Academic Credit: Offered upon the school department’s approval
Overview
The Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to renewing and advancing the values of liberal democracy in the U.S. and around the world. We promote intellectual humility and an empathetic approach to disagreement.
We have a small, tight-knit executive team, so interns will have the unique opportunity to learn all aspects of how to run an organization and make a personal impact on America’s democratic landscape. Because we are a start-up organization, interns should also be ready to play multiple roles as we have an “all hands on deck” mentality. All roles will have a mix of substantive and administrative responsibilities.
Interns will have unprecedented access to our Board of Directors through our lunch & learns and other events—including renowned chess grandmaster & Putin critic Garry Kasparov, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Lt. Col Alexander Vindman, Pulitzer Prize winner Bret Stephens, former head of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, and many others. Check out our website for more info!
About the role
This role will involve working on some combination of the below. Please review our existing videos and website to get a sense of what RDI videos and sound design are like.
- Driving video narratives with audio productions including music, sound design, and voice over that fulfills RDI vision and overall aesthetic;
- Mixing and mastering content that is structured with dialogue, music, and sound effects;
- Organizing media remotely and structuring audio files coherently between video production teams;
- Researching topics in relation to video productions in order to provide audio that is culturally relevant;
- Compositing music for social media content which includes utilizing instrumentation across several musical genres;
- Editing dialogue by removing noise, de-essing, de-plosive, and compressing all within the recommended LUFS for social media and following guidelines by Broadcast Level Standards and FCC Loudness regulations;
- Offer insight on sonic branding that aligns with RDI values;
- Creatively strategizing ways to generate positive publicity for RDI ;
- Assisting with the promotion of RDI video content;
- Communicating effectively and with integrity with a remote team across multiple time-zones.
Qualifications of an ideal candidate:
- Exceptional undergraduates, graduate students, recent grads; or those with relevant & commensurate work experience are encouraged to apply;
- Knowledge of sound designing, mixing, and mastering is a must;
- Knowledge of music composition, music theory, and orchestration is highly recommended;
- Alternatively to music composition is knowledge of audio libraries, samples, and stock music;
- Experience editing with Adobe Audition/Premiere Pro is recommended;
- Understanding audio encoding and optimization for multiple platform releases;
- Flexibility in interpreting and implementing sound design and sound effects for videos;
- Detail-oriented to a fault;
- In full support of RDI’s mission and values;
- Experience thinking through effective distribution of video content is a plus;
- Knowledge of graphic design is a plus;
- Open-minded and willing to interact with those whom they may disagree with;
- Social, articulate, and a self-starter unafraid to take initiative;
- Excellent communication skills.
Logistics & Benefits
- An ability to work remotely due to the pandemic and, if/when it’s safe to return to the office, an opportunity to work at an exciting start-up with unlimited snacks, coffee, and other perks;
- Our internships last 3-6 months. Interns can either work full time (40 hours/week) or part time (25+ hours/week); but can be flexible depending on applicant’s circumstance;
- Hours are flexible and we are willing to work around your academic schedule;
- An opportunity to work closely with senior organizational leadership, including the Executive Director and the Video Team, as well as access to members of the Board of Directors, and other individuals from RDI’s extended network;
- This is an unpaid internship;
- A typical day could include spending a few hours working with the video team; sourcing audio clips, sound effects, and music; and collaborating with other audio interns.
We will be recruiting on a rolling basis starting in March, but you may submit your application early to ensure that it will be considered. Please send a resume, brief cover letter (optional), examples of your audio/creative work to apply@rdi.org. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
