Media Producers: Stories from Deep in the Heart Youth Audio Documentary Training Program

Texas Folklife is recruiting media producers with artistic/folklore/journalism/education aspirations to work with Stories from Deep in the Heart, our award-winning youth audio documentary training program. We work with Austin Independent School District and several local middle and high schools to produce community podcasts and in-depth audio documentaries about family and community traditions. Producers will be paid monthly at the rate of $15/hr.

This semester, we are looking for three (3) talented media producers and educators to join our team:

One (1) Media Producer / Classroom Assistant: As a classroom assistant, you will be guiding and advising students to help them finish their documentaries. This will be a once-a-week commitment running through most of the AISD Fall semester. You will be asked to help students with some or all of the following tasks: 1) understanding folklore, 2) scheduling interviews, 3) using audio recording technology, 4) logging audio footage, 5) writing a documentary script, 6) recording narration, 7) assembling and editing audio in Audacity, 8) finessing stories in Audacity, and 9) other miscellaneous tasks related to the production of a short radio piece. You will also be asked to file some short reports about the program and assist the director as necessary with limited organization and paperwork.

Two (2) Media Producers (Independent): As an independent producer, you will be given audio documentaries, interviews, and podcasts throughout the semester to polish and finesse. This is primarily a work-from-home assignment. Audio pieces will come in at various times throughout the semester, but most of your work will be in November and December. Turnaround time is crucial. When you get a piece or batch of pieces, we will give you a reasonable amount of time to finish them, but they must be finished to the best of your ability on time.

Required skills:

-Experience conducting recorded audio interviews

-Familiarity with audio recording equipment

-Familiarity with audio editing software (Audacity, Hindenburg, Pro Tools, Adobe Audition)

-Strong communication, writing, and presentation skills

-Excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills

-Strong organization and planning skills

-Ability to handle multiple priorities

-Proficiency in Microsoft Office software

-Knowledge and use of standard office equipment

-Comfortable performing data entry

The ideal media producer for these positions:

-works well with students and teachers in a classroom setting

-is reliable and sticks to deadlines

-is able to step into a variety of roles to help kids produce their stories

-has an interest in fostering diverse arts, culture, and community traditions

-is well-versed in audio editing software and techniques

-has experience with journalism, creative writing, and storycraft

How To Apply: Send a resume and an audio production work sample to stories@texasfolklife.org.