The octopus says hello, waits one beat too few and answers himself. The parent on the sofa laughs before the child does. That beat is yours.
Tatako is hiring its first Series Director to give our series one clear way of telling a story: quiet, funny and made to be watched with a grown-up close by. You lead each episode from the boards to the final cut and make sure every small felt character acts like itself.
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, you have directed an episode you would show anyone, the series has a written guide to pace and staging, and the whole team knows what a Tatako scene feels like.
What you will do
- Direct every episode from script to final cut: staging, camera, timing and the acting of each small character.
- Keep the pace right for the smallest viewers: long calm shots, one idea at a time, and pauses that leave a child room to answer.
- Open on a face up close, then pull back, so a child meets the character before the world around it.
- Protect the comedy: running jokes, a straight-faced narrator and the small gift a child only spots on the third watch.
- Review boards, animatics and animation with short, specific notes, and approve each stage before the next one starts.
- Shape the sound with the voice director and the music producer, so every line lands and every ending feels safe.
- Write the series guide: how we frame, cut, light and end an episode, so a new artist can match it from day one.
What you bring
- 5+ years directing animation or puppet films, with work for children on your reel.
- Board literacy: you can thumbnail a scene well enough to show what you mean.
- Comic timing for two audiences at once: a child in front, a parent behind.
- A clear sense of how small children watch: repetition, familiar rituals and stories that close before the screen goes dark.
- Calm leadership of a remote team: clear notes, quick decisions and no drama on a deadline.
- A feel for handmade worlds: texture, scale and the way light falls on felt and clay.
Bonus points
- You have directed stop-motion or worked on a miniature set.
- You have made work that travelled into other languages and stayed funny.
Why you will love it
- A world that does not exist yet, waiting to be built in felt and clay.
- A lead with real comic problems, starting with a count he has never once finished.
- Episodes with a purpose: they end with a child saying a word out loud to a real person.
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 film or episode you directed.
If your experience matches the role, our team will get in touch to discuss next steps.