News Clip Research for Political Ads

News Video Clip Research – Need reel of specific video clips for Democratic political ads

I'm hiring two researchers who will work together to help identify 30 - 40 strong video news clips to be used in upcoming political ads for our pro-Democrat PAC. The job needs to begin ASAP.

One researcher will be at a lower hourly rate, and will select and identify news clips. The other will be paid a higher hourly rate, but work less hours; their job will be to direct the other researcher and oversee the final clips to be presented.

We are working on a limited budget, but we believe these ads will help us fundraise. If we are successful and the team works well together, we will produce more ads in the coming months.

Scripts for our ads will be provided to those hired. The scripts have numbers next to the video clips described. We may require that an Non-Disclosure Agreement be signed, agreeing that you will not share our scripts or the ideas in them.

The ideal candidates will have experience in news video clip research or political ad creation. We already have a main producer-editor who will create our final ads; he can start March 28 and wants to be provided a reel of video clips to draw from. So our work must be completed by March 28th.

In the US it's legal to get clips from major US network news reports, C-span, and other sources. However you should avoid pulling from conservative outlets like Fox News Channel. In the US, news clips may be used in most political ads.

In sum, we are looking for a highly detail-oriented researcher to find **specific TV news clips and online video segments** related to U.S. politics and listed issues.

**REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LOWER PAID RESEARCHER**

* First choice, compile clips on a video reel preceded by clip numbers, together with an index doc.
* Second choice, index doc with links to downloadable videos on a spreadsheet. Reel is preferred.

You will be responsible for identifying, sourcing, and delivering **accurate, time-stamped video clips** from broadcast news, cable, and digital platforms.

Strong preference for 1080p or 4K

Search for relevant clips across:

* National broadcast and cable news
* Online news platforms and YouTube
* Identify **specific quotes, moments, or language** based on our criteria.

* An "Index Doc" using Google Sheets or Excel spreadsheet should list the clip numbers, clip description in script, exact timestamps, Network (or video source), date of broadcast if available, If the video is long, such as Trump's State of the Union speech, include 2 extra columns listing times clips start and stop. Also show a column with a short written summary of each clip.

**Example Task:**

Find these recent clips from CNN and other US news networks:

War

We see quick clips of --
2. An oil refinery exploding
2a. Aerial shot/s of trucks / Iranian military targets exploding
3. Thousands of angry Iranians protesting the war
4. Listing burned out Thai oil tanker burning in the gulf.
4a. Other short images of the war

Cost of living
5. Sad family at a grocery store checkout stand - with cashier
5a. Sad family in a grocery store aisle, maybe taking something out of the shopping cart and putting it back on the shelf from a distance, no faces (faces would be too much)

Inflation
6. Chart showing graph rising, superimposed on a pile of cash, see what you find. Search stock video sites for the word inflation. Create a "Lightbox" or "Suggested videos” for us in our iStockPhoto and Shutterstock accounts.




**Requirements for the higher paid researcher:**

* Experience with media research, journalism, or video production
* Familiarity with U.S. news landscape (local + national)
* Strong attention to detail (accurate timestamps are critical)
* Ability to work quickly and meet deadlines
* Access to tools/databases like NewsON, YouTube Premium, or similar (bonus if you’ve used professional clipping services)

**Nice to Have (but not required):**

* Experience supporting political campaigns, PACs, or advocacy groups
* Access to paid media monitoring tools (e.g., NewsPower, Redlasso)
* Ability to download and deliver high-quality video files
* Clips may also be compiled on a video reel, but must be numbered

**Deliverables:**

* Work with the lower paid candidate and oversee their creation of the list of clips with links + timestamps , "In" and "Out" points for clips, clip numbers, and clip descriptions. Make sure lower-paid person is providing (MP4) if available, in 1080p or 4K (much preferred)
* Brief summary of each clip (1–2 sentences)

**Project Type:**

* Initial project: 1–3 days turnaround
* Ongoing work possible for the right candidate

**To Apply:**
Please include:

1. A brief description of similar work you’ve done
2. Tools/platforms you use to find video clips
3. Your availability (including turnaround time)
4. Helps to include your website showing related work and sample clips or portfolio

**Budget:**
Open to hourly or per-project pricing. Please include your hourly rate.