Dear Ms. Wray,

I am writing to apply for future Video Producer vacancies at The Telegraph.

I am a 25-year-old multimedia generalist with more than three years of experience producing highly edited video essays and documentaries on YouTube. I have published analyses of the Provisional IRA, the rot of Russian democracy, and the marriage of aesthetics and politics in fascist ideology. My videos to date have garnered north of 25 million views, and have attracted 424,000 subscribers to my channel, IMPERIAL.

Running my own channel, a one-man operation, gave me a strong work ethic. It made me versatile, dynamic, and focused. It prompted me to learn After Effects, Premiere Pro, and the rest of the Adobe suite as well as Cinema 4D so I could better communicate my ideas. It gave me the opportunity to familiarise myself with the entire video production pipeline, from story-boarding and shot lists to voice-over, audio editing and video packaging (titles and thumbnails).

Producing on YouTube led me to adapt the academic style of writing I learned at university to one more accessible to a wider audience. I developed an understanding of viewer tastes and trends, an intuitive barometer for popular appeal and what hooks people in and keeps them watching.

Given my experience and skills, I believe I would be an excellent addition to The Telegraph’s video team. The Telegraph aims to make its long-form content, such as the conversion of its podcast on Ukraine’s war with Russia, visually distinct and to elevate it beyond conventional expectations. In that vein I have social proof supporting my keen eye for aesthetics and animation competencies. My influence on the YouTube landscape is such that editing tutorials trying to emulate both my 2D and 3D work have hundreds of thousands of views.

The Telegraph is looking to scale its long-form presence on YouTube, a platform I am intimately familiar with, but it is also looking for someone who has an editorial aptitude and good judgement. My history background taught me to vet sources, cite rigorously and question uncritical narratives. It led me to approach YouTube in an unconventional manner. Unlike many other channels, I published scripts with detailed footnotes for all my videos so that viewers could see my paper trail. If I was wrong, they could call me out. I hoped that, through the simple act of making my research transparent, I could foster conversation.

I want to join The Telegraph because I feel it is a place where I can best facilitate conversations. It has an excellent existing base of long-form and short-form content on its socials. I believe I can help develop this further by producing high-quality “pride-of-the-fleet-esque” videos that can function as showcases of both The Telegraph’s ambition and its editorial qualities.

I can offer The Telegraph what it needs to elevate its long-form visual projects. I possess not only the technical skills but also an intimate understanding of social platforms, long-form video packaging, and editorial rigour. As my YouTube success has shown, I’m a motivated self-starter, and I would be happy to produce a video based on an existing article or podcast episode to show you what I can do.

Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I could contribute to your video journalism either in person or online.

Sincerely,

Alexander Casse