Now Hiring: Full-Time Business Director For Indie LGBTQ Media Team

Once upon a time in 2009 in a very small bedroom in Morningside Heights, a writer (me) and a graphic designer (Alex) started a website called Autostraddle Dot Com. Neither of us knew a damn thing about business, ad sales or marketing, and as time went on and business-savvy helpers dropped off, those duties eventually landed in Alex’s lap. Wearing many hats, including some that don’t fit, is part of Start-Up Life, and Alex’s superior social skills made her a much better choice for that kind of work than me, so there she was! There’s gonna be a few changes at Autostraddle this summer that we’ll address in more depth in a different post, but the main one is that Alex won’t be handling that part of Autostraddle anymore. And, as I’ve recently moved to Michigan, I’m hoping that the new Business Money Person can be somebody local who I can work with IRL sometimes!

So here I am, with our first-ever legit job posting.

We are looking to choose somebody by mid-May, with an official start date of June 6th. If you’re free during A-Camp this year (May 29th-June 3rd), that’s a huge bonus, as meeting more team members face-to-face and understanding A-Camp would definitely help you do your job. (We’d comp your tuition to enable you to attend.)

Location: 

You should live within an hour of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan area, which is where I live/work. You’ll mostly be working from your home, but will sometimes work with me in person as needed. (We’ll reimburse travel expenses.)

Background:

If you’re the type of person who’d like to be at the top of the ladder without having to climb it first, then this job is for you! That’s how I am — I realized a few years post-college that I didn’t have the patience to start as a staff writer and work my way up to an editor-in-chief position, I’ve been ready to be an editor-in-chief since I started the Bernard Family News in 1988! So I started this magazine and hired myself to run it.

This position is ideal for a recent graduate (or somebody with a life situation that requires flexible work-from-home hours) with entrepreneurial spirit, superb communication skills and digital media literacy. You should be a detail-oriented self-starter, incredibly outgoing, ambitious and creative with a contagious passion for the LGBTQ community and independent media.

The vast majority of our revenue is generated by our readers through merchandise, camp and our A+ program, and you’ll be working with us on those as well as handling ads and sponsors. This isn’t a job where you’ll ever have to compromise ethics or influence editorial direction to please an advertiser — and the companies we work with know this. In fact, we are hoping to move towards doing more partnerships with indie, women-owned and queer businesses. You would be in charge of making this happen!

Your job will include:

  • Working with senior staff to promote A+, develop new membership initiatives and periodically reviewing the program to drive growth
  • Identifying and executing new revenue opportunities
  • Handling all incoming non-editorial-related communications from external stakeholders
  • Communicating with potential advertisers, developing and designing campaign proposals (including sponsored content, social media and events), negotiating deals and sponsorships, handling invoicing, organizing the execution of campaigns and accordant social media
  • Cold-calling and pitching advertisers
  • Maintaining and updating our media kit as well as our press page
  • Coordinating advertising networks (e.g., AdSense, BuySellAds), evaluating profitability of said networks and seeking out affiliate advertising opportunities
  • Conceptualizing and collaborating with team members and designers on new merchandise and coordinating design, production, pricing, promotion and ordering
  • Facilitating sponsors for A-Camp and Camperships
  • Handling requests for speakers/presenters and booking for team members as well as any event or conference facilitation as well as travel provided as trade for press coverage
  • Meeting on the phone or in person with external stakeholders to discuss any type of partnership or collaboration

Special Projects:

  • Developing a more physical presence in Southeast Michigan through events, meet-ups and local partnerships with non-profits
  • Designing a user-friendly ad sales system that can enable independent, queer and feminist businesses to buy ad space or develop brand partnerships with us at reduced rates
  • Assisting in the launch of a new venture aimed at LGBTQ teens that we’re embarking upon this fall with Everyone is Gay.

Experience we don’t require but imagine would be helpful:

  • Associates or Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
  • Experience working in digital media, advertising, marketing, copywriting, branding, social media, publishing and/or public relations
  • Well-versed in online media and publishing
  • Comfort with DoubleClick and ad hosting platforms in general
  • Sales experience
  • Talented writer and/or designer
  • Skilled or literate at HTML, InDesign, Invoicing, Slack, Google Docs, WordPress or similar

Compensation:

This is a full-time job, and ideally you’ll be around for 8 or so hours a day, five days a week, though that’s flexible (you’re definitely not wedded to a 9-to-5). As a small business running on a tiny budget, we’re not able to offer as much money as you probably deserve to earn — but as our Business & Marketing Director, you’re in a very strategic position to negotiate higher compensation if you enable us to make more money! All our full-time senior staff receive annual raises.

  • $26k base salary with an additional 30% commission on all direct ad sales (annual ad sales have ranged from $15k-$50k, but most sites of our size make 5x that amount, so the sky’s the limit for what you can do!), with room for additional project-based bonuses (neg.)
  • Unlimited paid vacation* and unlimited paid sick days
  • Flexible hours
  • Opportunities for free travel and events
  • Guaranteed spot on A-Camp Staff
  • Working with some of the coolest people in the whole damn world for a damn good cause

* However your presence is required at A-Camp (annually in California, usually end of May/start of June) and at the annual senior staff retreat, which is end of June/start of July. All senior staff is consulted when these dates are determined.

Unfortunately we’re unable at this time to offer health insurance, although we hope that will change. This position is ideal for those who have insurance through their parents, partners, or the Affordable Care Act.


To apply send a cover letter in the body of the email and attach a PDF resume to [email protected]. Subject line: HEAD OF MONEY.

In your cover letter please be sure to include:

  • Relevant experience and education
  • Why you think you would be good at this job
  • Why you want this job
  • Where you live
  • Three revenue-driving ideas: this could be ideas for new merchandise, advertisers or partners we could work with, an A+ membership push or even an event. Keep in mind that any ideas that require a lot of time from the editorial team will be difficult to pull off.

Please submit your application by April 30th, 2016. I’ll be in touch by May 15th if I think you could be The One!

Feel free to spread this job posting far and wide, especially with LGBTQ groups in the midwest!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

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Riese

Riese is the 41-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3251 articles for us.

24 Comments

  1. Wow wow wow! Good luck finding the most brilliant and perfect fit, Autostraddle!

    Knowing how well Riese manages to match cabin mates at A-camp with only 3 sentences of description, I suspect you will find the most rad human possible for this job without trouble. <3

  2. Wow! So, I’m kind of amazed – this sort of thing is exactly up my alley as a recent grad (marketing/communications/business) who just quit a job in ad sales earlier this week. Unfortunately I live in Chicago and can’t really relocate just now, but otherwise I would absolutely be applying!

    But what I really came into this post to say, though, is that I really respect how you’re bypassing the shittiest parts of job postings and making this position accessible to people based on talent, not age/experience. Plus, the transparency about salary/benefits! You’re a hero for our time, Riese.

  3. I’m SO glad y’all are doing this and can have a person who knows how (and wants to!) to do these things so y’all can just get bigger and better and more sure.

  4. Yay! Exciting times for Team Autostraddle! I’m looking forward to meeting the rad new human and seeing the new stuff Autostraddle has cooking up.

  5. I have never found a job i am less suited for. A solid reminder to never start my own business. Don’t worry folks, i am employed in a job i love. There are so many different sorts of people in the world!

  6. This doesn’t really fit me at all, especially the Michigan part, but it did just remind me how much I’d love to work for Autostraddle in general :)

    Also, so excited about the upcoming collaboration with Everyone Is Gay because Kristen and Danielle are the best.

  7. Ah dang, I was hoping to put my HBX experience into good use. Good luck with the new hire! It’d be great to see how AS decides to grow especially when there is a dedicated person in that position.

  8. So happy that my a-camp tuition (DID I MENTION I’M GOING TO A-CAMP? lol) and subscription fees are helping to fund actual gainful employment for the people who make this an amazing place to hang out!

  9. “This isn’t a job where you’ll ever have to compromise ethics or influence editorial direction to please an advertiser”
    This sounds like a dream job!!

  10. Just to clarify, if someone (specifically myself) is interested and hopefully qualified but does not live in Michigan, we shouldn’t apply? Or we should apply, be know that of two equal candidates the Michigan one will be preferred?

    • I am not in any way speaking for Riese or Autostraddle, but in general I would advice you to apply anyway if you think you are perfect for the job and try to convince ’em that hiring you is still the best choice even if you don’t tick all the boxes.

  11. I’m a recruiter and will keep my eyes peeled for anyone who fits this description – doing a bit of recruiting in Michigan right now so you never know! My company does unlimited time off, and it’s a HUGE selling point for me when I talk to candidates who, frankly, I can’t always afford – good call. Best of luck!!

    • I didn’t get a chance to talk about how much I want to hang out with your dog in my cover letter. So much!

  12. Okay but like* if you need anyone to do this work from afar while you search for the perfect local candidate, I’m your queer.

    (*ironic use of like, my grammar is actually impeccable nbd)

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