Nerdy Work Issue #7: Lots of Opportunities Amid the Madness
A super-sized list to make up for lost time
Hello!
It’s been a minute — well, actually a month. Sorry about that. Much of my work right now is politics-related, and with the United States turning into an evermore absurdist Armando Iannucci knockoff with tragic consequences, I haven’t had the time or bandwidth to do anything else (including sleep).
When you’re working as a freelancer, it’s hard to say no to any opportunity that comes your way, assuming it’s paid or offers to open a fair number of heretofore closed doors. Even getting to that point can be tough; I’ve been growing my political newsletter, Progressives Everywhere, for the last three years, and it’s only in this past year that any real external opportunities have come my way. It’s a slow crawl and I’m really just starting.
I think the way our job economy works is headed for some significant restructuring, especially in creative industries. My career is just as tenuous as everyone else’s, but if I had any advice to give, it’d be to find something you really enjoy and immerse yourself in it. Start a newsletter or podcast or Twitch/YouTube channel related to it and get to know the community around it. It’s easier to fake expertise with a track record (believe me!), and more broadly, the skills you’ll enhance and the people you’ll meet will be helpful. And of course, you’ll have more fun and meet new people.
Considering the audience of this newsletter, there’s a pretty solid chance that a majority of you have already been doing this for years. Either way, I’m going to soon start publishing interviews with successful people in creative fields, so there’s going to be plenty of more advice, from more impressive sources, coming your way.
As always, if you have a job listing or gig opportunity you want to share, let me know and I’ll get it in the newsletter!
Oh, and for the comments section: What is your dream project? If you could get paid to make or do anything, what would it be?
Oh, also: Could you share this newsletter with a few people? You can tweet it, forward it over email, whatever you want. The more readers and awareness, the more tips we’ll get on jobs and gigs. I want to get you exclusive opportunities! Please also hit the heart up top to help us rank higher on Substack. Thank you!
Writing and Editing and *Content*
Editor, Saga Press at Simon & Schuster | New York, NY
Entertainment Section Editor at Digital Trends | New York, NY
Editor at TV Line | New York, NY or LA
Science Writer at KBR for NASA Earth Science News | Greenbelt, MD
Arts Editor at Observer Media | New York, NY or Remote
Entertainment Writer at Endgame360 | Remote
Assistant Editor at Bon Appétit | New York, NY
Senior Culture Editor at BuzzFeed | New York, NY
Entertainment Writer at Polygon | Remote
Publications Editor at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures | LA
Localization Writer/Editor at Nintendo of America | Redmond, WA
Science Writer and Community Advocate at Giant Army | Remote
Managing Editor at The Plug | Atlanta, GA
Game Design Copywriter - Preschool Games at Hasbro | Pawtucket, RI
Seeking Pitches:
The Doe is accepting pitches for its upcoming Culture/Entertainment and Ancestry issues! Have a personal story related to these topics? Submit a pitch by sending a short summary (1-2 paragraphs) of your story to editors@thedoe.com or CLICK HERE. We publish personal, verified, unfiltered narratives only, directly from the source (you!). We pay $300 for stories.
PC Gamer is looking for pitches on a wide range of different topics.
EARMILK is looking for pitches about indie music.
A new horror zine from Killer Horror Critic is looking for “ghost stories & more spooky content,” deadline on December 1st.
Social Media, Marketing and Communications
Social Media Editor at Vice World News | Brooklyn, NY
Social Media Community Manager at The History Channel | New York, NY
Social Video Strategist and Content Creator, Marketing at YouTube | LA
Social Media Manager, BritBox at the BBC | New York, NY
Social Media Director at Evil Geniuses | Seattle, WA
Social Media Manager, The Dodo at Group Nine Media | New York, NY
Manager of Editorial & Publishing, Strong Black Lead at Netflix | LA
Social Media Strategist at Orange Theory | Houston, TX
Social Media Producer, evening/weekends at Washington Post | Washington, DC
Social Media Manager at NowThis | Los Angeles, CA
Social Media Coordinator at Primo Artists | New York, NY
Social Media Strategist at Crunchyroll | San Francisco, CA
Art, Drawing, Graphic Design
General Artist for Wizards of the Coast at Pipeworks | Remote
Graphic Designer at Ami Magazine | Brooklyn, NY
Junior Graphic Designer at Sustainable Ocean Alliance | Remote
Graphic Design Associate at Star City Games | Roanoke, VA
Brand Designer - Illustration at theSkimm | New York, NY
Senior Digital Designer, SELF at Conde Nast | New York, NY
Senior Brand Designer at Zendrive | Remote
Creative Director at DankStop | Edison, NJ
Assistant Graphic Designer at the Brooklyn Museum | Brooklyn, NY
Video and Audio Production
Gaming Preditor (project-based) at BuzzFeed | New York, NY or LA
Script Writer at Ninja Kidz Inc. | Draper, UT
Junior Video Producer, Cocoa Butter at BuzzFeed | New York, NY or LA
Creative Producer at Twitch | New York, NY
Multimedia Producer at DISH Network | Englewood, CO
Director of Video Production at Osmosis Films | Brooklyn, NY
Video Editor at Pegasystems | Cambridge, MA
Social Video Editor at Yelp | Remote
Video Producer at TODAY Digital at NBCUniversal | New York, NY
Video Producer at Vox Media | New York, NY
Video Editor at Sugarbush Resort | Warren, VT
Video Content Creator at the Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, MD
Multimedia Editor at Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois
Nerdy Work logo by Liz Lathem
For the comments section: What is your dream project? If you could get paid to make or do anything, what would it be?
My first dream job that I've thought about since I was a teenager would be to have a horror host show where I could not only talk about movies but music, comics, and art as well. I would also love to write comics/short stories in the schlock/b-movie genre, kind of a modern day EC Comics. Since last month was October I started a horror host YouTube channel as a creative outlet/to stay sane, and have been having a bunch of fun learning the technical side of it. I've also started to dabble in screenplays, trying to get my bad movie ideas down.
My dream project is more or less what I'm trying to work on now-- my post-apoc comic (currently doing thumbnails, I made enough money with commissions that I can take December off and work on it!). I'd like to be able to make money off of it, rather than having to take commissions and then work on it after, if I have the time. As well as some other comic projects later on. My non-personal project dream would be to work on some higher profile TTRPG art, like Grim Hollow or something similar. But I have to practice a lot before I can think of doing that :D.