About us
The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.
The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.
Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.
We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York.
In 2024 The Independent’s portfolio of brands increased through a new licencing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc. to operate the BuzzFeed brands in the UK - BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK. The additional brands echo the existing business ethos and allow for increased audiences and a further strategic diversification of revenue streams.
The Role:
The Development Producer for Independent Media is tasked with building and running a slate of shows and programmes for our own channels, as well as brand partners and broadcasters/streamers.
You will work with our producers, journalists, and editors across all our brands to take our stories and access and package them into best-in-class formats and documentaries that will appeal to a broad international audience. You will help to identify and attract talent that can elevate our storytelling and extend our voice across all platforms. And you will be expected to be involved in the piloting of new digital formats and shows, working closely with our producers to make sure concepts are successfully carried through to delivery.
Overall, this is a hugely flexible role in a fast-moving media company that suits an inquisitive, entrepreneurial spirit. On any given day, you will be able to turn your hand to produce short-form formats, interview contributors, research stories, pitch, write scripts and treatments, design branding, and shoot or edit.
You are:
* A skilled writer and communicator able to turn around treatments and presentations quickly with a natural flair for aesthetics, story and character.
* Obsessed with culture - constantly on the lookout for new, original stories. From television, magazines, literature, academic papers, and TikTok, you draw inspiration from a broad range of sources.
* Journalistic at heart - you have an innate sense of what makes a great story and are happy to track down your own contributors and negotiate access to institutions and individuals.
* Able to manage your own workload, making decisions on where best to spend your time whilst clearly communicating your outputs.
You will have:
* A strong portfolio of treatments and presentations that communicate compelling ideas.
* Proven experience taking projects from initial brainstorming through commissioning and into production.
* Reasonable shooting and editing skills, able to create your own taster tapes where needed.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.
We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.
The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.
Our values – you will deliver across all our values
Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.
Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.
Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.