Buzzfeed Midweight Creative

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 team

We are looking for a passionate Midweight Creative to join our UK Branded Content team. Based in London and reporting to our Creative Director, you will create compelling branded campaigns full of boundary pushing ideas and impactful digital & social content strategies for AAA clients, seeing these through from pitch to delivery.

You are knowledgeable about digital publishing and social strategy, and have experience creating content in the sponsored content or advertising space. You have a natural understanding and passion for the digital, pop culture and lifestyle landscape, and an intimate knowledge of all things internet. You\’ll be collaborative with an excellent ability to collaborate, and inspire others in the business.

About you

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

You will:

Develop, deliver and communicate compelling campaigns for brands across multiple social platforms and content formats.

• Lead campaigns across BuzzFeed Inc. suite of brands including BuzzFeed, Seasoned, HuffPost and Tasty.
• Lead post-sale projects, from video treatments through to the final edit – ensuring excellent creative output.
• Act as a lead creative on shoots, in studio and on location.
• Present campaign pitches to clients, implement your ideas and knowing when to adapt to close the deal.
• Contribute in brainstorms and bring fresh thinking to the team
• Push the boundaries of branded content and be constantly exploring new formats and creating exciting campaigns by keeping finger on the pulse of trends, design and technology
• Rally the branded and wider commercial team around your ideas
• Be an ambassador for BuzzFeed Inc.

Essential skills and experience

You have:

Significant experience within advertising or sponsored/branded content.

• A social-first portfolio that shows us you can turn a brief into compelling work that turns heads and gets people talking.
• Experience leading post-production, from writing treatments, storyboards, scripts, and working alongside directors on shoots, through to the edit suite.
• An interest in and knowledge of the social web, including experience producing work for a variety of platforms, apps and social networks.
• Substantial experience in developing branded video campaigns
• A passion for all things post-production: shooting video and delivering an excellent edit that’s true to the creative vision sold into the client.
• A passion for creator content
• Knowledge of social ads with the ability to think about the unique challenges for brands and develop content that meets each partner\’s needs.
• Building insight-lead, pitch winning decks in Google Slides
• Client-facing experience, being comfortable pitching to clients, answering questions and problem solving on the fly.
• A working knowledge of the fundamentals of brand development, digital marketing, and the creative direction process.
• Excellent copywriting and editing skills

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.

To apply, please send an up-to-date CV along with a covering letter and salary expectations.

Due to the high volume of applications, we will only be contacting candidates who have been shortlisted and progressed through to the next stage.