Arena Careers

Crooked believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.

This role is highly collaborative and works with all departments to ensure we create excellent content, showcase it on video and social, cross-pollinate it with our advocacy partners, and provide marketable and revenue-driving opportunities for our audience.

Crooked has adopted a hybrid work model for our entire staff. We believe that the best work is done in a hybrid capacity as it balances the flexibility of working from home with in-person collaboration. We are looking for Los Angeles-based candidates, or candidates willing to relocate before their start date.

How You’ll Spend Your Time:

Entertainment, Comedy & Culture Slate Programming & Production

• Develop, lead, and iterate on the long-term creative vision for all entertainment, comedy & culture podcasts and video originals
• Work with the CEO and board to determine goals and KPIs to ensure the podcast portfolio is both financially healthy and meeting Crooked’s taste level
• Coach and lead a strong team of Executive Producers, Producers, and hosts to drive a strong production pipeline that is nimble, iterative, and ready for breaking news moments at any time
• Ensure strong team cross-collaboration amongst Ad Ops, Marketing, Social, Video, Vote Save America, and Crooked Ideas to amplify content and calls to action
• Manage team budget and show forecasting
• Stay up-to-date on the latest entertainment, comedy & culture trends in the podcast, television, and digital spaces

Development

• Along with our Executive Producer of Development, drive the direction of our content growth strategy by leading show sourcing, pitch solicitation, and development projects that fit the Crooked brand voice and company objectives
• Partner with the SVP of News & Politics on the development of content in the news & politics space
• Oversee the development process, including the evaluation of source material and pitch meetings, evaluating for both the creative and business components of development. This includes talent relations, deal negotiations, and greenlighting
• Lead all aspects of pre-production and maintain consistency from production to final delivery
• Develop a talent pipeline for production partners, potential acquisitions, b2b or b2c partnerships, and emerging talent for future growth

Strategy & Talent Relations

• Serve as key contact for external partners, including sales partners, agencies, and other executives when negotiating deals for live, talent, or other partnerships
• Oversee data and KPI metrics for production portfolio and report out on trends, and make recommendations for show optimization or other remedies
• Develop overall entertainment, comedy & culture strategy and operations plan alongside the CEO, the board, and other key leaders
• Collaborate with other senior leaders on marketing and social promotion, calls to action and editorial messaging, budgeting, people development, and other business initiatives

Leadership Standards:

The following characteristics are required of those in leadership positions (Director and above) at Crooked Media. Each leadership characteristic is part of the annual evaluation process and all are critical to effective leadership to advance our organization:

• A strong sense of ownership and excitement related to our mission
• A self-starter and leader who will guide the way of our programming initiatives
• A strong collaborator, who is eager to create a positive environment to work well with others and bring multiple stakeholders together to accomplish amazing things
• A strategic thinker and doer who maintains a strong balance between creative vision and project management skills, which many times will require one to actively roll up their sleeves to bring great ideas to life
• A facilitator of constructive conversations, who values diverse perspectives and promotes critical thinking to ensure compelling ideas are shared and valued.

What You’ll Bring To The Table:

• 10-15 years of experience in media, 5-7 of which are at a senior leadership or executive level. Ideal candidates will have substantive experience in digital and new media
• Entrepreneurial, well-versed in the entertainment & culture landscape, and ready to build our slate out with funny, whip-smart talent that resonates with our audience
• Firm grasp on the media landscape, trends, and business levers to best leverage our slate
• Strong ability to create content that resonates with audience needs, market trends, and growth levers within a media business
• Understanding of business levers and experience managing multi-million dollar budgets
• Demonstrated understanding of production principles designed to drive consumption across various platforms
• A strong people manager who is affable and able to hold teams accountable to a standard of excellence
• An understanding of various production and analytics tools, like Simplecast and Adobe Suite would be nice

This job description provides a summary of how you’ll spend your time but is nowhere near exhaustive, so other duties may be assigned over time.

Pay and Perks:

At Crooked, we believe in paying employees competitive market salaries. And we also believe in providing holistic and rich benefits to all full time staff, including:

• Paid healthcare, with most individual plans paid fully by the company
• 401k match
• Generous vacation and paid leave including, sick, bereavement, pregnancy loss, and disability leaves
• 20 weeks of paid parental leave
• Commuter reimbursement or paid parking
• A monthly communications stipend
• Professional development opportunities
• And did we also mention our offices are closed at the end of the year?

Once we’re ready to extend an offer, we look at the individual’s years of relevant experience and other compensable factors to determine a competitive offer. And for this role, the total potential cash package ranges from $300,000 - $400,000, which is inclusive of a base salary and an annual bonus target. We evaluate bonuses based on company and individual goal achievements.