Youtube Documentary Co-Director - Life & the Earth Channel (Remote)

Hello, talented creatives! We're looking for an experienced Youtube Documentary Co-Director to lead our editorial team for YouTube. You'll set the quality standard bar for the packaging team and the script writing team. Shaping video ideas, titles, thumbnails, and scripts that resonate with YouTube audiences. You become the Chef of the content - designing a strategy for food, and taste testing before delivering to customers. This role is not managing workflow, but you'll be setting the standard for editorial quality, ensuring scripts are clear, engaging, and structured for maximum viewer retention and strong click-through rates. If you're passionate about mastering YouTube brand building, particularly documentary-style educational storytelling, and want to apply your editorial craft at the highest level, this freelance role could be the perfect fit. Check out the Life & The Earth channel here: Life & The Earth

Responsibilities

• Content Strategy & Selection
• Evaluate video ideas for audience resonance and alignment with Life and the Earth.
• Note: We are focusing exclusively on Ocean documentaries into the future
• Select which concepts move forward into development.
• Packaging & Positioning
• Develop and guide compelling titles and thumbnail concepts before scriptwriting begins.
• Ensure cohesion across idea, title, thumbnail, and script to maximize click-through rate (CTR) and retention.
• Editorial Oversight
• Review and edit video overviews, outlines, and scripts with a sharp editorial eye.
• Uphold a high standard of quality in documentary-style storytelling, drawing inspiration from Veritasium, Real Science, PBS Eons, and other leading channels.
• Team Development
• Provide clear, constructive feedback that implicitly trains writers, raising the editorial standard across the team.
• Model consistent, rigorous editorial judgment while meeting production timelines.

Compensation & Commitment Pay Structure: Base Pay + Incentives Incentives:

• To start, ownership is on a *per-episode basis (*rather than on the entire series).
• They will receive 1020% ownership per episode, covering all future profits from that episode (YouTube, multi-language versions, streaming platform distribution, podcast distribution, etc.).
• If performance is excellent over 6 months, they can then be granted a share of the entire series.

Estimated Time: ~10 hours per video.

• Workload:
• Starting with 1 video/month (10 hours).
• Scaling to 2 videos/month (20 hours).
• Location: Fully remote. Candidates should be comfortable collaborating asynchronously, with occasional scheduled calls.

Must-haves

• Significant experience as a lead writer/editor, with a background in content strategy for YouTube or digital media.
• Strong understanding of YouTube storytelling, pacing, and audience retention mechanics.
• A proven record of working on successful YouTube channels.
• Experience with documentary, explainer, or educational content.
• Excellent editorial judgment and ability to uphold a high bar of quality.
• Demonstrated ability to guide creative packaging (titles, thumbnails) and ensure their alignment with content.
• Strong communication skills, particularly in providing constructive, growth-oriented feedback.
• Ability to deliver on deadlines while maintaining creative rigor.

Key Obsessions (What are you obsessed with?) An A+ Youtube Documentary Co-Director is someone who:

• Is passionate about shaping documentary-style educational storytelling for YouTube, ensuring every script is both scientifically rigorous and narratively captivating.
• Loves to collaborate with researchers, writers, and creative leads, drawing out the strongest ideas and elevating them into compelling episodes.
• Thrives on packaging ideas into irresistible titles and thumbnails, knowing these elements are as critical as the script itself for reaching audiences.
• Is obsessed with clarity, structure, and flow, ensuring every script is easy to follow, emotionally engaging, and optimized for retention.
• Takes pride in developing and mentoring writers, providing feedback that not only improves the current script but raises the bar for future work.
• Has a sharp instinct for what makes a video clickable and watchable, balancing YouTube's algorithmic demands with authentic documentary storytelling.
• Is committed to consistency in editorial voice and quality, making sure each video feels like part of a cohesive and world-class series.

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