Founding Director of Media
$90k - $170k USD
About NationGraph
NationGraph is making public sector data accessible and actionable for businesses selling to cities, counties, state agencies, schools, and special districts. NationGraph’s data and intelligence engine provides buying signals derived from millions of public sector sources. Founded in 2024, NationGraph is dedicated to making uncommon knowledge common, because public data should actually be public. Learn more at nationgraph.com
The Opportunity
We are not hiring a video producer. We are building an in-house media organization - and we are looking for someone to found it.
NationGraph sits at the intersection of data science, institutional systems, and democratic infrastructure. We are building software that helps uncover how local governments actually function - how budgets move, how decisions get made, how policies get implemented, and how systems shape the lives of millions of people. That story deserves to be told at the highest level.
Over the next 12–18 months, we intend to invest heavily in building this media function, not as a marketing experiment, but as a long-term institutional asset. This role is an opportunity to architect and lead that effort from day one.
What You'll Build
1. Product in Motion (Short-Form); Short-form content demonstrating how customers use NationGraph, what problems it solves, and how workflows change with better data. Cadence: consistent, disciplined, weekly.
2. Customer Heroes; Elevate our customers into protagonists. These stories become trust builders, sales accelerators, and institutional proof.
3. The NationGraph Journey; Document the intellectual debates, the modeling process, the culture, and the human side of high standards. Attract exceptional people through disciplined storytelling.
4. Long-Form Documentary; Produce documentary-style content exploring how America's local governments actually work. the invisible infrastructure of democracy. Investigative immersion meets systems-level clarity.
5. Intellectual Conversations; Build structured, in-depth dialogues with founders, public officials, researchers, and civic technologists. Deepen authority and create evergreen intellectual value.
Responsibilities
Design and own the editorial roadmap across all five content pillars
Define NationGraph's narrative voice, tone, and visual identity for media
Lead end-to-end production, from concept and scripting to shooting and post-production
Build internal production capability and manage freelance/post-production support
Work directly with founders to translate complex technical work into compelling stories
Travel for field shoots, customer interviews, and documentary production
Define and execute distribution strategy across LinkedIn, YouTube, and emerging platforms
Lay the foundation for a future media team as the organization scales
Who You Are
You think like a producer, not just an editor; you see the full arc from story to output
You understand narrative structure and can craft compelling stories about complex systems
You're comfortable interviewing highly intelligent, technical people and drawing out insight
You're deeply curious about systems, institutions, and how things actually work
You can move between scrappy, fast execution and polished, quality production
You have a strong portfolio demonstrating range: short-form, documentary, editorial, or branded content
You have experience with professional camera, lighting, and audio equipment
You're proficient in post-production tools (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, After Effects, or similar)
You want to build something enduring, not just execute on a content calendar
Nice to Have
Experience building a media function or content studio from scratch
Background in documentary filmmaking, journalism, or investigative storytelling
Familiarity with civic technology, government, or public sector
Experience with distribution strategy and audience growth on YouTube and LinkedIn
What We Offer
CA$90,000 – $170,000 based on experience
Equity in a high-growth well funded company
Large investment to build the media arm over 12–18 months
Health insurance and daily lunch
Direct collaboration with founders
The rare opportunity to architect a media organization from day one
Our Interview Process
We run a focused, high-signal process designed to be fast, thoughtful, and respectful of your time. Our goal is mutual clarity - not unnecessary hoops.
Round 1: Intro Conversation (30 min video call)
A short conversation to get to know each other.
We’ll talk about your background, motivations, and what you’re looking for. You’ll learn more about us, the role, and how we work.
Goal: Mutual fit and alignment on culture and values.
Round 2: Deep Dive (30-60min)
A working session where we explore your domain expertise and how you approach problems.
This is not trivia or gotcha questions - we’re interested in how you think.
Goal: Understand your depth, judgment, and problem-solving style.
Round 3: Case Exercise (Take-home or live)
A practical, real-world exercise that reflects the kind of work you’d do here.
You may complete it asynchronously or live with us depending on the role.
Goal: See what you can produce in your role.
Round 4: Final Round
You’ll spend with our founders, and dive deeper into how we’d work together.
Goal: Final mutual evaluation and, if there’s strong alignment, an offer.
Our Principles
Speed: We aim to move from round to offer quickly, we appreciate your time.
Respect: Every round has a clear purpose. No redundant interviews.
Signal over ceremony: We care more about what you’ve built and how you think than where you went to school.
Mutual evaluation: This is a two-way process. You’re interviewing us, too!
Bar-raising: Every hire should make the team stronger. When in doubt, we pass.
We believe in-person work is our default. We're building a team of people who desires to work side-by-side and shape the culture of a growing company. In our experiences, some of the best ideas come from being in the room, feeling the pain, hearing the nuance, and catching the details that are easy to miss.
At the same time, we’re flexible and supportive when working-from-home is needed to maintain a healthy, balanced work environment.