Junior Editor Wanted – Cinematic True-Crime YouTube Series (Full-Time)

We're building out a true-crime storytelling channel and need a Junior Editor to work alongside our Senior Editor — with real potential to step into a Senior role on a second channel we're launching, likely within 4-6 months if the fit is right.

This is a full-time, long-term position. Not compatible with other jobs, freelance work, or side gigs — the pace and learning curve require your full attention. We're after someone who wants to genuinely grow as an editor over the next several years, not someone parking here temporarily.

Fair warning: this role is intense. You'll be trained on a structured production pipeline and will be expected to sharpen your skills continuously.

You won't be touching scripting, thumbnail creation, sound design, AI-generated visuals, final exports, or big-picture creative calls — at least not right away. Your job is execution: bringing scenes to life visually, pacing them well, and varying your editing choices (cuts, transitions, effects) under guidance from the Senior Editor. More than any technical skill, what matters most is taste.

Senior Editor handles:

• Titles, thumbnails, scripts, creative direction
• AI-generated visuals
• Cold open / intro
• Sound design and music
• Final review and export

You'll handle:

• Picking up the project after the cold open is locked
• Editing the body chapters into the timeline
• Aligning visuals tightly with narration
• Building out transitions, motion graphics, captions, and overlays
• Tuning each segment's pacing to match its tone
• Steering clear of repetitive or template-driven editing
• Marking timeline issues — missing footage, risky content, unclear direction
• Taking feedback and visibly improving with each project

You'll be given:

• A brief and title for each episode
• Scene-by-scene direction
• A pre-built Premiere Pro project
• Visual assets already sorted by scene
• Voiceover, licensed assets, and a style guide

Requirements

• Available daily; we publish multiple long-form episodes (35-55 min) per week
• A taste for slow-burn, cinematic, documentary-style editing — not fast-cut AI slop or recycled templates
• Minimum 1 year editing long-form YouTube content
• Understanding of narrative pacing and audience retention on YouTube
• Comfortable in Premiere Pro
• Strong eye for visual storytelling and cinematic timing (top priority)
• Quick, clear communicator
• Can execute a detailed SOP without needing hand-holding
• Willing to flag problems early instead of pushing a weak cut through
• Ambition to grow into a leadership editing role over time

Every episode should feel distinct — we're avoiding recycled transitions, repeated caption styles, stock-footage filler, predictable cutting rhythm, and anything that smells like an AI slideshow.

Pay & Growth

• Competitive starting rate, with bonuses and raises tied to channel growth
• Long-term track for the right person, with a path to a Senior Editor role on a future channel at higher pay

How to Apply

Step 1

1. Start your application with your favorite TV show or film.
2. Tell us in detail which of our reference edits resonated with you most, and why. Write it yourself — AI-written answers will be noticeable and won't help you.

Step 2 — Test Edit You'll get assets for a short non-commercial test edit (around 3 minutes). We're judging taste, pacing, visual choices, emotional storytelling, and your ability to match our existing style. Turnaround: 4 hours. This test carries far more weight than your written application.

Step 3 — Trial Selected candidates start a trial period working through our full workflow, feedback system, and SOP.

Not a Fit If

• You have no long-form editing background
• You lean on generic templates
• You think you can output several polished long-form videos daily
• You take feedback personally rather than professionally
• You can't operate inside a structured system
• You're slow to respond or don't respect turnaround times
• You don't value the work that goes into the scripts you're editing

Schedule Full-time, 8 hours/day, six days a week. 

Ideal Candidate

• Genuinely into storytelling and the YouTube format
• Background in cinematic-style edits
• Sharp sense of pacing and retention
• Fast, respectful communicator
• Comfortable using AI tools
• Reliable and structured in their approach
• In it for the long haul, aiming for a core team role
• Good instinct for selecting and sequencing visuals

Policy Knowledge Required

• Strong grasp of YouTube's inauthentic content and reused content policies
• General awareness of copyright/licensing rules, fake engagement policies, and Partner Program monetization guidelines

Tools

• Recent version of Premiere Pro, used as your primary tool (no substitutes)
• Dropbox
• An active AI tool subscription (ChatGPT Plus or equivalent)

Backed by a creator with several years of experience running successful niche YouTube channels, now expanding into new content verticals with a dedicated team.

Reference edits will be shared with applicants moving forward — study them closely before attempting the test.

Not the right fit for anyone looking for short-term, low-effort, or quick-turnaround work.