Video Audience Development Manager (freelance)
About The Position
Hearst Media Production Group is hiring a freelance Video Audience Development Manager to guide growth and performance in video, primarily for its Lucky Dog intellectual property. The role owns YouTube programming strategy, optimizes viewership and revenue, and automates executive-ready reporting. The successful candidate will combine deep YouTube platform expertise with analytical rigor, translating data-backed trends into practical production improvements while preserving audience trust. The position works alongside producers to provide data-informed creative direction and promotes best practices across production, design, talent, and sales. The position reports to the Senior Vice President, Licensing and Distribution. It is on-site four days per week at Hearst offices in either Glendale, California, or Charlotte, North Carolina.
Requirements
- At least 6 years of experience in digital video strategy, YouTube programming, audience development, or video analytics.
- Demonstrated success programming or operating a major YouTube channel or network, including titles and thumbnails, launch scheduling, and performance optimization.
- Advanced fluency in YouTube Studio analytics, content measurement, and experimentation frameworks, with the ability to translate metrics into creative direction without overfitting to noise.
- Experience building repeatable reporting systems and dashboards.
- Knowledge of YouTube monetization and sponsorship tools, including DAI Brand Partnership tools, creator-brand workflows, measurement, and brand-safety guidelines.
- Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to influence talent, creators, producers, editors, designers, and sales partners.
- Strong organization, initiative, project management instincts, and comfort solving problems with small teams.
- Avid and natural consumer of YouTube with strong ties to creators, producers, and networks in the space.
- Genuine passion and knowledge for pets and the industry’s creator ecosystem.
Nice To Haves
- Experience at a media company, creator network, or agency.
- Experience with Sheets or Excel and Looker Studio or Tableau.
- SQL, APIs, or lightweight scripting and automation experience.
Responsibilities
- Own programming strategy for HMPG’s Lucky Dog YouTube channel, including content direction, scheduling, and presentation.
- Define new KPIs, automate reports with practical takeaways, and implement YouTube platform standards to optimize engagement and revenue growth.
- Automate recurring weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting and deliver actionable insights to production, design, and editorial leadership.
- Partner with sponsorship sales to support YouTube monetization, including Brand Partnership tools, DAI-enabled capabilities, and campaign measurement best practices.
- Analyze historical and current viewership trends to inform content optimization, including topic selection, formats, runtimes, cadence, and seasonal programming.
- Develop recommendations to reach, engage, and retain new audiences across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snap.
- Lead testing across packaging, metadata, release timing, and channel presentation, and translate results into recommendations for creative and production teams.
- Improve Lucky Dog’s library and back catalog through playlist strategy, metadata refreshes, packaging updates, and resurfacing opportunities.
- Share YouTube and video best practices across the organization and align talent, production, sales, and design around performance-driven workflows.
- Partner with Content Operations on captioning, upload readiness, and publishing workflows to ensure consistent execution of platform best practices.
- Flag potential monetization, rights-management, or platform-policy issues and coordinate with internal stakeholders and platform partners to resolve them proactively.
Benefits
- Eligible employees can enroll in health coverage through Entertainment Partners’ EP Cares program.
- Medical coverage.
- Dental coverage.
- Vision coverage.
- Emotional wellness support.
- Additional benefits to meet employees’ and their families’ needs.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
