Three tries, one small problem, almost no dialogue. Then a single word fixes it, and a child says it back to the screen. Write that.
Tatako is hiring its first Children’s Series Writer to tell the stories of the octopus and his friends. Every episode closes on its own, turns on one word and leaves a pause for the family watching. The scripts are yours to write, in your own words, and you build the series bible together with the Showrunner and the director.
About Tatako
Tatako is a first-words app for families raising a child with two languages. A lesson takes about five minutes, there is nothing to read, and a small round octopus keeps everyone company. He has eight arms, no socks, and usually loses count at seven.
The language of home stays the language of home. Tatako adds a second one on top, at a toddler’s pace, from the very first words. A guide voice can explain what to do, and you can switch it off whenever you like. Every lesson has three small steps: Hear it, say it. Touch it. Name it. In the last step the picture comes back without the word, and the child names it first.
We started with English: first words and phrases, from “hello” and “mommy” to colors, animals and what the teacher says at preschool. More languages are on the way. Tatako works in the browser on any phone or tablet.
The role
- Remote and full-time, open to candidates anywhere in the world
- Fluent English
- You report directly to the founders
By day 90, your voice runs through the series bible, a season of stories is outlined, and your scripts move through the studio without a rewrite on the morning they are due.
What you will do
- Write the heart of the series bible with the Showrunner: the characters, the rules of their world, the running jokes and what each friend wants.
- Outline a season of closed stories, each with its own idea, so no two episodes feel like one template with a new word dropped in.
- Write scripts with very little talking, where action, sound and silence carry the story and one word does the real work.
- Build in the moment that turns to the family: a clear invitation to say the word, and a pause long enough for a child to try.
- Write the warm, dry narrator, and the short lines each friend keeps coming back to.
- Think about dubbing from the start: lines that travel, jokes that survive a new language and no plot that hangs on wordplay.
- Keep every draft dated and filed, and work with the songwriter so each episode and its song belong together.
What you bring
- 3+ years writing for children’s television, animation, picture books or children’s theater, with produced or published work.
- Visual writing: you can carry a story across a page with barely a line of dialogue.
- A feel for how small children follow a story: repetition with a twist, daily rituals and a problem they solve before the hero does.
- A comic voice parents enjoy too, without a wink over the child’s head.
- Calm with notes: you find what sits behind a note and come back with something better.
- Clean craft: standard script format, outlines and beat sheets a board artist can use right away.
Bonus points
- You are bilingual and have watched a joke die in translation.
- You have written with early childhood or language development specialists at your side.
Why you will love it
- You set the voices of characters a family will live with for years.
- Silence is a tool here: few writers get to build a story on a pause.
- A small round lead who keeps finding new ways to get it wrong.
How to apply
Meet the octopus at tatako.com, then email join@tatako.com with your LinkedIn profile or portfolio. Make sure it shows a script or story for children that was produced or published.
If your experience matches the role, our team will get in touch to discuss next steps.