Vertical Video Creator

The Kansas City Star, winner of nine Pulitzer Prizes, is looking for a creative and energetic journalist to create engaging, high-quality video journalism for its website and social media channels.

This Kansas City-based journalist will join the Audience Service team, a hybrid group of innovative audience strategists and reporters helping Kansas Citians live their best lives. This new position will work across the team and newsroom, covering everything from restaurants and lifestyle to politics and breaking news.

By creating engaging videos both on- and off-platform, this journalist’s mission is to provide another entry point into The Star’s comprehensive coverage of life in KC. Their content will, among other things, serve as a guide to Kansas City, especially for younger and more diverse residents, showing them the role The Star can play in their lives.

They will serve as the face of The Star in these digital spaces, often filming and posting timely updates on high-interest and trending topics, including the Chiefs and their most famous fan, as well as breaking news and viral local stories.

Other videos they might create could include a tour around a KC landmark, man-on-the-street interviews about the Royals, a night out at a new restaurant, an explainer about an upcoming ballot issue, a feature on a unique local figure or an update on the progress of a major development.

The Star has a robust social media presence and on-site video strategy, and this is an opportunity to experiment with new tactics to accelerate our reach and engagement, with the goal of turning social media followers into committed readers.

Successful candidates for this role will have excellent video production skills; familiarity with Tik Tok, YouTube and Instagram Reels; the ability to collaborate across teams; and many ideas about the types of videos that will engage new and loyal audiences. A familiarity with the Kansas City metro area is a major plus, as is an engaging on-camera presence.

In addition to producing their own videos, this journalist will work with photojournalists and reporters in other parts of the newsroom on topics, format and technical troubleshooting. They will also be expected to assist with audience engagement products like email newsletters and non-video social media posts, as well as writing stories to accompany their videos.

The newsroom you’ll join is deeply committed to listening to, engaging with and meeting the needs of our neighbors throughout the Kansas City metro area. Keen news judgment, strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate with colleagues – both local and remote – are musts.

Kansas City is a vibrant, large city with a high quality of life – replete with iconic professional sports teams and a world-class arts scene – and a low cost of living relative to cities its size. It’s a fantastic place to put down roots, and this job offers the chance to contribute to its future.

We believe that our team is stronger when we include individuals with a variety of perspectives and experiences, and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

The successful candidate will bring many of the following:  

• At least 1 year of experience creating successful videos and social media content, preferably in a journalism setting.
• Excellent video production skills.
• Strong knowledge of Tik Tok, YouTube and Instagram and the best practices on each.
• An instinct for what makes a video successful, especially on social media.
• Ability to generate diverse content ideas about the Kansas City area around entertainment, news, lifestyle, business and sports. 
• Experience producing various video formats, including tours, interviews or explainers.
• An engaging on-camera presence and enthusiasm for local journalism.
• Strong collaborative instincts and a love of teamwork.
• Proficiency in writing stories and crafting social media copy.
• Excellent news judgment and journalism ethics.
• Comfort with a job that will be demanding, fast-paced and constantly evolving.
• Excellent communication skills, including helping to train and coach others on video skills and social media platforms.
• A familiarity with communities in the Kansas City area.
• Familiarity with how to measure and track success using social media metrics and analytics.
• A willingness to cover a variety of topics.
• An eagerness to experiment with different formats, stories and audience engagement tactics.
• College degree or equivalent work experience.
• Knowledge of Adobe Premiere and Canva.
• Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works).

What we’ll bring: As a journalist at Mc Clatchy, you will join a supportive, flexible, collaborative team. Mc Clatchy strives to be an employer of choice, and our benefits package is made with this goal in mind. With a focus on health, well-being, wealth and daily life, our package options include health care coverage for employees and their families, financial protection from expected and unexpected expenses, multiple no-cost wellness resources and even coverage for four-legged friends.

Our overall benefits package also includes a 401(k) with employer match, competitive paid time off and corporate holidays, and a variety of mental health benefits. With an excellent support team and with focus on your well-being as a top corporate strategy, Mc Clatchy provides benefits to support you and your family in achieving your health and wellness goals. For more information on Mc Clatchy's benefit plan, please visit Mc Clatchy Livewell.com.

To apply, include a persuasive cover letter, your resume and four to six examples of your best work.

Salary/Compensation: $52,000 - $62,000 per year

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