SHADOW is seeking a mid-level Social Video Editor to join us on a freelance contract basis and help turn raw footage into scroll-stopping content across TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube, and paid social. You'll own edits end to end, from assembly to final delivery, often working at the fast pace that social demands. This is a hands-on role for someone who truly understands short-form and what makes people stop scrolling, and who is comfortable jumping between a fast reactive trend edit at the start of the day and a structured narrative piece in the afternoon.
You'll work closely with our creative, strategy, and social teams to take briefs from concept to delivery, and you'll have input into how each piece is cut, paced, and finished.
This starts as a 3-month freelance contract, with a full-time day rate of $450–$600/day depending on experience. Based on your performance during the contract window and the continuation of work, this has potential to extend beyond the 3-months or become a full-time position.
What you'll do- Edit high-quality short- and long-form video for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube (Shorts and long-form), and paid social campaigns.
- Turn edits around quickly on reactive, trend-led, and time-sensitive content without compromising quality.
- Craft clear narrative and pacing: strong hooks, tight storytelling, and retention-focused structure built for each platform.
- Design and animate motion graphics, kinetic typography, lower-thirds, and light VFX to lift each edit.
- Cut performance creative for paid social: hook variations, UGC-style ads, and versions built for testing.
- Own the full post-production workflow in Premiere Pro (media management, project organisation, sound mixing, colour, captions, and clean exports to spec).
- Repurpose and reformat hero content into platform-native cutdowns across aspect ratios.
- Incorporate feedback efficiently across review rounds and deliver on deadline.
- Keep assets, projects, and file naming organized and easy to hand off.
- 2–4 years editing social-first video, with a portfolio or reel that shows range across platforms.
- Advanced Premiere Pro skills and a solid, self-sufficient post-production workflow.
- Strong motion graphics ability (After Effects proficiency preferred).
- A genuine feel for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube: you understand platform trends, formats, and what earns attention.
- Proven ability to work fast on reactive content while keeping edits polished.
- A storyteller's instinct for pacing, hooks, and emotional beats.
- Comfortable editing for paid social and an understanding of hook-led, test-driven performance creative.
- Solid grasp of sound design, music selection, captioning, and export specs.
- Self-directed, reliable, and easy to collaborate with remotely.
- Familiarity with DaVinci Resolve for color, or the wider Adobe Creative Cloud suite.
- Sound design and audio-mixing abilities.
- Experience working with brands, agencies, or in-house social teams.
- An eye for design (typography, layout, colour).
Send your reel or portfolio, a short note on your availability and rate, and a couple of examples of social work you're proud of to [email / application link]. Please include the platforms and formats you're strongest in.
Skills Required
- 2-4 years editing social-first video with portfolio or reel
- Advanced Premiere Pro skills and self-sufficient post-production workflow (media management, project organization, exports)
- Strong motion graphics ability
- After Effects proficiency
- Genuine understanding of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube formats and trends
- Proven ability to work fast on reactive, trend-led content while keeping edits polished
- Storyteller's instinct for pacing, hooks, and retention-focused structure
- Experience editing performance creative for paid social and test-driven hook variations
- Solid grasp of sound design, music selection, captioning, and export specs
- Self-directed, reliable, and able to collaborate remotely
- Familiarity with DaVinci Resolve or wider Adobe Creative Cloud suite
- Sound design and audio-mixing abilities
- Experience working with brands, agencies, or in-house social teams
- An eye for design (typography, layout, colour)
What We Do
SHADOW is a creative marketing and communications agency with integrated disciplines across media relations, influencer marketing, experiential and event production, social media management and content development. Using these services, we shape insights and ideas into stories, animate stories into moments and engineer moments into movements. We are also connectors – we create inter-client synergies to maximize opportunity as well as leverage industry relationships for introductions, partnerships, business development and more. With a robust portfolio of brand campaigns, cross-categorical experience, and a deep rolodex of industry relationships, we have captured the loyalty of some of the world’s most prestigious companies, including luxury and lifestyle brands, retailers, tech start-ups, publishers, personalities, non-profit organizations and hospitality groups. We are a New York-based agency, with a west coast presence made possible through our SHADOWest suite of services.
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