Series Producer (Audio Longform)
A full time position at Message Heard , London, UK
Series Producer, Audio Longform
Message Heard. Story First. Everywhere.
About Message Heard
Message Heard is a London-based Digital Story Studio. Story First. Everywhere. Our roots are in podcasting, and we now develop, test and scale stories across audio, video, social and emerging formats.
We work with the BBC, Spotify, Wondery, Audible, Al Jazeera, The Standard, the House of Commons and the British Council. We are hiring a Series Producer, Audio Longform to grow our longform slate.
The role
You will take senior editorial ownership of a portfolio of shows inside our longform slate, tied to a major commissioner or partner relationship, and be accountable for how that portfolio performs.
You will shape the editorial direction of those shows, lead the team that makes them, and act as Message Heard's senior point of contact with the commissioner or partner.
What you will own
Relationships and outcomes
- Be Message Heard's senior voice in the room and the person the commissioner or partner comes to first
- Turn individual commissions and projects into returning, growing relationships
- Shape scope, schedule and ambition in a way that protects both the work and the slate
- Be accountable for the health of each show as a product: audience, recommissions or renewals, and the commercial performance that sits underneath it
- Grow the relationship by bringing new ideas, new formats and new business to the table
Editorial and creative
- Lead the creative direction of your portfolio from development through to delivery
- Set the editorial bar and back your team to meet it, stepping in on episode architecture, pacing, tone and scripting where it counts
- Make the senior calls on talent, contributors, structure and rights
- Hold the editorial line on sensitive, legally complex or current affairs material
- Turn ideas into treatments, scripts and pitch-ready materials
Team and delivery
- Lead a small in-house team of producers, assistant producers and production coordinators, raising craft standards and growing the people around you
- Build bespoke teams around each commission from a network of trusted freelancers, scaling specialist talent up and down as the story needs rather than defaulting to a fixed crew
- Work closely with the Production Manager on scheduling, resourcing and delivery, and with the Head of Sound on final sign off
- Work with post production, sound design and video teams to realise audio first work that travels across platforms
- Hold ambition on track when schedule, budget or resource tighten
What we are looking for
- Significant experience producing and delivering multi episode narrative or factual audio series for major broadcasters, platforms or production companies
- A track record of shows that built audiences, won recommissions or renewals, or grew a commissioner or partner relationship, not just hit time and budget
- Experience working directly with tier one commissioners and partners, such as BBC Radio 4, CBC, Sony or major brand and institutional clients, and growing those relationships over time rather than one project at a time
- The ability to steer commissioners, partners, talent and internal teams through the reality of getting work made
- An existing freelance network and the judgement to design the right team around each brief
- Sharp editorial judgement and storytelling instincts, with a body of narrative work to point to
- Experience leading and developing producers, researchers and freelance teams
- Commercial fluency: comfortable owning budgets and making smart trade offs between ambition and delivery
- Confident scriptwriting and editing instincts, and the judgement to know when to hold the pen and when to guide others
- Calm, collaborative and detail focused
Nice to have
- Experience with international co productions and complex rights conversations
- Familiarity with video podcasting, social cutdowns and multi platform storytelling
- Working knowledge of Descript, Adobe Audition or similar production tools
- Experience with immersive audio or advanced sound design
The details
Location: London, office based 4 to 5 days per week Contract: 6 to 12 months, fixed term Remuneration: Competitive, based on experience and structure of engagement Start: As soon as possible
Our commitment
Message Heard is an equal opportunity company. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive working environment for everyone. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply.
To apply
How to apply
Send to: contact@messageheard.com Include: CV and a short note on why this role is relevant to you
Please mention podnews.net in your application.
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