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TYPE OF WORK
Gig
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SALARY
$150 per script
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HOURS PER WEEK
TBD
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DATE UPDATED
Sep 7, 2026
About the work
We run a YouTube documentary channel covering the darker side of what's happening in the world — scandals, corruption, fraud, the stories behind how things really work. Our style references are James Jani and Magnates Media. Watch several videos from both before applying. If that kind of storytelling doesn't excite you, this isn't the right job.
James Jani:
Another New Documentary Channel Example:
We only do documentaries. Nothing else.
What you'll do:
Write fully researched, deeply engaging documentary scripts.
That means:
Real research. Primary sources where possible. Every claim has to hold up, because getting a fact wrong on this kind of channel costs us the audience's trust permanently.
Structure that holds attention for the full runtime — an opening that earns the next ten minutes, and tension carried all the way to the end.
Writing for narration. It has to sound right read aloud, not just look right on the page.
Advising us. If you know this format better than we do, say so. We want a collaborator, not a typist.
AI: strongly discouraged. We're hiring a writer, not an operator. If you use AI at all, it should be minimal and for support — organizing research (very minimal, you need to prove the facts), not generating prose.
We read closely and we will ask you about your process. Be upfront about it.
Requirements:
- Proven experience writing documentary or long-form YouTube scripts
- Strong understanding of YouTube — retention, hooks, why people click and why they leave
- Excellent written English, storytelling instincts, and research discipline
- Reliable and communicative. Tell us before a deadline slips, not after.
- Proof of past work. Applications without it will not be read. Send scripts you wrote, and links to the finished videos where possible. If you've written for named creators or channels, that's a big plus — tell us who.
Answer these 4 questions in your application. Skip them and we skip you:
1) Which YouTube channels or creators have you written for? Send links to the videos and tell us which parts were yours.
2) What's the longest script you've written, and what part of it was hardest to get right?
3) Pitch us one story idea for this channel in three sentences, and tell us why someone would click on it.
4) Tell us honestly where AI fits into your process, if at all. We'd rather hear "I use it to organize research notes" than a denial we'll find out about later.
Start your application with the word PAPERTRAIL so we know you read to the end.
