Senior Manager, Video Production

NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Our impact is rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. We champion an inclusive culture and strive to attract and develop a talented workforce to create and deliver a wide range of content reflecting our world.

Comcast NBCUniversal has announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company ('Versant') comprised of most of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025.

Role Summary:

Versant Sports is hiring a Sr. Manager, Video Production who will lead our growing team of digital video producer/editors on the Sports video editorial team.  This role will be responsible for managing and prioritizing our digital video staff and creative output, and will be a key leader in shaping our Sports digital content. The ideal candidate is creative, adaptable, and very fast at producing and editing digital video content and has prior experience in Sports video production, proven video editing skills, and a clear understanding of the key difference between traditional media and digital-first content. Job duties include producing digital-first Sports content for social, video distribution, and mobile optimized platforms. The candidate will be responsible for writing scripts, collecting visual assets, and producing and editing digital video under tight Sports deadlines. Experience as a multi-platform creator in Sports will best suit this role.

Experience working behind the camera as a videographer/producer at sporting events is a plus.
 

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the multi-platform digital video strategy of the Versant sports portfolio, including but not limited to Golf Channel, NASCAR, Premier League, WNBA basketball and LOVB volleyball.
• Manage a team of digital video producer-editors, scheduling resources against the organization’s myriad video output responsibilities. Responsible for the prioritization of short- and long-form video content across our distribution platforms, with focus on strategic decisions about how our content best appeals to fans across distribution points.
• Cut multiple sports news highlights, often during live events, for digital video distribution. Write headlines, captions and metadata to match video
• Strong sports news judgement with ability to identify best clips to drive video views on Versant Sports sites, YouTube etc.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the larger sports calendar and oversee real-time coverage of tentpole events across brands.
• Lead creative vision for Sports video templates and graphic packages across all platforms that feels cohesive and representative of the respective Sports brands.
• Edit with ease in Adobe Premiere, AfterEffects or AVID
• Serve as product team liaison, responsible for ensuring our video workflows are functioning and adapting to address the cross-platform distribution needs of any given moment.
• Work hand-in-hand with our leaders of Content, Editorial and Social Media to build a digital video program for Sports that meets KPIs across platforms. The ability to identify what is performing and pivot teams creatively and on programming to reach goals is a must.
• Serve as a creative producer/editor on assigned projects (including, but not limited to livestreams, weekly video series, mashups, interviews, show clips and other projects as assigned)
• Use strong news judgement
• Develop and mentor junior talent, fostering a creative and collaborative team culture.
• Liaison with producing team, booking team, and post-production as needed
• Produce guest interviews/attend field shoots, as needed and shoot crisp, clean footage and sound on DSLR camera or iPhone
• Contribute to team brainstorms by pitching content ideas that will help build video views, on-site and off-site traffic and audience
• Manage branded content efforts in concert with Sales, leading the ideation and execution of sales campaign content with the Director of Social Media
• Partner with internal teams such as marketing, sales, production and digital teams for cross-functional planning and event management, delivering a cohesive brand message and expanded reach 
• First line of communication with talent and production teams for support of in-studio and on-site content creation
• Comfort working on fast timelines in live sports and ability to quickly spot top performing moments. Weekends, odd hours etc. may be required per sports programming

Basic Qualifications:

• BA or BS from a four-year accredited college or university or equivalent experience
• Minimum of (5) years of experience producing digital video content end-to-end for social & digital platforms at a professional, collegiate or agency / brand sports property, with 1-2 years managerial experience preferred. 
• Expert knowledge of a range of video formats and platform-specific best practices, with a deep understanding of how online video algorithms work and ways to best leverage content to grow audiences and viewership.
• Excellent expertise with the Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects.)
• Knowledge of AVID or similar platforms or willingness to learn fast if you aren’t familiar
• Extensive programming experience and knowledge of how to optimize video titles, descriptions, thumbnails and misc. copy by platform.
• Experience with video analytics, with the ability to identify and explain why a piece of content did or did not perform.
• Experience working on commercial / branded content projects.
• Must be able to work under extremely tight deadlines
• Extensive knowledge of sports and internet culture
• Excellent writing and copywriting skills and the ability to provide feedback to editors and content leaders that collaboratively positions our Sports content as an industry standard.
• Demonstrable experience identifying shareable/viral content: sports culture expert fluent in what's trending and always plugged in to latest conversations with the ability to find innovative ways to tell a story in a piece of content
• Ability to shoot footage on DSLR camera
• Willingness to be an individual contributor while working within a team environment and contribute to the overall brand’s growth and success

Eligibility Requirements:

• Interested candidates must submit a resume for this job online to be considered
• Must be willing to work in Stamford CT
• Must have work authorization to work in the United States
• Must be 18 years or older
• Must have ability to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings due to news cycles and breaking news.

Desired Characteristics:

• Demonstrated knowledge of sports, ideally including any / all of the following: Golf, NASCAR, Premier League, WNBA, Volleyball.
• Leader who prioritizes team mentorship and growth of junior talent
• A blend of collaborative skills as well as being an independent self-starter
• Flexible and has ability to shift gears quickly between multiple campaigns and projects managed
• Strong understanding of digital trends
• Strong camera skills: ability to shoot your own videos using HDV cameras
• Athlete interview skills – ability to interview athletes and come up with smart, breaking news questions that we can turn into digital videos.
• Effective communication and experience working across multiple departments
• Excellent organization and time management skills with initiative and attention to detail.

This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days a week.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal'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 [email protected].

Although you'll be hired as an NBCU employee, your employment and the responsibilities associated with this job likely will transition to Versant in the future. By joining at this pivotal time, you'll be a part of this exciting company as it takes shape.