Job Description

What I need from you in 2 sentences:

The ability to take consumer rights stories where customers have been screwed over, cover them well, & have them featured in media outlets such as the NYTimes, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, television news etc. You should be able to demonstrate that you have successfully done something similar before!

Why this isn't like other linkedin jobs

Usually "media relations/PR" means a corporate communication director to manage brand reputation after a PR disaster. I'm looking for someone who can independently investigate & develop stories about how everyday Americans are being scammed by cloud lock-ins, DRM, forced arbitration, privacy invading tech & disappearing digital purchases. You'll be digging through our resources, creating compelling narratives & turning them into front-page stories. Our goal is to get millions of Americans angry & active about these issues before they fall victim to these practices.

If you're tired of waiting for assignments or creating fluff pieces with no impact, this job is for you. You'll have the autonomy to build a comprehensive media strategy as our organization scales.

You're not going to be polishing the reputation of an S&P500 company after they do something harmful. You're going to be on the side of the consumer, advocating for positive change!

About Our Foundation

We're fighting to restore ownership in a time where the concept of ownership is being challenged every day. A key target of our work is section 1201 of the DMCA which criminalizes breaking digital locks on products you own.

Modern products, from baby monitors to tractors, refrigerators to books, security cameras to picture frames all come with strings attached. You pay for them, but you don't own them. Cloud requirements, software locks, planned obsolescence & fine-print forced arbitration are replacing ownership with serfdom. What you bought 2 years ago doesn't work today unless you pay for another subscription, & if someone hacks around this to give you back what you paid for, they've broken the law! We find this ridiculous.

As the problem gets worse, consumer protection agencies in the United States do NOTHING! We are choosing to step in & do something about it where others have failed.

• Most consumers don't realize what's happening until it's too late - when movies disappear from their libraries of their security cameras stop providing them alerts.
• Traditional consumer publications lack the technical understanding to discuss these problems.
• "influencers" avoid speaking out because this renders them "not brand safe," jeopardizing product samples & sponsorships.
• Tech review sites have become affiliate marketing schemes that prioritize commissions over consumer rights, racing to page-one google rankings by churning out surface level overviews at best, and re-written product descriptions at worst.

Our foundation documents these abuses, exposes anti-consumer policies, and fights back with strategic litigation, policy research, coalition building, & public education.

We've built a repository where customers can document these problems in an encyclopedic format; now we need you to proactively mine this resource, identify the most compelling stories, & take them national & mainstream without being prompted or directed! We also need this resource to be promoted to as many people as possible so that it gains traction.

Your Mission

You'll need to be self-motivated to dig through our consumer rights database, find the most impactful stories, and transform boring regulations normally seen as "boring" or "too technical" into human centered stories with interesting headlines that are placed in NBC, ABC, New York Times, Washington Post, PBS, NPR & more.

We're obtaining the data, stories, & content. We need you to take the initiative to shape the narrative, build relationships, & get coverage without waiting for assignments.

What You'll Do

• Create breakthrough media strategies that turn niche technical topics into major national headlines without constant guidance

• Leverage existing relationships w/ national reporters to regularly land stories in mainstream outlets

• Create appealing media packages that combine visuals, human stories, & clear messaging reporters will find interesting to read even when their inbox is full

• Get placements in TV, radio, major print, & online media

• Coordinate messaging across a wide coalition : consumer watchdog groups to libertarians, farmers, & environmental advocates, from normal privacy advocates to eccentric-tinfoil-hat-paranoid techies.

• Help prepare myself & partners for effective interviews, op-eds, and appearances

• Help translate technical material into language that makes everyday people understand and care

• Work with autonomy to set priorities & develop a comprehensive media campaign as we grow

What I'm Looking For

• Proven record placing complicated stories in top-tier outlets (TV, print, radio)
• Long term work on the issue. This isn't contract work for a few stories at a time. We want to build this campaign over several years & want people who are passionate & informed on the issue working on it each time.

• Existing relationships you may have at national outlets like NBC, ABC, NYTimes, WaPo, NPR, etc.
• A talent for storytelling ; can you turn "digital lockout clauses" into dinner conversation that inspires your uncle & grandma to care ?

• Experience elevating overlooked issues to public consciousness

• Cross-partisan communication skills —you can speak to conservatives, liberals, libertarians, apolitical consumers, your crazy uncle & more. Yes, even the crazy uncle.

• Ability to simplify complex ideas without dumbing them down

• Media coaching abilities to prepare less socially experienced people for interviews

• Self-motivation to identify stories and opportunities without being directed. You will be tasked with generating the plan & telling us what you need from us to act omn it.

• Strategic thinking to build a multi-year campaign that drives policy change

The Ideal Hire

You've been the person behind the curtain getting important stories into the national spotlight. You don't just "do PR", you hunt for compelling stories, develop them fully, and make narratives break through.

You're tired of marketing junk & media cycles that disappear in 24 hours. You want to work on something that matters & improves the lives of normal everyday people rather than help sell more disposable junk. You want to be part of a small but growing team with the freedom to do things your way, where people feel they have something to learn from what you have to offer rather than tell you what to do.

ABOVE ALL, the MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT:

A positive demeanor that makes editors and producers want to pick up your call!

People despise being lectured or spoken down to, & have a distaste for people who only care about selling a bill of goods without truly listening. You've got to be the person that people naturally want to be around, that lights up a room & makes them happy to lsten to what you have to say even if they don't think it will immediately benefit them to listen to you.

Our Culture

My staff have been with me for 7-10 years on average, 11 for management. I do my best treat people like human beings rather than human resources. If you fail at something I'm not sighing under my breath, writing you up, or turning my head in silence as a passive aggressive shame tactic to let out my aggravation. We'll work together to fix the problem so you're built back up rather than torn down.

Our staff stick around for as long as they do because we treat the people who work here like humans rather than tax livestock. When mistakes happen, we fix them with understanding instead of finger-pointing; the mistake you make today is probably half as bad as the mistake I'll make tomorrow. I know that when I make a mistake, I'll need your support: and I won't get it if I treat you like garbage.

I understand that loyalty is not a given: it's earned, & repaid.

Compensation & Benefits

• $110,000–$140,000 salary depending on experience with raises & bonuses as you show me what you can do
• Benefits (health, dental, vision, retirement)

Applying

Please submit:

1. Your resume
2. A brief cover letter explaining how you've raised niche technical topics to mainstream media attention

IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE INCLUDE 3–5 media placements in major outlets, with a short note on how you:

1. Identified the story opportunity
2. Developed the narrative on your own initiative
3. Secured the placement
4. Created impact with the coverage

To reiterate...

This isn't a normal organization & this isn't a normal job. People who work here believe in cleaning up their corner of the world, and work everyday to try and change it for the better.

We are looking to create a world where consumers have rights again & own what they bought & paid for.

This role requires someone who doesn't wait for assignments but actively seeks out compelling stories that will drive our movement forward.

If this sounds interesting, I'd love to hear from you.

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