Canandaigua high school sports video reporter

The Canandaigua Daily Messenger/mpnnow.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is looking for a video-centered sports reporter to lead high school sports coverage and engage with audiences in the Canandaigua area and portions of New York state's Section V. We are seeking a reporter who gathers facts and interviews and delivers them regularly in the form of video - accompanied with text that often will be succinct. The role includes some traditional sportswriting - profiles of athletes and playoffs coverage and season preview content. Overall, however, it will be video driving coverage because that is how the target audiences - athletes and their friends and parents - consume a good deal of information on social media channels including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, where this reporter's work will be posted.

We want someone who understands the audience's habits and passions and meets those with timely, compelling content served up in the form audiences value and seek. Teamed with regular engagement - in person and digitally in places like Reddit - this reporter will become a trusted source of the ups and downs of varsity athletes and teams.

Responsibilities

• Create storytelling that accurately informs, entertains and engages specific audiences and platforms through the use of metrics.
• Daily, produce and edit high school sports video to share with audiences on social media and our own websites.
• Engage regularly with audience members on social media, including Reddit threads and AMAs, to build connection and insights about high school teams.
• Work toward becoming the community's leading voice of expertise in high school sports.
• Be a leading voice in high school sports and an expert on college sports recruiting.
• Follow the story, not the sports schedule. Coverage should set the stage for each season by pointing out teams and players to watch. It should highlight top performers, tell stories of participants, coaches and families overcoming adversity, and tell the story behind the story for great plays, championship teams and successful coaches and athletes.
• Contribute to the All-Greater Rochester team selection and content each sports season.
• Partner with other Gannett reporters in Rochester primarily but at times from around New York state.
• Connect with the community through storytelling and outreach (social media, on-camera video, our organization's tabling sessions).
• Work with editor and content strategist to evaluate what's working and what's not and develop ongoing plans to satisfy audience needs.
• Collaborate to provide appropriate elements for stories beyond video (text, photos and graphics).
• Promote personal brand, the brands of colleagues and the institutional brand.
• Provide great customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.

• Bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Previous sports reporting experience, including internships if relevant.
• Proficiency on social media platforms; including but not limited to Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Reddit.
• Experience shooting and editing photos and video on a mobile device.
• Strong communication skills, news judgment and headline-writing ability.
• Ability to multitask and excel under intense deadline pressure.
• Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently.
• Strong writing, spelling and grammar skills; familiarity with AP style.
• Ability to work nights and weekends.
• Comfort building a brand and communicating with athletes and coaches.
• This role requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation and the minimum liability insurance required by state law.

• Your resume - one to two pages.
• A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
• Links to 3-6 online samples of your work.