Junior Graphics Programmer Jobs in Connecticut (NOW HIRING)

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

Role Summary:

USA Sports is hiring a Producer-Editor, Branded Video & Graphics to join our growing Sports digital video editorial team. This role will assist with conceptualizing and executing our branded content creation and output, with an additional focus on leading our custom motion design integrations. The ideal candidate has a background in Sports and prior experience producing and editing digital video from end to end: from conceptualizing a project alongside sales, to producing, to editing the video. The ideal candidate is creative, adaptable, and very fast at producing and editing digital video content and should be fluent in the latest motion and static video graphic techniques, with a clear understanding of the key difference and parallels between traditional media and digital-first content.

The Producer-Editor, Branded Video & Graphics will work closely with producers, editors, and senior production staff on a variety of digital projects—including branded content, live streams, original digital series, and multi-platform video content designed for audience engagement, views, and revenue. You’ll support the full pipeline from ideation through post: pitching, organizing assets, establishing edit timelines, producing in the field, contributing to edits, ideating and delivering graphic enhancements, exporting and delivering content, and maintaining a smooth editorial workflow under tight deadlines. You should be very confident producing and managing a production in fast-paced environment and managing multiple versions/exports in order to support client needs. A strong understanding of how content performs across social and digital platforms is crucial.

Responsibilities:

• Develop deep expertise on the USA Sports portfolio — including brands, content themes, and audience insights — to inform strategic branded content opportunities and work with internal teams to ideate branded content opportunities and execute projects.
• Contribute to original content production, from ideation to edit to delivery, in communication and partnership with Director of Social Media and Sr. Manager, Video Production, Sr. Manager Branded Digital Video.
• Lead the creative vision for in-video graphics across branded and organic content as assigned.
• Contribute to the creative pipeline for branded content by creating compelling thought-starters, cross-platform property recommendations, and pitch materials across video, social, and live events
• Produce and edit all projects with ease in Adobe Premiere, AfterEffects and other tools as needed.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the larger sports calendar and work with peers to identify unique digital opportunities for coverage of tentpole events across brands.
• Work hand-in-hand with our leaders of Content, Editorial and Social Media to build a digital video program for Sports that meets KPIs across platforms. The ability to identify what is performing and pivot teams creatively and on programming to reach goals is a must.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across Sales, Marketing, Production, Legal, Finance, and Brand teams.
• Contribute to team brainstorms by pitching content ideas that will help build video views and revenue opportunities cross-platform.
• Comfort working on fast timelines in live sports and ability to quickly spot top performing moments. Weekends, odd hours etc. may be required per sports programming
• Develop and mentor junior talent, fostering a creative and collaborative team culture.

• BA or BS from a four-year accredited college or university or equivalent experience
• Minimum of (4) years of experience producing video content end-to-end for social & digital platforms at a professional, collegiate or agency / brand sports property, with 2-3 years of dedicated video graphic design experience as part of that work.
• Expert knowledge of a range of video & graphic formats and platform-specific best practices, with a deep understanding of how online video algorithms work and ways to best leverage content to grow audiences and viewership.
• Strong proficiency in digital video editing and storytelling, with a demonstrated ability to support the creation of high‑quality, on‑brand content for premium digital platforms.
• Excellent expertise with the Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator)
• Ability to ideate and work within existing graphic packages or build a cohesive look and feel from scratch if needed
• Experience working on commercial / branded content projects.
• Must be able to work under extremely tight deadlines
• Extensive knowledge of sports and internet culture
• Excellent writing and copywriting skills and the ability to work collaboratively with editors and content leaders to position our Sports content as an industry standard.
• Effective communicator capable of working closely with producers, directors of photography, production crews, editors, and graphics teams to maintain smooth post-production workflows.
• Willingness to be an individual contributor while working within a team environment and contribute to the overall brand’s growth and success

Eligibility Requirements:

• Interested candidates must submit a resume for this job online to be considered
• Must be willing to work in Stamford CT
• Must have work authorization to work in the United States
• Must be 18 years or older
• Must have ability to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings as needed.
• Occasional travel to on-site production, approx. 5-10% of year.

Desired Characteristics:

• Demonstrated knowledge of sports, ideally including any / all of the following: Golf, NASCAR, Premier League, WNBA, Volleyball.
• A passion for digital video content in general, sports storytelling, and lifestyle programming.
• Innate ability to judge which graphics are additive to a piece and move a story forward as well as an eye for color, typography and motion.
• Finger on the pulse of what branded content/branded video is resonating with clients in the sports media space. Clear understanding of how to create a winning pitch and a stellar branded video that aligns with client needs but speaks authentically to a sports audience
• The ability to translate linear content into digital-first storytelling
• Strong understanding of digital production trends and how to utilize them to optimize our properties.
• Dependable, collaborative, and proactive project manager with strong communication skills and a love for what they’re creating.
• Flexible and has ability to shift gears quickly between multiple campaigns and projects managed
• Strong understanding of digital trends
• Effective communication and experience working across multiple departments
• Excellent organization and time management skills with initiative and attention to detail.

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to candidateaccessibility@versantmedia.com.

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.