Coding Train Community Manager
Hi! I’m a teacher based in New York who makes video tutorials about creative coding, and I’m looking to hire a part-time community manager for the YouTube channel The Coding Train.
I teach full-time at ITP/IMA at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University and am also a director of The Processing Foundation. In 2012, I started recording video tutorials as supplemental material for the Learning Processing textbook and to be used alongside my courses at NYU. In July 2015, after a viewer requested versions at 2X speed, I uploaded ~100 introductory coding tutorials on Processing to YouTube.
A year later, for reasons I still cannot explain, hundreds of thousands of people decided to watch an ~30 minute video of me bumbling and struggling my way through coding a version of the snake game in p5.js.
While most videos don’t reach that level of viewership, the community has grown steadily and I’ve managed to live stream my recording sessions approximately once per week ever since. In April 2016, thanks to growing income from ads and crowdfunding, I was able to hire Mathieu Blanchette to help maintain the channel with a focus on video editing and uploads.
After a brief stint of celebrating one of my idols, Levar Burton, the channel was rebranded The Coding Train with designs by Jason Heglund and a music video produced and directed by Reed + Rader (song by Adam Blau.)
While I rely on enthusiastic and generous volunteers to help moderate the live stream chat and maintain the Coding Train website and associated GitHub source code repositories, the community has grown to the point where I believe that a dedicated person is a necessary addition for keeping the channel sustainable.
I love my work with ITP and Processing and have no plans to work on the channel full-time. Keeping up with the community is a challenge. I am hoping to collaborate with someone who has different and complementary skills, someone who can focus on outreach and making the community more welcoming and inclusive for people from all backgrounds and skill levels. I am looking for someone with writing, social media, and community management experience. No coding knowledge or experience required!
The community manager will be responsible for the following:
Video uploads
- Coordinate with editor Mathieu Blanchette on timing of uploads and release.
- Creation and curation of video thumbnails.
- Technical writing and curation of links for video descriptions.
- Coordination of closed captioning services and volunteer translation submissions.
Community Management
- Writing and enforcing the Coding Train Code of Conduct.
- Moderating YouTube comments and answering common questions from viewers.
- Overseeing @thecodingtrain social media including Twitter and…?
- Answer inquiries at info@thecodingtrain.com.
Crowdfunding and Merchandise
- Manage and maintain any crowdfunding platforms. (I currently use YouTube memberships and Patreon, but would like to consolidate and/or explore other services.)
- Are you actually reading these lists? Please include the word “rainbow” in your application.
- Coordinate all reward mailings (stickers, books, etc.)
- Manage and maintain merchandise store.
- Manage and maintain Amazon shopping page.
Requirements
- Based in the United States. Being based in or around New York City is a plus.
- Able to work roughly 8 hours per week.
- Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent. I need someone to create thumbnails and other design assets for the channel and associated websites.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills. Thinking one step ahead, and not afraid to ask questions.
- Some knowledge of content creation and social media. Bonus if you have worked in a similar position as a creator or manager of a YouTube channel, podcast, or other similar show.
Compensation and Timeline
Compensation commensurate on experience. The base compensation is $1000/month for ~8–10 hours/week of work, and I would like to hire someone who can start in April 2019.
To apply
Please fill out this google form by March 15, 2019. I may not be able to reply to all inquiries. If you have questions, please write to daniel at thecodingtrain dot com.
I am committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. People from groups underrepresented in the arts or tech fields are especially encouraged to apply.
🚂🙏🌈❤️🙏🌈❤️🙏🌈❤️
The form and style of this call was borrowed from Kyle McDonald, who borrowed from Lauren McCarthy, who borrowed from Taeyoon Choi, who had help from Tatyana Mustakos. Thank you!
