Temporary Short Form Video Editor Jobs in Montclair, NJ

Dream Three is a production company founded by an award-winning filmmaker and a Broadway actor. We create high-impact, mainstream stories that awaken consciousness and drive cultural change. Our projects span mediums and genres to include scripted and unscripted, podcasts and music, theater and live events, publishing, and immersive experiences. We are an elite team: focused, high-trust, and relentlessly committed to mastery — not a 9-to-5 comfort zone. If you thrive in environments with radical candor, clear ownership, and big creative swings, you’ll feel at home here.

ROLE OVERVIEW

We’re looking for a Short Form Video Editor who lives and breathes vertical video to cut high-retention clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. You’ll turn long-form footage (interviews, BTS, podcasts) into tight, thumb-stopping edits that hook in the first 1–3 seconds, keep viewers watching, and drive follows. If you’re obsessed with hooks, pacing, and platform-based storytelling—and you can move quickly without losing taste—you’ll thrive here.

What Success Looks Like In This Role:

• You consistently deliver 3–5+ strong clips per week (0:15–2:00) from provided footage, on brief and on time.

• Your edits show clear hooks and high retention relative to baseline for each channel.

• Projects are tidy and easy to pick up—clean timelines, labeled exports, and organized media.

WHO YOU ARE

• You move fast but care a lot about taste and details.

• You’re comfortable getting direct creative feedback and iterating quickly.

• You love studying what works on TikTok/Reels/Shorts and can explain why a clip hits.

• You’re proactive: if a hook isn’t working, you suggest alternatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Edit 3–5+ short form clips per week from long form footage, with quick turnarounds (sometimes same day).

• Craft strong cold opens, trims, and pacing tailored to TikTok/Reels/Shorts.

• Add accurate, on-brand captions and punch up with motion graphics, callouts, emojis, and SFX when appropriate.

• Mix and sweeten audio (dialogue cleanup, music/SFX balance) and do basic color correction/matching.

• Version content for 9:16 / 1:1 / 16:9 and export platform-ready files with correct codecs and loudness.

• Package assets: clean project files, labeled exports, thumbnail pulls, and simple metadata (working title/tags).

• Keep projects organized in Dropbox/Drive per our file naming and folder conventions.

• Collaborate with producers/social strategists, take thorough notes, and turn revisions around promptly.

• Join regular Zoom/Slack check-ins for feedback and planning.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• 2+ years editing short-form content for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or equivalent experience demonstrated in portfolio.

• Proven hook-first storytelling for vertical video: you can articulate why something will stop a scroll.

• Proficiency in Adobe Premiere Pro as your primary NLE.

• Solid audio fundamentals: Denoise, EQ, compression, loudness targets for spoken word vertical content.

• Comfort designing and styling subtitles for vertical formats.

• Familiarity with current platform norms and trends (cuts, pacing, memes, sounds, transitions) without chasing every gimmick.

• Strong communication, time management, and reliability in a remote environment.

• Portfolio/reel of vertical edits (please include links; TikTok/Reels/Shorts links are ideal).

TOOLS YOU’LL USE

• Editing & Motion: Adobe Premiere Pro

• Review & Delivery: Frame.io, Dropbox

• Collaboration & Workflow: Slack, Zoom, Asana

We’ll provide our brand kit, fonts, LUTs, and delivery specs, and we’ll collaborate with you to evolve best practices over time.

PLUSES

• Experience cutting comedy, creator-led, or podcast-driven content.

• Basic thumbnail design skills (Photoshop/Illustrator/Canva).

• Familiarity with YouTube metadata and SEO for Shorts.

• Prior collaboration with a social strategist or growth lead.

• Proficiency in CapCut, Instagram Edits, or similar mobile tools—but not used as your primary editing tool.

• Adobe After Effects for motion graphics.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• Availability: Approximately 10–20 hours/week once ramped, with flexibility to scale up/down around releases.

• Location: Fully remote (must have reliable internet and a capable editing setup).

• Start Date: ASAP.

• Type: Freelance 1099 Contractor

• Reports to: Social Media Manager and Podcast Coordinator

• Senior Editors: On occasion, we hire senior-level editors at higher rates. If you feel this describes you, please note it in your application.

If this role feels like a stretch in all the right ways, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us how your skills, experience, and unique point of view can level up this team and the stories we’re bringing into the world.

Dream Three is an equal opportunity employer. We value a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and perspectives, and strongly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented communities to apply.