Head of Editorial & Production
The Knowledge Project, a Farnam Street Podcast
Location: Remote | Reports To: Shane Parrish
Shane Parrish hosts The Knowledge Project, a long-form video podcast that reaches over 100 million people a year. His guest list includes Morgan Housel, April Dunford, and Brad Jacobs, along with authors, investors, and operators whose ideas actually change how people make decisions. The audience is sharp, intellectually curious, and unforgiving of wasted time. They notice when the audio is off, when a cut breaks rhythm, and when a clip starts too late.
Farnam Street runs with three people. This role reports directly to Shane, and there is no layer between you and the finished product. Shane has described his working style as either 10,000 feet or the atomic level, and he expects the person in this seat to operate the same way. Production exists, but it has never had a dedicated owner. That changes with this hire. Shane described the standard he wants as something "like an orchestra," and you could be the conductor.
About the Role
Production is currently contracted out. Shane is looking for someone to own the editorial decisions and production full-time. He rates the current production at 7, and he wants a 10. The gap is not just polish but also editorial judgment, and closing that gap is the purpose of this hire.
Here’s what's missing:
Knowing where to start an episode so the most valuable insight leads
Restructuring a two-hour conversation, so it holds attention like a composed piece rather than a recorded one
Choosing the three-second hook on a clip that earns the next thirty seconds from someone who was about to keep scrolling.
The show operates on a steady release rhythm with each episode running ~90 minutes to two hours. Half the audience listens on audio. A quarter watches on TV. The rest are on YouTube, Spotify, and mobile devices. Your work has to hold up across all of them.
This is a production role, not an editing role. The distinction matters. Editors clean up what was recorded. This job requires you not only to do that but also to reshape it. The most valuable moments in a conversation often land in the middle, after the guest has warmed up and moved past surface-level answers. Your job is to restructure those conversations so the strongest material leads, the pacing earns every minute, and the final product feels composed rather than assembled. Filler, repetition, and dead space come out. Music overlays land with precision. Ad insertion and removal happen without disrupting flow. Every word in the first thirty minutes needs to earn its place.
Beyond long-form episodes, you will identify and produce short-form clips for YouTube Shorts, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn. Each clip needs to hook within 3–7 seconds and sustain attention without sensationalism. This audience does not respond to clickbait. They respond to substance delivered with craft. Where a clip starts is the most important decision you will make on the short-form side.
You will also handle pre-production logistics when needed: coordinating with recording studios remotely, reviewing camera setups and lighting via video before recording day, and maintaining consistent capture standards across locations so the raw material you receive is workable.
The Goal: Elevate production from its current level to broadcast quality within six months, operating independently within the first 90 days.
Farnam Street is a media company built around knowledge, decision-making, and mental models. The platform spans the long-form video podcast, a blog read by millions, a weekly newsletter, a paid membership community, and live events.
Shane Parrish, the founder, is a former Canadian intelligence executive and bestselling author of Clear Thinking. The company is bootstrapped, profitable, and advertising-driven. Revenue ties directly to reach, which means the quality of the content you produce has a measurable impact on the business.
About the Company
Outcomes You’ll Be Responsible For
Own the end-to-end production workflow from raw footage through editing, draft delivery, feedback incorporation, and final publishing
Produce video podcast episodes at broadcast quality: balanced audio, consistent color grading, multi-camera editing, and precise music overlay and ad insertion
Restructure conversations so the most valuable content surfaces early and every segment earns its place in the episode
Identify and produce short-form clips from each episode with platform-appropriate formatting across YouTube Shorts, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn
Coordinate pre-production logistics remotely, including studio vetting, camera setup review, and lighting confirmation
Propose structural and editorial changes proactively, and defend those decisions when your judgment and Shane's differ
The Person We’re Looking For
Editorial Judgment and Long-Form Instinct
The first thing we evaluate is whether you can take a two-hour conversation between Shane and a guest who buries their sharpest insight forty-five minutes in and turn it into something a viewer stays with from the opening seconds. This is not about cutting for time. It is about understanding what matters, what order it should land in, and how to make the restructuring invisible. Your portfolio should show this. If your work samples are clean but linear, meaning the conversation plays in the order it was recorded with some trims, that tells us you are an editor. We need a producer.
Audience Awareness
Farnam Street's audience is business-minded, well-read, and protective of their time. They are not browsing for entertainment. They are choosing to spend 90 minutes with an episode because they expect to come away thinking differently. Clips that work for this audience are not the loudest moment or the most emotional soundbite. They are the moment where an idea clicks, framed so tightly that the viewer cannot scroll past it. If you have produced content for intellectually driven, niche, or educated audiences, that experience translates directly. If your background is primarily in entertainment or general consumer content, the adjustment is real and worth being honest about.
Independent Operation
You will receive raw footage, context on the conversation, and access to Shane for questions. From there, you produce. After onboarding, the expectation is that you deliver work requiring minimal revision. When your editorial instinct differs from Shane's, you should be able to explain your reasoning, not defer by default. This role is built for someone who wants ownership, not direction.
Technical Range
You should be proficient in at least one primary NLE (Premiere Pro, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve) with demonstrated ability in color grading, multi-camera editing, and broadcast-quality finishing. Audio editing needs to be at a level where level balancing, noise reduction, filler removal, and music integration are second nature. Familiarity with AI-assisted editing tools like Descript or Opus Clip is relevant, as the team already uses internal AI tools for clip identification and expects this person to work alongside those systems, applying judgment where the machine falls short.
Qualifications
3+ years editing long-form audio and video content (60–90+ minutes), with portfolio evidence of restructuring conversations for narrative flow and retention
Proficiency in Premiere Pro, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, or equivalent NLE, with demonstrated color grading and multi-camera editing capability
Broadcast-quality audio editing: level balancing, noise reduction, filler removal, and music overlay
Experience creating short-form clips from long-form content with strong hooks and platform-appropriate formatting
Proven ability to work remotely with full autonomy, managing deadlines and communicating proactively without oversight
Familiarity with AI-assisted editing tools (Descript, Opus Clip, or similar)
Logistics
Employment Structure Details: Canadian candidates will be hired as full-time employees with health benefits US-based and international candidates will be engaged as full-time contractors.
Travel: Occasional travel for in-person recordings or team events; specifics to be determined post-hire.
Reports To: Shane Parrish, Founder and Host