Writer
About this role
Jordan Matter makes long-form family videos built on the real relationship between Jordan and his daughter Salish. Every week the team ships a 20 to 30 minute video from an idea that often did not exist ten days earlier. We need a writer who turns rough ideas into videos that can be shot on Sunday: a clear premise, a game with simple rules, a story with a turn, and an intro that hooks in the first 30 seconds. Most of what we shoot is unscripted. The writing is the structure that lets real reactions happen: the setup, the rules, the beats, the reveals, and where the tension breaks. You will write outlines and beat sheets far more often than lines of dialogue. You will report to Jordan and work day to day with Jake, our producer. In person in Los Angeles most days, with some Sundays on set. How we hire: a short written test (three outlines from three one-line ideas), then a paid two-day trial in the office during a real production week.
Responsibilities
- Take an approved idea on Tuesday and deliver a shootable outline by Thursday: premise, rules, beat sheet, intro, and ending. - Pitch and develop ideas with Jordan, Jake, and the team, and keep a ready list of 10 developed concepts that need little sourcing. - Write the title and thumbnail concept first, then build the video to deliver on it. - Turn a game into a story ("We survived a zombie apocalypse", not "We played Sardines"). - Screen ideas against the channel's creative rules before they reach Jordan. - Be on set some Sundays to adjust beats live as the day changes. - Work with post on structure: where reveals land, what to cut, and what drove drop-off in the last video.
Requirements
- 2+ years writing or story producing for YouTube, kids and family TV, or unscripted. - Videos you shaped that you can walk us through beat by beat, including what you would change. - Comfort with improv-driven shoots. Improv or sketch training is a strong plus. - An ear for how tweens and teens talk, and a feel for what a 10 to 16 year old viewer finds funny or unfair. - Speed. A full outline in a day, and a new direction by the end of a call when the plan changes. - Judgment on what is safe and age-appropriate for a young audience to copy. Nice to have: - Experience on a high-output channel or kids network. - Familiarity with YouTube analytics: retention curves, CTR, and why viewers leave. - Experience in a writers room where ideas build on each other.