Freelance

Wondery is looking for a story editor

April 28, 2022

Posted by Margarita Sanabria

Wondery wis hiring a freelance story editor for American Scandal. The podcast looks at recent scandals—Bernie Madoff, Lance Armstrong, the Tuskegee syphilis study, and the like—and tells the stories in a cinematic way.

The editor will begin by working on a single season. But this job could lead to other work.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Wondery (an Amazon company) is one of the largest podcast publishers in the U.S. Launched in 2016, and known for its immersive podcasts, Wondery became the fastest network to join the Top 10 ranker by Podtrac, propelled by hit shows such as Dr. Death, Dirty John, American Scandal, and Business Wars.

ABOUT THE ROLE/ RESPONSIBILITIES

The editor will:

-Edit writers’ ~7,000-word scripts

-Offer ambitious revision requests, and coach writers through the edits

-Shape stories so they’re told in a cinematic way, with a focus on the stakes, wants, obstacles, inciting incidents, and act breaks

-Suggest structural changes: scene additions, deletions, and swaps

-Rewrite scripts, as necessary, so that they match the show’s distinct style and voice

-Tell stories with recognizably human characters: people who have rich and conflicted inner lives

-Fact check the scripts

-Quickly become an expert in a new subject matter, to ensure that our scripts are accurate

QUALIFICATIONS

-5+ years in screenwriting, playwriting, or documentary filmmaking

-5+ years writing or editing longform narrative journalism, and/or working in research

-Experience “writing for the ear”

-Understanding of the three-act structure, and telling a story through a character’s limited POV—vs. omniscient narration

-Strong time-management skills and a proven ability to produce creative work under a deadline

-A proven ability to manage a range of personality types

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN SUBMISSION

  • Please send a resume, a brief cover letter, and three to four writing samples that haven’t been edited by someone else. The last part is key. We want to see what your unedited writing looks like.

COMPENSATION

  • $2,000 – $2,500 a week- Each script will require four days of work. At the beginning, the script editor will also need to spend a day or two absorbing American Scandal’s style guide and onboarding docs.

CONTACT

For more information, visit their website.

Apply here.

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