Social Video Director & Series Creative Lead, People Inc.
Part Time, Project-Based
Hourly Rate: $50–60; negotiable; project rates also possible
Digital & print publisher
Open for applications
Digital & print publisher
1001+ employees
Open for applications
Hourly Rate: $50–60; negotiable; project rates also possible
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired.
Role
Who you are
- 5+ years making social-first video (for yourself, brands, or publishers
- A portfolio that feels original and reflects 100% ownership. Clear taste, strong POV, and videos that perform
- Experience creating episodic or repeatable formats, not just one-off hits
- Experience leading and/or contributing in writers’ rooms
- Deep understanding of TikTok & IG mechanics: hooks, loops, retention curves, and why people share
- Solid shooting skills (DSLR/mirrorless, lighting, audio in lean setups)
- Confidence directing talent, communicating across teams, adapting in real time and getting everyone excited and inspired
- Resourceful, fast, and comfortable figuring it out as you go
- A creator first, not just a producer
- You’re chronically tapped into culture and can’t help but analyze what’s working
- You have taste: you know what feels fresh vs. overdone immediately
- You’re an idea generator: you walk in with concepts and are excited to share and brainstorm
- You can zoom out (big idea) and zoom in (frame-level decisions)
- You like collaborating, but you’re not waiting for consensus to have a POV
- You care about making things people actually want to watch, not just content that “checks a box.”
- You’re versed in all aspects of social video creation. You can pick up a camera and hop into an edit
What the job involves
- This assignment posting is for an Agency Worker opportunity with People Inc. The Agency Worker is paid by a staffing agency employer. Agency Workers will receive a W2 from the staffing agency reporting their earnings for tax purposes
- The Video team at People Inc. is looking for a Social Video Director and Creative Lead to create bold, episodic, story-driven culture-shaping video for TikTok and Instagram
- This is not a traditional production role. This is for a true social creator: someone who has been making their own work for years, who lives on the internet (in a good way), and who instinctively understands what makes people stop scrolling
- At the core, this is an indie filmmaker in a social-first world. You have a point of view, you generate ideas out of thin air, and you don’t wait for someone else to make them real. You pick up a camera, jump into an edit, and make it happen
- You think in formats, aesthetics and genres, not just one-off videos. You know how to build an entire video series around a tight story arc, across multiple genres - doc, comedy, romance, drama. You craft the right aesthetics, timing, and social mechanics that drive audiences to watch, comment and share
- This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative leader to own some of our most visible videos across the world’s best brands like PEOPLE, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Byrdie - developing original concepts, launching episodic series, and directing standout content that commands attention
- Concept bold, social-first ideas built for TikTok and Instagram
- Create and launch episodic series across multiple genres
- Own projects end-to-end: from idea → shoot → edit → finalize
- Direct talent of all kinds (creators, celebs, real people) and get performances that feel natural, not forced
- Lead writers’ rooms in collaborative and focused way
- Be hands-on; largely directing and producing, but always eager to shape the work yourself when needed
- Build for performance: strong hooks, pacing, retention, rewatchability, and shareability are second nature
- Turn ideas into repeatable formats that can scale into franchises
- Stay deeply online: tracking trends, creators, and formats (you read Link in Bio, you know the microdrama arcs, you spot shifts early)
- Collaborate tightly across multiple teams. You will need to communicate and inspire to make ideas happen
- Move fast, stay scrappy, and still make it feel premium
- Part Time; Project-based (NYC office; in-person for shoots)
Application process
- Start Date: asap; flexible
- End Date: 8/30/2026 (with potential to extend)
Our take
People Inc., formerly Meredith Dotdash, is the largest digital and print publisher in the US. It encompasses over 40 brands including PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, Verywell and Allrecipes.
The approach that shaped this media giant was to build websites with fast load-times and few adds. A clean site keeps readers longer, boosting its rankings in search algorithms. Ads can then be less frequent but sold at a premium. Interestingly, the company was also an early adopter of affiliate links.
The merger that founded People Inc., that of Dotdash and Meredith, made Meredith sites faster and increased story output for Dotdash - a fruitful development on both sides. The company continues to move at the front of media tech, for example by launching a targeting tool named D/Cipher that enables intent-based targeting at scale, without cookies.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
3% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Complete medical/dental benefits
- Generous vacation and sick time
- Commuter program
- Discounted gym memberships
- Pet insurance
- 401(K) retirement plan
Company HQ
Battery Park City, New York, NY
Leadership
Neil Vogel
(CEO)Member of the Board of Directors at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Webby Media Group (Recognition Media), and a Venture Partner at FirstMark Capital.
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