Graphic Designer - Freelance

Sinclair Broadcast Group•Santa Monica, CA

20h•$70,350 - $80,000•Onsite

About The Position

The dedicated freelance graphic designer on the team is accountable for the design-execution side of the graphics pipeline across social and YouTube. This role leads two named areas: YouTube thumbnails for every Director of Video Content-owned upload (linear re-edits, native long-form, serialized programming, branded series) and bespoke social-first graphics across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube, including tournament hype graphics, player win graphics, storyline graphics, and templated designs within Slate. The designer works downstream from the Social Graphics Content Specialist's concepts and briefs, and from the YouTube Editor's thumbnail direction, executing designs at premium quality and handing off finished assets for publishing. This is a cross-team freelance role partnering with the Senior Social Media Manager and the Social Graphics Content Specialist on the social side, and with the Director of Video Content and YouTube Editor on the video side. 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 located onsite in Santa Monica, CA.

Requirements

3-5 years in graphic design, ideally for sports, live event, or news brands.
Strong portfolio across all four named areas: YouTube thumbnails (with CTR or growth results where available), tournament/sports graphics, player and milestone graphics, and brand-led social design.
Hands-on fluency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects).
Hands-on experience with Slate or a comparable sports-broadcast graphics platform.
Strong typography, layout, and color sense; comfort working inside an established brand system and evolving it.
Strong file-management discipline — versioning, naming, asset library hygiene, hand-off readiness.
Comfort working under live-event deadlines and tournament publishing pressure with fast-turn output expectations.

Nice To Haves

Figma fluency a plus.
Tennis or sports knowledge a strong plus.
Training on Tennis Channel's specific Slate instance available if direct Slate experience isn't required.

Responsibilities

Design YouTube Thumbnails (primary lane): Lead YouTube thumbnail design across every Director of Video Content-owned upload — linear re-edits, YouTube-native long-form, serialized programming, branded series, and original concepts. Own thumbnail composition, typography, hierarchy, and brand-voice fit on every upload. A/B test thumbnails and titles where the YouTube Editor and Director of Video Content call for it; iterate on what's working based on CTR data. Maintain a thumbnail style guide that evolves with the channel.
Create Bespoke Social-First Graphics (primary lane): Lead bespoke social-first graphics across IG, FB, TikTok, X, and YouTube — tournament hype graphics, player win graphics, storyline graphics, and templated designs within Slate. Adapt every design across the relevant platform aspect ratios and sizing standards (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9, YouTube thumbnail, X cards) so every platform sees a native-feeling execution.
Manage the Brief-to-Execution Workflow: Take creative briefs from the Social Graphics Content Specialist — execute the design at premium quality and hand off the finished asset. Take YouTube thumbnail direction from the YouTube Editor and the Director of Video Content — execute thumbnails per channel and upload; A/B test where the YouTube Editor calls for it. Hand finished assets to the on-shift coordinator publish-ready — correct file format, sizing, copy locked, and any usage notes attached. Close the feedback loop with brief owners on what's working and what needs adjustment.
Drive Content & Creative Direction: Apply Tennis Channel brand voice and visual standards on every asset. Flag content-quality concerns up before assets go to the Senior Social Media Manager or Head of Social for final approval. Pitch new visual ideas to the Social Graphics Content Specialist and the Senior Social Media Manager.
Lead Campaign Execution: Lead design execution for tournament tentpoles and brand campaigns — hit publish-ready deadlines on the Tournament Coverage Plan and Master Cross-Platform Content Calendar. Lead thumbnail design for the Director of Video Content's video campaigns and serialized programming launches. Lead design execution for sponsor activations and branded series in coordination with brand, ad sales, the Social Graphics Content Specialist, and the Director of Video Content.
Stay Ahead of Platform Expertise & Trends: Stay current on platform-specific visual trends and best practices across IG, FB, TikTok, X, and YouTube. Maintain the Slate template library as the platform evolves and as brand voice shifts; refresh templates quarterly at minimum. Track YouTube thumbnail CTR with the YouTube Editor; iterate on what's working and surface learnings. Bring design ideas to the Weekly Trending Content Meeting when a visual trend is worth jumping on.
Partner Cross-Functionally: Partner with the Social Graphics Content Specialist on the brief-to-execution workflow. Partner with the YouTube Editor on YouTube thumbnail direction, A/B testing, and the channel's visual standard. Partner with the Director of Video Content on video-side graphics needs. Partner with the on-shift coordinator on finished-asset hand-off and publish-window timing. Coordinate with brand, ad sales, and PR on graphics needs for sponsor activations, branded series, and press moments.