A rough little octopus, six panels, no dialogue, and the whole review call laughs. Those panels are yours.
Tatako is hiring a Storyboard Artist to turn scripts into boards that a director, a puppet maker and an editor can all build from. This is project work, booked episode by episode. You work with the Series Director, and most of our stories are told in pictures, so your drawing does the heavy lifting.
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 project work, open to candidates anywhere in the world
- Fluent English
- An agreement signed before you start: your work is made for Tatako, Inc. and its rights go to the company in writing
By the end of your first project, the episode runs as a timed animatic with scratch voices, and everyone on the team can see exactly what is going to be made.
What you will do
- Turn each script into boards: staging, camera, acting poses and the path of every gag from setup to payoff.
- Cut timed animatics with scratch sound, so the director and the editor can feel the pace before a single frame is made.
- Stage for a small viewer: one clear thing to look at, calm shots, and the object that matters large in the frame.
- Plan every shot for a miniature world: what fits on the table, where a camera can go and which shots can share a setup.
- Compose wide shots that also survive a vertical crop for shorts, with every face still inside the frame.
- Keep the cast on model even in rough form, and give eight arms eight different jobs instead of a row of matching ones.
- Revise quickly from the director’s notes, and hand over clean, numbered boards with a shot list for the next team.
What you bring
- 3+ years boarding animation, children’s television, commercials or games, with a portfolio of full sequences.
- Speed with clarity in Storyboard Pro, Photoshop or Procreate.
- Acting through drawing: a single pose tells us how a character feels.
- Comic timing on paper: setup, pause, payoff.
- Film grammar: screen direction, eye lines, continuity and shot size.
- Remote discipline: you read a brief, ask the right questions early and deliver on the date.
Bonus points
- You have boarded for stop-motion or puppet films.
- You have boarded a series with little or no dialogue.
Why you will love it
- Stories told mostly without words, which means your drawings carry them.
- A small team, where a good idea on a panel reaches the screen.
- A hero whose arms give you eight separate ways to get a laugh.
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 sequence you boarded, with the finished scene if you have it.
If your experience matches the role, our team will get in touch to discuss next steps.