About the Position
An editing role built around clarity, pacing, and visual evidence.
Independent Heartland is seeking Video Editors & Motion Graphics Artists to help build the post-production backbone of our Nebraska launch team.
This role translates field interviews, narration, archival material, public records, data, and policy explainers into polished YouTube packages and short-form vertical clips. You will work closely with the Lead Video Journalist, Associate Producers, and production leadership to make serious reporting feel clear, fast, and human.
We are building a repeatable editorial engine for long-form video essays, mini-documentaries, and retention-driven social clips. The right editors will help define the visual grammar of the channel from the first wave of launch stories.
What You'll Make
Video packages that make complex local systems understandable and watchable.
What This Is Not
Not generic clip cutting. Not stock-template graphics. Not empty visual noise.
This is editorially serious post-production for digital-first journalism, built to help audiences understand what happened, who benefits, and why it matters.
Core Responsibilities
You will edit, design, package, and help sharpen the rhythm of each story.
- Edit original long-form video essays and mini-documentaries from field footage, interviews, narration, archival material, and research assets.
- Build clean, accessible motion graphics that help viewers understand policy, economics, corporate structures, campaign finance, and local power maps.
- Cut short-form vertical explainers from original reporting and longer packages, optimizing for hooks, retention, captions, and platform-native pacing.
- Collaborate with journalists, producers, and the Head of Production to turn dense research into compelling visual sequences without sacrificing accuracy.
- Maintain organized project files, asset systems, exports, versioning, and handoff notes so the launch team can move quickly across multiple stories.
- Help refine repeatable templates, graphics systems, and editorial pacing standards for the Nebraska bureau launch.
Qualifications
We are looking for narrative editing instincts and platform-native video fluency.
- 2+ years of experience editing digital video, documentary, YouTube, news, branded editorial, or creator-led explainers.
- Strong portfolio showing narrative editing, motion graphics, social video, or documentary-style post-production work.
- Fluency in at least one professional editing workflow, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro; motion graphics experience in After Effects or a comparable tool is strongly preferred.
- Strong sense of pacing, hooks, typography, captions, audio clarity, color, and visual hierarchy for both horizontal and vertical formats.
- Ability to work from briefs, scripts, interview transcripts, and research documents while keeping edits accurate, organized, and deadline-conscious.
- Demonstrated interest in journalism, civic education, labor, agriculture, housing, utilities, or the economic issues shaping Midwestern communities.
Hiring & Audition Process
A transparent process with a paid finalist assignment.
Portfolio Review
We review your reel, finished edits, motion graphics examples, pacing instincts, and storytelling range.
Creative Screening
Qualified candidates move into a screening call focused on workflow, availability, editorial judgment, and platform fluency.
Paid Project Test
Top finalists are commissioned on a freelance contract basis to edit or design a short test package from provided reporting assets at a flat project rate.
Production Fit
Selected editors may be offered recurring package work, launch-team contracts, or a longer-term post-production role as the bureau scales.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. We strongly encourage members of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities to apply.
Important Notice
To protect your privacy and ensure the legitimacy of our hiring process, only respond to official communications from our team. We will never ask for sensitive financial information or any form of payment during recruitment.