also requires a strong editorial leader who can work closely with reporters and producers in the field—helping them sharpen their ideas, identify the best moments, and deliver videos that are punchy, informative, authoritative, and built for digital audiences. This producer/editor is constantly on the pulse of what is happening across the country and ready to react when the political story changes.
This position is represented by the Writers Guild of America East.
Responsibilities:
• Work closely with 2028 campaign embeds, field producers and reporters to produce compelling original video daily.
• Write, edit, and produce multiple vertical videos daily, either by yourself or assigned to a teammate.
• Serve as a key editorial partner to political desk, political director and DC Bureau executives.
• Shape video reports by identifying the most compelling angles and video.
• Oversee and sharpen scripts.
• Monitor the campaign coverage notes and candidate schedules throughout the day and identify the moments, interviews, exchanges that are most compelling.
• React quickly to breaking political news, turning video that is fast, accurate, distinctive, and competitive.
• Distill complicated political stories and campaign developments into clear, compelling storytelling for a broad audience.
• Generate daily and long-term original video pitches responsive to the political news cycle and developments across campaign.
• Edit longer form video for YouTube and OTT platforms.
• Identify opportunities for campaign reporting to break through with new franchises.
• Write compelling headlines, scripts, and social copy.
• Develop new social franchises and formats around the 2028 election.
• Innovate with new ideas and storytelling approaches to grow the audience and the MS NOW brand.
• Minimum 7 years of digital or social video editing, producing, and writing experience.
• Deep expertise in politics, campaigns, and elections, with a strong understanding of the candidates, issues and forces shaping the 2028 election cycle.
• Adobe Premiere expert who can edit quickly and confidently when speed is the priority.
• Proven experience editing and producing original digital video.
• Exceptional editorial judgment and an instinct for identifying the strongest and most compelling element of a political story.
• Strong scriptwriting and headline-writing skills, with the ability to distill complex stories into clear, accessible, and engaging video.
• Ability to work closely with reporters and producers and provide strong editorial direction on framing and scripting.
• Ability to recognize the moment from the campaign trail that audiences need to see and quickly turn it into compelling video.
• Strong commitment to accuracy, fairness, context, and nuance.
• Ability to manage multiple stories and original projects simultaneously in an extremely fast-moving news environment.
• Ability to delegate work to staff working with you.
• Strong knowledge of TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other social and digital platforms and their audiences.
• Comply with the Standards and Practices of MS NOW.
Desired Qualifications:
• Previous experience covering presidential campaigns, elections, Congress or Washington politics.
• A demonstrated ability to spot emerging political stories and narratives before they become the dominant story of the day.
• Ability to develop original story ideas, research and plan coverage with reporters and producers in the field.
• Strong coaching and communication skills, with the ability to help reporters sharpen their storytelling and on-camera delivery.
• Work well both independently (must be a self-starter) and collaboratively as part of an integrated political and digital team.
• Strong follow-through and attention to detail.
• Ability to work calmly and decisively under intense deadline pressure.
• Understanding of digital gear, including camera operations and microphones.
• A genuine enthusiasm for political reporting and the unpredictability and pace of a presidential campaign.
Additional Requirements:
• Must be willing to work in Washington, D.C.
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.
• Must be willing and able to work flexible hours under tight deadline pressure, including nights, weekends, breaking news, debates, election events, and special projects.
• Must have a valid U.S. driver’s license and be willing to drive.
This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks.
Salary Range: $115,000 - $150,000
As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com.
VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.
VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.