YouTube Editor - Freelance
Santa Monica, CA
Job Description The dedicated freelance YouTube Editor creates and refines long-form and short-form video content for YouTube and social platforms, playing a key role in the brand's video content strategy. The role owns the editing process for YouTube-bound content, transforming linear segments into YouTube-optimized long-form videos and editing YouTube-native programming with a focus on audience retention, strong hooks, pacing, and effective chaptering. The freelance YouTube Editor brings a deep understanding of YouTube and YouTube Shorts best practices, applying platform-specific storytelling techniques to maximize engagement and performance. As a member of the Long-Form Pod, the freelance YouTube Editor partners closely with the Long-Form Video Producer Lead to develop and deliver long-form content for the channel. The role also creates weekly podcast cutdowns for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram, turning recurring podcast episodes into compelling short-form content that extends audience reach across platforms. Working within the Director of Video Content's YouTube strategy and the Head of Social's broader social media strategy, the freelance YouTube Editor helps drive content performance through strong editorial judgment, creative storytelling, and platform-native execution. This freelance role is expected to be approximately 40 hours per week, with schedules aligned to tournament coverage needs. Flexibility to work weekends may be required during key tournaments and high-volume event periods. This freelance engagement is anticipated to run through December 2026, with the potential to be extended through the end of 2027 based on business needs and performance. This is a freelance role and onsite located in Santa Monica, CA. In this freelance role, you will... Lead YouTube Editing & Production (primary lane)
- Re-edit linear segments into YouTube-optimized long-form pieces (typically 8-25 minute range), with attention to retention pacing, hook structure, and chaptering.
- Produce and edit YouTube-native long-form content from scratch, in partnership with the Long-Form Video Producer Lead and the Director of Video Content.
- Maintain the YouTube content calendar in partnership with the Director of Video Content.
- Identify which linear content is best suited for YouTube re-editing; build relationships with the linear content team to access source material.
- Stage every YouTube upload for the Director of Video Content's pre-publish approval on brand-sensitive pieces; route SEO and thumbnail tests under the same approval flow.
- Cut the team's weekly podcast episodes down into platform-native short-form pieces for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram - the standing recurring deliverable for this lane.
- Identify the strongest moments in each weekly episode - clean takes, sharp quotes, debate beats, reactions - and cut them into 30-90 second vertical pieces with platform-native styling (captions, sound, hooks, aspect ratio).
- Adapt each cutdown across the three target platforms - Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels - with platform-appropriate length, pacing, captioning, and thumbnail/cover styling.
- Maintain a weekly cutdown publish cadence - typically 3-6 cuts per episode across the three platforms - coordinated with the Short-Form Pod and the on-shift coordinator on publish-window timing.
- Add platform-native styling to every cutdown (captions, sound mix, end cards) and a thumbnail/cover frame that holds up in feed.
- Partner with the Short-Form Video Producer Lead, the Social Media Specialist, and the on-shift coordinator on which cutdowns publish, when, and on which platforms.
- Apply Tennis Channel brand voice and visual standards on every YouTube piece and every podcast cutdown.
- Partner with the Tournament Highlights Editor and the Original/Long-Form Editor on occasional YouTube edits when their formats are a better fit.
- Pitch new YouTube formats and serialized programming ideas to the Director of Video Content.
- Stay current on Shorts, TikTok, and Reels for the podcast cutdown lane - sound choices, edit timing, hook structures that work for podcast-derived clips.
- Run platform-feature tests on YouTube (Shorts placements, Premieres, chapter strategy, format experiments); document what works and roll learnings into the strategy.
- Bring YouTube-driven and podcast-cutdown ideas to the Weekly Trending Content Meeting (chaired by the Senior Social Media Manager).
- Pair daily with the Long-Form Video Producer Lead in the Long-Form Pod on YouTube-bound long-form content - concept fit, on-site capture priorities, hand-off, finish.
- Partner with the Short-Form Pod and the Social Media Specialist on the podcast cutdown lane - what gets cut, what publishes, when, and on which platforms.
- Partner with Programming/Linear to identify which linear segments are candidates for YouTube re-editing; own the actual re-editing under the Director of Video Content's strategic direction.
- Coordinate with the Social Graphics Content Specialist on YouTube thumbnails, end cards, lower-thirds, and series art that wraps the channel.
- Coordinate with the on-shift coordinator on Shorts publish-window timing and cross-platform asset distribution.
- YouTube subscriber growth (+100% YoY) - primary KPI.
- Average view duration trend on YouTube.
- Click-through rate on uploads (target: 6%+ on most uploads, 8%+ on linear re-edits).
- Number of linear-to-YouTube re-edits published per month vs. plan.
- Audience retention curve quality (qualitative review of retention graphs).
- 3-5 years editing and/or producing YouTube content with documented growth results.
- Demonstrable track record on a brand or creator channel - must show analytics from prior work, not just edits.
- Strong understanding of YouTube algorithm fundamentals: retention, click-through rate, session time, watch time.
- Hands-on thumbnail design ability or strong art-direction skills with a designer.
- Hands-on short-form vertical editing for Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels - the podcast cutdown lane requires the same craft as a dedicated short-form editor.
- Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve fluency; CapCut Pro for fastest-turn cutdowns.
- Comfort writing - titles, descriptions, occasional voice-over scripts, podcast cutdown captions.
- Comfort working at high volume across two distinct cadences - multi-day YouTube production cycles and weekly podcast cutdown turnaround.
- Prior experience adapting linear/broadcast content for YouTube.
- Sports, news, or entertainment YouTube channel experience.
- Podcast or talk-show editing experience - knowing how to find the clip moment inside a long conversation.
- Familiarity with YouTube Studio, vidIQ or TubeBuddy, and basic SEO research tools.
Posted 2026-06-26
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