Video News Producer

Rooted in Arab arts, culture, and language, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture offers artistic and educational programming that enriches understanding and celebrates diversity, while supporting the pursuit and affirmation of Arab American cultural identity and playing a constructive civic role within broader American society. 

SUMMARY  

Al-Bustan News Service is looking for an ambitious video journalist / video news producer to join our team for a six-month Video News Production Fellowship. The Fellow will produce outstanding videos for our news site, covering Arab-American and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) communities in the Greater Philadelphia area. 

RESPONSIBILITIES 

We seek an experienced video journalist with camera and video editing skills, strong editorial judgment, a background in news production, strong communication skills, attention to detail, and an ability to identify and pursue local news stories. This position requires a clear understanding of journalistic ethics and standards, with a commitment to factual accuracy, an understanding of deadlines, and the ability to work both independently and with a team. The Fellow will work remotely and report to the Editor of Al-Bustan News Service. The Fellowship spans six months from the hire date, with the possibility of continued work with Al-Bustan News Service.  

Responsibilities include:  

• Produce, shoot, and edit two digital video stories per month for Al-Bustan’s News Service. Videos must run one to three-minute(s) in duration.  
• Complete videos assigned by the News Service Editor.  
• Pitch relevant story ideas. 
• Ensure that videos cover a range of issues impacting Philadelphia’s SWANA community, including labor, health, culture, arts, education, and politics. 
• Monitor news. 
• Produce interviews and B-roll in the field. 
• Shoot high quality footage on an HD (or better) video camera (DSLR, iPhone, etc…)  
• Edit videos in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. 
• Gather clean audio in the field. 
• Write strong, factual news scripts. 
• Collaborate with Al-Bustan’s Fellows, staff, and leadership.  
• Adhere to Al-Bustan’s editorial standards. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent  
• Minimum 1-3 years of experience with video journalism/production  
• Ability to produce, shoot, and edit news stories. 
• Skilled using video cameras. 
• Proficiency with the Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere Pro and After Effects) is strongly preferred. 
• Strong interviewing skills. 
• Excellent news judgment.  
• Ability to produce high-quality B-roll that illustrates the documented story. 
• Familiarity with news writing and AP style. 
• Ability to work under deadline. 
• Ability to work collaboratively. 
• Strong communication and organizational skills. 
• Passionate about news relevant to the Arab-American and larger SWANA communities 
• Commitment to independent media  
• Applicants must have a valid US work authorization  
• Ability to cover news stories within the Philadelphia area. 
• Ability to attend periodic meetings at our Philadelphia offices. 
• Being bilingual (Arabic/English) is a plus 

FELLOWSHIP DATES  

6 months, beginning Spring 2024 

COMPENSATION 

Fellows are paid $625 per video, though such terms are flexible, depending on length of video. There is a maximum compensation during the six-month fellowship of $7,500.