Do you ever watch a show and say “this is great, and I can pinpoint exactly why I love it”? Do you ever play a video game and say “this is awful,” and rant to your friends about the things you dislike? Well, consider putting that on paper! If you feel you have strong opinions on media, and you can write well, becoming a media reviewer of some kind might just be the job for you. There are two main types of media reviewing: TV/Movies and video games.
For video game reviewing, there are many sites that are almost always hiring, like Polygon, GameSpot, and IGN. Most accept freelance gigs and you can get your work put up on their website, and maybe a job opportunity can come through that. Otherwise, you can be hired as an editor. Freelance work, of course, is remote, but if you get to work as an editor, you likely will have to relocate. Polygon is based in New York, and IGN is based in Los Angeles. IGN is constantly hiring and have job postings up near perpetually (in both Los Angeles and New York offices). Since Polygon is owned by Vox, there are job openings on LazyApply and others (looking them up on Google doesn’t hurt… just look up “Polygon careers Vox” and they’ll pop up). And finally, GameSpot has jobs up currently on WellFound, and you can be remote or work in San Francisco.
To review movies, there are typically not many websites dedicated to just movie reviews. The New York Times, Variety, and the aforementioned Polygon and IGN all have OpEd writers dedicated to talking about film and TV shows. However, two big, modern sites dedicated exclusively to TV and movies are Screen Rant and DiscussingFilm. It appears that positions with DiscussingFilm are entirely remote, and to apply for a job there, you have to DM them on Twitter to ask if there is anything open… and Screen Rant, while based in Canada, has offices in Canada, the United States, and even the United Kingdom, and has their job postings up on their main site.
If you’re interested in the next level, and you have some experience in video production (that’s putting it very professionally, but maybe you just like making videos), you may have a place in creating videos for their YouTube pages as a producer. Job listings are the same as mentioned before, and if you like reviewing media and creating content, and you could start a YouTube channel where you do just that!
To be a reviewer requires writing experience and working for The Lawrentian would be a great place to get that experience. You don’t need to have a specific major to get involved. Just as long as you have interest and motivation in the subject, and your work is good, you have a good shot at getting involved!
WORKS CITED:
Screen Rant Careers!
Sample GameSpot Job!
Polygon Jobs!
IGN Careers!
Spencer R. Brown is a senior in their second year at Lawrence University, with a major in Government. They work as the Career Peer Educator for students in both Communication, Journalism & Written Arts (#CJW) and Government, Law & International Relations (#GLI) career communities in the Career Center. A writer and animator by trade, they are fascinated in finding ways to make digesting information entertaining. Feel free to connect with them on LinkedIn here!
