Founding U.S. GTM & Partnerships Lead, Mini-Dramas
Taken at the midpoint of its range, $190,000/yr, this role pays more than the middle Partner, Channel & Alliances opening on the board today ($185k/yr); the usual band for that kind of seat is $140k–$319k/yr.
The posting
About NewsBreak
Local life runs on local information. What happened down the street? Who can fix this? Where should we go tonight? NewsBreak started in 2015 to answer these questions, and today more than 40 million people a month rely on us to follow what’s going on in their zip code.
Three platforms with one vision: powering local life. Led by founder and CEO Jeff Zheng, NewsBreak is our local life and news platform; Nearby AI connects people with local businesses; and NDot AI helps publishers and creators grow and earn.
Building for the long term. A $115 million Series C made us a unicorn in 2021, and we keep investing in our people. We’re Great Place to Work® certified and named to Fast Company ’s Best Workplaces for Innovators (2025) and Fortune ’s Best Workplaces in the Bay Area™ (2026).
Everyone makes an impact. Whether you write code, shape products, tell our story, or run the business, we want people who own projects end to end, stay curious, and speak up. Join us.
Learn more at: NewsBreak, Nearby AI, NDot AI
About the role
NDot AI is building a U.S.-China mini-drama ecosystem. It runs on NewsBreak's U.S. audience, distribution, recommendation and growth capabilities. We're hiring our founding U.S. GTM & Partnerships Lead to build the U.S. side from the ground up.
You'll work alongside a China-based GTM counterpart. Together you'll bring short-drama producers, app developers, directors and creative talent to NewsBreak, NDot and Nova. You'll sign and activate high-quality content partners. You'll also close distribution, app-growth and monetization partnerships.
A big part of the job is connecting U.S. directors and culturally fluent creatives with Chinese production and AI-studio capacity. The goal is content that resonates with U.S. audiences and can be produced at scale.
This is a hands-on 0→1 ecosystem-building role, not a traditional enterprise sales job. You'll work closely with senior leadership, product, engineering and ad sales. What you learn from partners will feed directly into NDot's product and GTM priorities.
What you'll do
- Map and build the U.S. ecosystem. Build a prioritized map and pipeline of producers, app developers, directors and talent, production partners and strategic ecosystem players. Coordinate it with the China GTM lead.
- Sign and activate producers. Recruit high-quality mini-drama producers and content partners, with priority on content suited to U.S. audiences. Get them publishing consistently.
- Launch the founding-partner program. Design and run producer incentives, including preferential revenue share, promotional traffic, Nova ad credits and referral rewards.
- Close app and monetization partnerships. Turn your strongest app-developer relationships into NDot customers. Partner with the Nova ad sales team to introduce short-drama advertisers from the ecosystem.
- Make cross-border matches. Connect U.S. creative talent with Chinese production partners. Create partnerships and content that show NDot adds value beyond distribution.
- Build the GTM engine. Own the U.S. motion: partner segmentation, pitch, outreach, industry events, community building, PR and sales materials, CRM and forecasting.
- Shape the product. Turn producer needs, market insights and content performance into input for product, growth and localization.
Must-haves
- Deep experience and an established network in the mini-drama / short-drama industry
- Senior experience in GTM, BD, partnerships, producer relations or content acquisition
- Track record in U.S.-China cross-border business
- Fluent English and Mandarin Chinese, with the cultural fluency to work credibly in both markets
- Proven skill at sourcing, negotiating and closing partnerships, and at activating producers after signing
- Experience building ecosystems or communities, including industry events, market mapping and pipeline/CRM discipline
- Strong connector instincts, commercial judgment, persistence and bias for action; comfortable with ambiguity in a startup setting
Nice-to-haves
- Content acquisition or distribution; app growth or user acquisition
- Creator or talent partnerships; a film/TV production or talent network in LA or NY
- A network of Chinese production houses or AI studios; experience with AI-content production
- Consumer app or short-video platform experience
- Strong product and creative instincts; able to bridge creative, commercial and technical teams
The US base salary range for this full-time position is listed below. Pay may vary based on a number of factors including job-related skills, level, experience, geographic location and relevant education or training. At NewsBreak, we design our overall rewards package to attract top talents. Depending on the position, the role may also be eligible for discretionary bonus and options. Your recruiter can share more details during the hiring process.
Annual Base Pay Range
$175,000 - $205,000 USD
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Where you can sell from
Fully remote, for people based in United States.
Taken from NewsBreak's own posting, last seen live on 2 Nov 2026.
The application
Your details and CV, then 10 questions (2 written).
- 1.Walk us through the most valuable mini-drama / short-drama partnership you personally built (with a producer, platform, director or production partner). What was your role, and what business result did it drive?Written answer
- 2.How would you describe your Mandarin Chinese proficiency?Pick one: Native / bilingual · Full professional fluency (can negotiate and present in Mandarin) · Conversational · Basic · None
- 3.How many years of experience do you have working in the mini-drama / short-drama industry?Pick one: None · Less than 1 year · 1-2 years · 3-5 years · 5+ years
- 4.This role is based in Los Angeles or New York. Which best describes your situation?Pick one
- 5.Are you able to travel regularly across the U.S. and to China / Asia as needed?Yes or no
- 6.Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?Yes or no
- 7.Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States?Yes or no
- 8.Which mini-drama producers, platforms, directors or production / AI-studio partners (in the U.S. and/or China) do you have direct working relationships with?Written answer · optional
- 9.What are your salary expectations for this role?Short answer
- 10.If offered this role, how soon would you be able to start?Short answer
From NewsBreak's apply page, checked 1 Nov 2026.
About NewsBreak
A US local news app that sells advertising to brands, apps and agencies, and is building Nearby AI (home-services leads) and NDot AI (audience growth for publishers) on top of its readership.
Pay schedule: Base salary, with discretionary bonus and stock options depending on the role; the home-services seller adds uncapped commission and equity.
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