Director, Deep South Today Studios

Date Posted	June 04, 2026
Industry	Digital Media
Specialty	Not Specified
Remote / Telecommute	Telecommute
Job Status	Not Specified
Salary	Not Specified

Description:

About Deep South Today

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today, Verite News, The Current and, later in 2026, Arkansas Today.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.

With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability. Next up is Arkansas, where the launch of Arkansas Today represents an exciting new chapter in that mission.

About Deep South Today Studios

Deep South Today received a generous $3 million commitment from Andrew Lack to establish Deep South Today Studios and build out video journalism capacity across our network. This is one of the most significant gifts in the organization's history, and it reflects a shared conviction that the Deep South is one of the most important and underleveraged regions in American journalism. We have the stories, and we have proven we can write them better than anyone. This investment gives us the tools to tell them on video, at scale, with the depth and rigor they deserve.

At the heart of this plan is investigative video storytelling. The Deep South has long been a region where critical stories go untold or undertold — stories about power, accountability, poverty, environmental justice and democracy. Video journalism, done with the seriousness of purpose that defines our network's print and digital work, is an opportunity to reach audiences who have never engaged with those stories before and to make an impact that text alone cannot. We already know, thanks to an earlier pilot commitment from Andy Lack, that we are reaching more people than ever before with video. Now, we can dig much deeper.

Role summary

We are looking for the founding Director of Deep South Today Studios. This is a senior editorial leadership position and the first hire in a major network-wide expansion of our video journalism capabilities. The right candidate brings serious video and multimedia production experience and a journalist's instincts to understand how to tell the most compelling stories.

This role has three core responsibilities:

1. Network standards and frameworks. The Director will develop and implement clear, actionable video standards and frameworks for every newsroom in the DST network. This means creating a shared editorial language for video — from daily short-form content to long-form investigative pieces — and providing each newsroom the guidance it needs to produce consistently rigorous work. A particular priority is establishing strong editorial standards for investigative and accountability video journalism, drawing on the successful model that Mississippi Today has built over the past year.

2. Regional video production. The Director will also be a working journalist. From day one, this person will identify, develop and produce investigative and enterprise video stories for a regional audience, working across newsrooms on collaborative projects and building DST Studios into a recognized home for serious video journalism about the South. The Director will also identify future staffing needs and editorial opportunities for the network.

3. Video Monetization Strategy: The Director will lead and develop video monetization strategies for DST Studios and network newsrooms, driving audience revenue growth across ad-supported streaming platforms. They will expertise in video monetization, including CPM/RPM performance tracking, programmatic video advertising, branded content, including creator collabs, sponsorship integrations, and premium video programs driving subscriptions/memberships. They will closely collaborate across editorial, audience, and business teams on broader digital revenue initiatives.

What we’re looking for

• Degree in journalism, film, communications, or similar.

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience as a senior editor, producer or newsroom manager.

• Experience working in an online, digital-first news environment.

• Experience managing a budget.

• Good interpersonal skills.

• Attention to detail.

• Good decision-making skills.

• Strong leadership skills.

What you’ll get

• Salary: Up to $100,000

• Highly competitive benefits package, including medical insurance and options for vision and dental insurance.

• 29 days paid time off.

• Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.

• Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).

• Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.

Our commitment

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled.

Apply

https://deepsouthtoday.org/careers/director-deep-south-today-studios/