--- title: 'Senior Producer, Video & Live Journalism at Semafor' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-producer-video-live-journalism-semafor-new-york-2b149xkn4thq' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-17' --- # Senior Producer, Video & Live Journalism at Semafor - **Company:** Semafor - **Location:** New York, NY / Washington, DC - **Posted:** 2026-08-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-17 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/semafor/jobs/4724228005 ## Job description ## Who we are Semafor is a global news platform for an increasingly complex world in which consumers are overwhelmed by too many news sources and unsure what to trust. We are building Semafor to enable world-class journalists to deliver reporting and insights with rigor in journalistic forms that ensure a new level of transparency. Our editors and reporters distill the most important stories from all over in formats that uncover the forces shaping the stories, explain the interests behind polarizing narratives, and replenish the stock of shared facts. As a global platform, Semafor recognizes that smart people can disagree and that informed readers need to understand alternative points of view from competing centers of power and culture in a multi-polar world. Want to join us? Read on. ## About the Role Semafor is seeking a Senior Producer, Video & Live Journalism to lead the editorial and production execution of our interview-led video programming, with an initial focus on conversations with CEOs and other consequential global decision-makers. This person will play a central role in producing across a range of Semafor shows. Semafor brings policy makers and business leaders into substantive, newsworthy conversations about the decisions shaping their companies and the new world economy. The Senior Producer will also help define how video extends the reach and impact of Semafor’s journalism. Working closely with the newsroom, audience, and live journalism teams, this person will shape the strategy around livestreams, what should be reimagined as on-demand programming, and how Semafor’s gatherings can generate distinctive video before, during, and after each event. This is both a strategic and hands-on role. The ideal candidate can sharpen the editorial thesis of an interview, prepare a host for a high-stakes conversation, run a multi-camera production, give decisive notes in the edit, and use audience data to make the next episode better. ## Responsibilities - Own interview shows from idea to publication. Lead the end-to-end production of CEO and executive interview programming, including editorial development, research, pre-interviews, host preparation, rundowns, scripts, production, post-production, and final publishing. - Work with hosts, reporters, and editors to identify the decisions, tensions, and moments of judgment that will produce candid, news-making interviews rather than conventional executive profiles. - Produce hosts and editorial talent. Help hosts refine their on-camera voice, interview approach, pacing, and chemistry. Provide clear feedback before, during, and after production. - Lead video production. Manage studio, field, remote, and event-based shoots, including crews, editors, lighting and audio teams, production vendors, schedules, budgets, travel, releases, and technical requirements. - Partner with the live-journalism and events teams to identify the sessions, speakers, and moments with the greatest video potential. Build capture and distribution plans that distinguish between live utility and durable, on-demand programming. - Extend the life of Semafor’s events. Create intentional packages around marquee events, including livestreams, full conversations, backstage interviews, field pieces, previews, recaps, and short-form excerpts. - Direct the edit and maintain a high creative bar. Shape long-form episodes, trailers, cold opens, promotional assets, and social cuts. Give precise notes on story structure, pacing, visuals, sound, graphics, and tone. - Build platform-native distribution plans. Work with Semafor’s audience team on titles, thumbnails, descriptions, chapters, clips, publishing cadence. - Use data to improve the journalism. Analyze audience retention, watch time, click-through rates, completion rates, returning viewers, and other platform-specific signals. Turn those insights into practical changes to format, packaging, episode structure, and distribution. - Build scalable production systems. Establish repeatable workflows, calendars, templates, review processes, and quality-control standards that allow Semafor to produce ambitious work consistently and efficiently. - Protect Semafor’s editorial standards. Ensure that scripts, interviews, edits, headlines, and promotional materials meet the highest standards for accuracy, fairness, transparency, and editorial independence. ## Qualifications - At least 7 years of experience in a newsroom, broadcast organization, or digital news operation, with significant responsibility for video journalism or interview-led programming. - Exceptional editorial judgment and a strong grasp of business, economics, politics, technology, global affairs, and the forces affecting corporate leadership. - Experience working directly with prominent hosts, reporters, correspondents, executives, or public figures. You are comfortable operating around senior talent without becoming deferential or losing sight of the journalism. - A sophisticated understanding of YouTube and LinkedIn, including how audience expectations, packaging, tone, length, and measures of success differ across the two platforms. - Strong technical fluency across production and post-production. You do not need to perform every production function yourself, but you must understand cameras, lighting, audio, editing, livestreaming, and delivery well enough to make informed decisions. - An entrepreneurial approach and willingness to operate in a growing newsroom where the person defining the strategy is often also responsible for executing it. Compensation: The salary range for this role is $130,000 - $160,000 annually based on individual candidate experience and skills. Additional job details Semafor offers a Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy to our full-time, salaried employees who may take paid time off as-needed without a prescribed limit or defined balance. Semafor, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Semafor, Inc. will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. ## About Semafor ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Semafor is an intelligent, transparent global news platform that delivers original reporting, analysis, and high-level live journalism convenings for global decision-makers. - **Entity Type**: Private (Venture-backed) - **Headquarters**: Washington, D.C., United States - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Ben Smith, Justin B. Smith ## Core Business - **Industry**: Digital news media, live journalism events - **Target Customers**: B2B primarily (C-suite executives, global leaders, policymakers) and B2C (curious, informed global audience) - **Mission**: To provide an unparalleled level of journalistic transparency through innovative new forms, cutting through the noise of the news cycle with smart, distilled views and exploring competing perspectives across borders for a curious, new global audience. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) ## Products & Services - **Semafor Daily News Briefings**: A suite of paid and free email-first publications covering key verticals, including: - **Semafor DC**: A daily guide to power and policy in Washington (publishing twice daily starting March 2026). - **Semafor Business**: A daily first-read for global business leaders. - **Semafor Gulf**: A daily first-read covering the Gulf region. - **CEO Signal**: An invitation-only newsletter with 75% of Fortune 500 company CEOs as engaged subscribers. - **Flagship News Website**: Original reporting, analysis, and features from global reporting hubs. - **Semafor Live Journalism & Events**: High-level global convenings connecting public and private sector leaders, including: - **Semafor World Economy Summit**: The largest annual gathering of CEOs in the United States. - **The Next Three Billion**: A platform focused on emerging economies. - **Future Products**: Semafor plans to launch a new **CEO-focused China news briefing** and new **audio and video products** in 2026. [Semafor Press Release](https://www.semafor.com/article/01/07/2026/semafor-marks-record-growth-and-profitability-for-global-news-media-launches-major-editorial-and-live-journalism-expansion) ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: **Annual Revenue of $40 million** (2025), achieving full-year **profitability** with **$2 million in EBITDA**. - **Total Funding**: **$74 million** across 3 rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed, and a recent Venture round closed in early 2026). - Pre-Seed Round (June 2022): $25 million from 7 investors. - Seed Round (May 2023): $19 million from 6 investors. - Venture Round (January 2026): $30 million from 5 investors. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly named in public sources, but backed by venture capital. - **Growth Signals**: - **Workforce**: 129 employees (+37.3% year-over-year). [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/semaformedia) - **Subscribers**: Over 1 million email subscriptions, heavily concentrated among C-suite leaders. - **Recognition**: Named to Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024 for "rewriting the story" on international reporting. - **Geographic Expansion**: Reporting hubs in Washington DC, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Gulf. Plans to expand into Asia in 2026. ## Competitive Advantages - **Innovative "Semaform" Format**: The platform’s journalistic structure explicitly separates facts, analysis, opinion, and counter-narratives to rebuild trust with audiences. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) - **High-Value Audience**: A highly concentrated, engaged subscriber base of global C-suite leaders and policymakers, creating a premium B2B brand for both news and events. - **Founding Team**: Led by two veteran media executives: Justin B. Smith (ex-CEO of Bloomberg Media, co-founder of Quartz) and Ben Smith (ex-Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed News, media columnist for The New York Times). - **Profitable Business Model in Digital Media**: Achieving profitability within three years is a significant differentiator in the current media landscape. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale Editorial Operations**: Expanding the frequency of key newsletters (Semafor DC, Business, Gulf) and launching new ones (China briefing). - **Expand Live Journalism**: Growing flagship events (World Economy Summit from 3 days to 5) and scaling global convenings in new markets (Asia, Gulf, Africa). - **Product Expansion**: Developing new audio and video products for decision-makers. - **Hiring for Growth**: Actively adding to its team of beat-defining journalists and commercial staff in key markets globally. ## Why Work Here - **High-Impact, High-Profile Work**: Opportunity to build a next-generation global news platform from a growth-stage startup that is already profitable. - **Growth Trajectory**: The company is aggressively expanding its editorial team, events, and product lines, offering significant career growth potential. - **Culture of Transparency**: The company’s entire product mission is built on journalistic transparency and rebuilding trust, which likely permeates the internal culture. - **Workplace Policy**: The company has a hybrid presence with offices in New York, Washington D.C., and London, as well as staff in hubs like the Gulf and Africa. - **Notable Perks**: Working with a high-caliber team of journalists and a strong leadership team with deep media industry experience. The company appears to have a high-performance culture focused on results and growth. ## Sources 1. [Semafor About Page](https://www.semafor.com/about) 2. [Semafor Press Release (Record Growth)](https://www.semafor.com/article/01/07/2026/semafor-marks-record-growth-and-profitability-for-global-news-media-launches-major-editorial-and-live-journalism-expansion) 3. [Semafor LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/semaformedia) 4. [Semafor Careers Page (Greenhouse)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/semafor) 5. [Semafor Website](https://www.semafor.com/) ## Other roles at Semafor - [Event Coordinator, Live Journalism](https://feeny.ai/job/event-coordinator-live-journalism-semafor-washington-ansm654chhzj) — Washington, DC - [Editorial Event Producer - Contract Opportunity](https://feeny.ai/job/editorial-event-producer-contract-opportunity-semafor-remote-q5m4xeqk7xgf) - [Spend Management Lead (Accounts Payable & T&E)](https://feeny.ai/job/spend-management-lead-accounts-payable-t-e-semafor-new-york-sndvfc5x2v49) — New York, NY - [Flagship Lead Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/flagship-lead-editor-semafor-london-england-xgb08txz375q) — London England, United Kingdom - [Digital & Social Platform Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/digital-social-platform-editor-semafor-new-york-0307tzhkmskg) — New York, NY - [Video Producer Fellowship](https://feeny.ai/job/video-producer-fellowship-semafor-new-york-8tnvtw2vq57w) — New York, NY - [Senior Manager, HR Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-hr-operations-semafor-new-york-03wa01wbtz2a) — New York, NY - [Senior Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-semafor-new-york-b05tph3d63tv) — New York, NY - [Senior Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-designer-semafor-new-york-vm2s8fnfhnjn) — New York, NY - [Asia Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/asia-editor-semafor-remote-0yw83jz53cx0)