Hourly Content Development Pre-Production Assistant

Job Position(s): Hourly Content Development Pre-Production Assistant

Thomas Edison State University is hiring a Content Development Pre-Production Assistant in Trenton, NJ to build and manage the storytelling pipeline feeding the university’s multimedia content production. This role sits inside the Office of Communications and focuses on story development, pre-production coordination, and editorial support for video, podcast, and digital content projects. It suits a journalist or content producer who is comfortable working across development and pre-production workflow and wants to do meaningful work with real subjects and real stories.

About the Role

The Hourly Content Development Pre-Production Assistant works directly with the Director of Multimedia, contributing to content that spans video production, feature storytelling, social media campaigns, and podcast development. Day to day, this person is sourcing story subjects, conducting pre-interviews, drafting scripts and interview briefs, and keeping production schedules on track from first outreach through final delivery. The position is part-time at 25 hours per week, which makes it well suited to a working freelancer or someone building a production resume across multiple projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and identify story subjects, including students, alumni, and staff, whose experiences align with institutional content priorities and translate well to video or audio production formats.
• Conduct pre-interviews to assess story potential and develop narrative frameworks, interview briefs, and draft scripts for use in multimedia production.
• Manage the pre-production calendar, coordinating interview schedules, filming logistics, and project documentation to keep productions moving on deadline.
• Review recorded interviews to identify usable soundbites and key narrative themes that will drive editorial and post-production decisions.
• Serve as the primary contact for story participants from initial outreach through the end of production, including managing releases and approvals.
• Identify opportunities to repurpose content across platforms, including written features, social media campaigns, and episodic podcast development.

What You Bring

• Background in journalism, communications, or content production with experience managing a story pipeline from development through pre-production.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct and evaluate pre-interviews, draft scripts, and develop narrative concepts for video or audio formats.
• Experience coordinating production logistics across multiple concurrent projects with overlapping deadlines.
• Strong editorial instincts and the ability to identify what makes a story work on camera or in audio before production begins.
• Comfort working within an institutional communications department alongside writers, videographers, designers, and marketing staff.

Why This Role

Thomas Edison State University has served adult learners for over 50 years and produces content that documents real educational outcomes, which gives this work a subject matter depth that many content production roles do not offer. The Hourly Content Development Pre-Production Assistant position pays $25 to $30 per hour, which is competitive for a part-time pre-production role in the region. Thomas Edison State University is a stable institution with a committed communications team, and this role offers genuine development responsibility rather than administrative support work.

Apply now for the Hourly Content Development Pre-Production Assistant role at Thomas Edison State University and bring your pre-production and story development skills to a team doing work that matters.