Chief Strategist

| Greater NYC Area | Remote
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Hate the news? Us too. 

Lyceum is a new media company that aims to add value to people’s lives, rather than feed them garbage. Fact: the content of most media sucks because the content isn’t the product; the content is a vehicle to sell advertising. And the experience of consuming journalism feels so crappy to people because people aren’t the customer, the advertiser is. 

We’re reversing that. Lyceum is media for people. Actual people. 

So what does that mean? It means no clickbait, no hot takes, no commentary, no hate-stoking, no tribalism, no bullshit. 

No monetizing people’s attention. No getting them hooked on garbage. No selling rage. 

No ads, no surveillance, no sponsored content. No political or corporate allegiances, period. 

Can we do it? We know we can, but we’ll need to get creative. That’s where you come in. 

We’re looking for a Chief Strategist. This is a full-time position, but we’re open to a temp-to-perm contract if the situation calls for it. 

What you’ll do: 

Define:

➞ An innovative, competitive subscription model, with an eye to both growth and retention. 

➞ A brand-new patronage model for long-term fundraising.

➞ Non-predatory systems of analytics, feedback and projection, so that we can grow the company according to our values.

➞ New meanings for the words marketing, advertising, and PR.  

Connect:

➞ Seek out the most interesting, iconoclastic, cross-sector thinkers and get us into conversation with them.

➞ Start building the patronage relationships we’ll need in order to grow quickly.

Ideate:

➞ Work closely with the Editor in Chief and the Creative Director to envision what kinds of spaces the Lyceum brand might create (digital, print, IRL...). Lyceum will chiefly be an online publication, but subsequent years will see us expand into whatever mediums make sense for our growth. 

➞ Constantly push the boundaries of journalism and publishing into realms that put them into direct contact with the real world: the messy, scary, weird, profound, beautiful, ludicrous real world of life on planet Earth.

A little deeper…

The phrase “Think outside the box” has become virtually meaningless, having been parroted to death in the corporate literature of companies who have no interest in actually doing it. But the real problem with that phrase, for us, is that it’s a massive understatement. We’re not looking for someone who can think outside the box. We’re looking for someone who’s so far beyond the box, they can’t even see it. 

‘Cuz we’re not interested in reinventing the wheel. We’re out to defy every norm, steamroll every taboo, and make something truly new. How will we do it? Where can we pull ideas from? (Physics? Animal husbandry? Stonemasonry? Comedy?) What things—technologies, models, strategies—that don’t exist, do we need to invent in order to make what we want to make? That’s up to you. 

So who are you?

  • You’re honest, and you have a set of values that align with ours. We want a killer, no doubt, but our brand is manipulation-free and so are you. 

  • You have a minimum five years’ experience planning and executing large projects, preferably within arts nonprofit, journalism, PR, advertising, tech, marketing, event-planning, subscription-based services or similar. 

  • You have a minimum three years’ experience managing a team. 

  • You’re a money wizard. You’re going to be developing a brand-new economic model for media production, so you need to be a pro at forecasting, modeling, budgeting, and all the rest. 

  • You’re different. You zig when others zag. If given an option between two things, you look for the third option no one’s seeing. You are endlessly curious. You love to experiment, take risks, and ask the questions no one’s asking. In fact, you think asking good questions is infinitely more important than looking for answers. 

  • You’re confident, but humble. Willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Willing to make bold choices and then respond nimbly to the feedback. You have vision and style, a viewpoint, but you also relish learning from others. 

  • You’re hungry—really hungry—to make something brand spanking new. 

  • Lastly, and most importantly: You love talking to people. This is crucial. We’re building this company in conversation. So: you can talk. You can also listen. 

Why this is a great job:

  • It’s the opposite of a bullshit job. You’ll be creating something people actually want. That feels good. 

  • No corporate zombies here. We don’t believe in wasting your time with endless meetings, trainings, accountability reports, time tracking, paperwork, etc. You’ll get to be yourself, focus on your actual job, and spend your time making something great with people who don’t suck. 

  • You’ll have the opportunity to build something from scratch, according to your vision, and be given the resources and support to do it right. If you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is, so are we. 

  • While Lyceum is a startup in the traditional sense of the word, we’re already well-situated. We’re fully funded, to start with. We’re backed by some insanely smart people. We have a deeply researched mission, an identified audience, and a defined infrastructure to support our launch and growth. We’re ready to roll. 

  • If this becomes a permanent position, all the goods: medical, dental, vision, paid leave, vacation, year-end bonus. 

Things to consider: 

Despite all that jazz about being ready to roll, we are a new company. You need to be scrappy, cool with a startup environment, and down to wing it when we’re called to wing it. 

  • You’re going to be working alongside the Editor in Chief of Lyceum. If you need to be in lone wolf mode some of the time in order to come up with great ideas, that’s cool, but you also need to be a clear and willing communicator who is comfortable working in partnership with someone else. No micromanaging here, but we’re a team. 

  • Lyceum Media LLC is nonpartisan. Make sure you understand that word. Not bipartisan. Nonpartisan. As in, we do not engage in war: political, cultural or any other. As a company, a publication and a brand, we don’t have a political stance, and we never will. If that makes you uncomfortable for any reason, this isn’t the job for you. 

To apply: 

Write us a letter. Talk about relevant work experience, but keep it succinct. We care about who you are, what kind of values and vision you have, and what skills you can use to bring those values and vision into the world. Address those in your letter, and then tell us why this job, and Lyceum, are a good fit for you. 

Also incorporate answers to the following questions:

1. What’s your relationship to the news and journalism?

2. What’s a question you ask yourself a lot?

3. What’s a totally useless thing that you’re really good at?

Add anything else you want us to know. Be yourself. Use your own voice. Since we’re a brand-new company, you’ll probably have lots of questions for us, too. Put those in there. Use the body of the email to compose your letter, and attach your resumé in PDF format. Your letter should be no longer than the equivalent of two typed pages, single-spaced, or roughly 1000 words. 

If we feel you’re a fit for what we’ve outlined above, you’ll meet with our Head of Talent to discuss next steps. We’re going to be extremely selective in hiring for this role because, well, we’re worth it. 

Email your letter to: [email protected], and we’ll get back to you shortly.  

We can’t wait to meet you. 
 

Lyceum Media LLC provides equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. All are welcome here. 

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