Researcher and Scriptwriter (Single Topic Deep Dive) - YouTube
Position Overview
- Job Title
- Researcher and Scriptwriter (Single Topic Deep Dive) - YouTube
- Employment Type
- Full-time
- Location
- Remote
- Compensation
- $500 to $700 per script, depending on experience (85% of actual rate during the trial period)
About the role
We want to explore single-topic deep dives. One case, 40 to 50 minutes, dark subject matter, heavy on footage.
We give you a topic, some starting research, and our angle. For example: tell this case from the victim’s side. How they were chased, taken, or hurt, how they felt, and what they said later if they survived. You take it from there. You do the deep research, you tell us if the story can really be done, and you write the script.
We do not want a yes-man. If a topic is weak, you tell us, and you show us why. If we disagree, we talk it through. That conversation is part of the job.
Channels in the niche we are working with include Big Craig, Patrick Cc:, Brew, and fern.
About us
NIA Production is a YouTube conglomerate. We own, build, and operate our own channels in-house. Every channel we run is ours.
We are 90+ people strong and growing rapidly. Most of our team is hybrid and we hire globally. We move fast. We care about results, and we hire people who think the same way.
How the work flows
- 1.Brief. You get the topic, some starting research, and the angle we have in mind.
- 2.Research. You dig deep and collect everything: sources, footage, interviews, documents. Some cases need material translated from other languages.
- 3.Viability call. You come back with a clear answer: we can do this (here is what we have and a rough outline), or we cannot (here is why).
- 4.Packaging check. At the same time, our senior designer works on the title and thumbnail. If the packaging does not work, we do not make the video. While you wait, you start research on the next topic.
- 5.Outline and script. Only when research and packaging are both approved, you write the outline, then the full script.
- 6.Review. The founder and the Senior Writer review your work at each stage. Expect close involvement in your first weeks.
Responsibilities
- Do real research. Court documents, police records, archived news, interviews, forums, original footage, foreign-language sources. Go past the first page of Google and past the three videos other channels already made. Keep all sources in one linked doc so anyone can check your work.
- Make the viability call. After research, tell us clearly if the story holds 40 to 50 minutes. Give a rough outline if yes. Give your reasons if not. Push back when you disagree with our angle.
- Choose the angle and defend it. Most cases have been covered before. Find the version nobody has told yet: the skipped detail, the order that hits harder, the question that keeps people watching.
- Write the outline and the full script. A finished, ready-to-record script of 40 to 50 minutes.
- Get the facts right. Real people, real families, real legal risk. Separate proven from alleged. Flag what you are unsure about.
- Hit deadlines. If something will slip, say so early, not on the due date.
Requirements
- Real passion for true crime, dark documentaries, and disturbing stories. You consume this content on your own time.
- Exceptional writing. You know how to hold attention for 45 minutes.
- Deep research skills, with work you can show us.
- 2+ years writing long-form video scripts (20+ minutes).
- Strong spoken-style English. Non-native speakers are welcome.
- Self-managed. You ask questions early instead of guessing.
Nice to have
- You have written for a successful single-topic channel. Tell us which one.
- You can read other languages for research.
- You can read retention data and write to it.
What success looks like
- Your scripts hold retention and average view duration at or above the channel baseline, across several videos and not one lucky topic.
- Your drafts need light revision, not rebuilding. The Senior Writer is editing your work, not rescuing it.
- Deadlines are met without follow-up.
- Zero factual corrections after publish. No claims we have to walk back.
- Your angle is visibly yours. Someone can watch your video and the three other videos about the same case and see why ours is different.
- You bring topics that get greenlit, not just scripts that get accepted.
How to apply
No new work needed. Show us what you have already done. Compile all three deliverables below in one Google Doc with view access on, and submit it through the application form. It takes about 30 minutes.
Any documents you share with us will be used solely to evaluate your application. We will not publish them or share them outside the hiring team.
Deliverable 1. Your scripts
Three scripts you wrote (Google Doc, view access on), ideally single-topic. Add the YouTube video links and one line on your role in each. For each script, tell us:
- The angle you chose for the story, and why you chose it.
- An angle you considered and dropped, and why.
Deliverable 2. Your deepest research
Share the full research from one project. Answer briefly:
- What was your angle on this story? Why did you research it that way? What makes this the deepest research you have done, and how does it differ from other videos that have covered this topic?
- What obstacles did you hit, and how did you get past them?
- What material did you find?
Deliverable 3. What you watch and read
Answer briefly:
- Which channels, shows, or writers in this space do you follow, and which channel in this space do you think is overrated? Why?
- Name three true stories (a video, podcast, book, or article about a real case, disaster, or mystery) that stayed with you. For each, what made it hard to stop?
No research to show? If your scripts are strong but you have no research samples, say so. We may send you a short research task on a topic instead.
Please write your answers yourself. Do not use AI.
Ready to apply?
Applications are reviewed as they come in. We read every submission.