r/HireaWriter • u/UniversalResilience • 17h ago
Hiring (General) Hiring Script Writer: Systems Science YouTube Channel
I make research-heavy narrative explainers about AI, technology, economics, geopolitics, history, ecology, and the systems principles that shape the world. Think Veritasium, Maxinomics, and Johnny Harris, with a systems-science lens.
The channel is AI/tech/economics heavy right now. The topic clusters will get wider as we grow. You can take a look here https://www.youtube.com/@UniversalResilience
I currently research, write, and shoot the videos myself, with a team handling video editing.
I’m looking for a writer/researcher who can eventually own substantial parts of the research and draft process, maybe even ideation in the future.
## THE JOB
I’ll give you a topic and the underlying framework or argument I want to explore. You research the subject, find the evidence and stories, and build a script that teaches the framework through them.
For more complex videos, I may provide a detailed outline, narrative points, key points, and key sources.
A typical script runs 2500 - 3,500 words.
## RESEARCH
This is not an AI-content-farm writing job.
Expect to read peer-reviewed papers, trace claims back to primary sources, watch documentary/archive footage, find useful data and graphs, and aggressively fact-check important claims.
Annotate important sources, visual references, graphs, and footage in the Google Doc so the video editors can find them.
Using AI to explore a subject, locate leads, organize research, or edit your work is completely fine. But you should be comfortable going to the actual sources and determining whether the evidence really supports the argument.
I might ask you for packaging and topic ideas too, once you have a better sense of the channel identity and direction.
## WRITING
Cold opening: Most videos should start with a mystery that’s very relevant or relatable to the target audience. This also lays the foundation for later narratives. Veritasium is a master at this. This cold opening could be less than a minute, or 5 minutes depending on the overall narrative.
Build, don't list: Each transition between two sections should be a re-hook: A new question, contradiction, surprising result, unresolved problem, counterargument, etc. The whole video should feel like a journey, with each section functioning almost like a sub-quest that comes together at the end. Add additional retention mechanisms where needed aside from the major transitions/hooks.
Earn the conclusion: Don’t simply announce a conclusion at the beginning of a section and spend paragraphs proving it. Whenever possible, let the evidence, stories, and arguments lead viewers toward the conclusion before naming it.
Stay accessible without dumbing things down: Put arguments in a logical order and explain difficult concepts clearly enough that an intelligent high-school student can follow them.
Steelman the other side: Find the strongest objection, not the easiest one to defeat. Counterarguments often make excellent hooks or pivots into the next section.
Be creative, but grounded: Understand how to make a video distinct from what everyone else is making while also recognizing when an idea is too experimental or confusing for the audience.
Write conversationally but authoritatively: I’m looking for the balance you hear in the best videos on my channel, not academic prose, but not generic YouTube ramble either.
AI is fine as an editing tool: I don’t care whether AI touches a sentence. I only care whether the final writing is good. And from my experience that usually takes a lot of human touch. Generic AI phrasing, uninspired narratives, unsupported claims, and filler are not.
## PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
* Science, technology, economics, history, or related research background
* Narrative nonfiction or fiction writing
* Ability to read academic research and evaluate sources
* Experience working collaboratively: ask good questions, take constructive feedback, and prioritize the result over ego
* YouTube experience is useful, but not required
I’m more interested in evidence that you can research, reason, and tell a story than in a specific credential.
## PAY AND FREQUENCY
To start: $300 - $1,000+ per script, depending on scope and experience, as an independent contractor.
A script based on a detailed outline and research I provide will be toward the lower end. A writer who can independently research, structure, fact-check, and deliver a strong near-final script will be paid substantially more. I’m open to higher rates for an exceptional long-term collaborator.
1 script per month initially, with the goal of increasing to 2 or more if it’s a good fit.
## HOW TO APPLY
Please message me with:
- Three writing samples. Long-form explanatory or narrative work is ideal. It doesn’t need to be video writing. Send work that best demonstrates the qualities described above, or similar to my best performing videos.
- Critique one of my videos. Pick a video you think has a meaningful weakness in its writing or structure. Tell me specifically what isn’t working and how you would improve it. Don’t flatter me. I want to see your judgment.
- Repackage it. Give me one alternative title and describe one alternative thumbnail concept for that same video.
- Tell me briefly about your research process. How would you research a topic you knew little about while making sure the final script was accurate?
Finalists will receive a paid test assignment. There's no deadline for applications. I will take my time to find the right person and remove this post once the position is filled.
Thank you for your time.