Temporary Producer III, Acquisitions & Development Lead

NPR•Washington, DC

17d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of the NPR Visuals Team, the Producer III is an experienced visual storyteller who brings strong editorial judgment and a distinct visual sensibility to NPR’s video work. This role is for a seasoned industry professional responsible for building and curating NPR Studios’ film slate, working across original development and acquisitions. The Producer III will leverage deep industry relationships and a strong understanding of the documentary marketplace, including financing, audience strategy, and distribution pathways. This role plays a central part in shaping NPR Studios identity as a national platform for cinematic digital-first documentary storytelling. Finally, the role will help define the editorial vision and external partnerships that position NPR Studios within the broader documentary ecosystem. This position may occasionally require working nights, weekends and holidays as needed and could require periodic travel. This position reports to the Director of NPR Visuals. This is a 3-year limited term position. This is a union represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA. This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff are defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.

Requirements

At least 8 years of film, documentary, or video storytelling experience, preferably with a studio, streaming platform, major network, public media organization, newsroom, or film festival.
Demonstrated experience of acquiring or developing documentary projects that reached distribution or festival exposure.
Experience evaluating projects for distribution across multiple platforms (broadcast, streaming, public media, social media, digital).
Experience with documentary financing structures, including grants, co-productions, waterfalls, and pre-sales.
Fluency in rights, licensing, and distribution frameworks across short- and long-form documentary.
Familiarity with the documentary ecosystem including distribution windows and festival circuits.
Strong understanding of copyright, fair use, E & O insurance, licensing, and ethical journalism practices.
Demonstrated relationships within the documentary industry (filmmakers, sales agents, producers, funders, distributors, film festivals, public media professionals, etc.).
Ability to consistently work well with others, demonstrating at all times respect for the diverse constituencies at NPR and within the public radio system.
Ability to work independently and as part of a cooperative, cross-departmental team.
Excellent communication and writing skills.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud programs used in video production (Premiere, After Effects, PhotoShop, Audition, Media Encoder), is valued, but not required.

Responsibilities

Identify, evaluate and pitch feature, series, and short documentary projects for acquisition from independent filmmakers, film festivals and production companies.
Scout and identify acquisition opportunities from film festivals, labs, and fellowships.
Build and maintain relationships with filmmakers, producers, funders, and institutions within the documentary and public media ecosystem.
Identify opportunities for co-production, co-financing, and strategic partnerships with public media entities, streamers, and independent producers.
Track emerging films across key festivals (Sundance, SXSW, Hot Docs, Tribeca, Camden, IDFA, etc.) and labs (Firelight, Film Independent, Chicken & Egg, SFFILM, etc.) to build a proactive acquisition pipeline.
Evaluate projects for multi-platform potential across NPR’s ecosystem (digital, audio, broadcast, social, and live events).
Shepherd original documentary concepts from idea stage through greenlight, working closely with directors and producers for both acquired and in-house productions.
Provide editorial and creative notes on outlines and cuts.
Manage the development slate, tracking project timelines and budgets.
Help shape NPR Studios’ long-term curatorial vision and editorial strategy
Source and develop original projects in collaboration with NPR journalists, reporters, and external filmmakers.
Translate reporting and field journalism into documentary concepts, pitches, and treatments.
Participate in pitch, proposal, and greenlighting discussions with leadership, including budget, editorial framing, and distribution strategy.
Cultivate a pipeline of emerging and established documentary talent.
Serve as a point of contact for filmmakers, production partners, film festivals, distributors, and broader industry.
Represent NPR Studios at festivals, film markets, conferences, and industry convenings.
Build partnerships with funders, labs, media research centers, public media organizations, and cultural institutions to support pipeline development.
Maintain a tracking database of submissions, active projects and acquired titles.
Prepare pitch, proposal, and greenlight materials for leadership to review.
Work with legal and business affairs to support acquisition negotiations and rights management.
Collaborate with distribution and audience teams to align acquisitions with rollout strategy.