Hooks Writer

At The Merry Beggars, we aspire to entertain the world with thrilling, adventurous, and uplifting family-based entertainment. As the entertainment division of Relevant Radio - the largest Catholic radio network in the United States, with a listener reach of 270 million - our Catholic identity is at the heart of everything we make and do. We create exceptional family entertainment, including the award-winning series, The Saints: Adventures of Faith and Courage. Our shows have received millions of downloads, reached #1 in the Apple Fiction Podcast charts, and are beloved by families around the world. And we’re just getting started.

‍

The Script Hooks Writer writes and edits the opening ‘hooks’ and epilogue for each script.

Every episode of The Saints begins with a short, punchy, dramatic VO narration establishing the location, specific time, backstory, and main conflicts of the episode. We call these “hooks” because they catch our listeners’ interest, engaging their imagination from the moment they hit “Play”. We want our audience to lean in and be transported into an immersive audio world. The hooks tell them what and where that world is, the stakes of the story, and invites them into an adventure. Hooks are the first point of contact with our audience.

All The Saints series end with an Epilogue, a VO narration telling the audience “what happened next”. The epilogue provides an historical context for the saint’s life, and invites listeners to learn more. It includes a call to action, inviting listeners to devotion to the saint. We’re not just telling entertaining stories, we’re inviting listeners into life-changing relationships and engagement. 

As Hook and Epilogue Writer, your talent and work will improve audience engagement and increase listener numbers for The Saints. You’ll work from the scripts and episode descriptions from the scriptwriter, creating hooks for each episode of The Saints series. You’ll need to ask: “What’s the main story this series is telling?”, “How can I introduce this story to our audience in a way that will help them understand it and want to hear more?”  You’ll also write the Epilogue, the last word listeners hear on the saint, inviting them to discover more. 

You’ll deliver hooks in two formats: in paragraph form for online publishing; and in script form for VO recording.

Our ideal candidate is creatively driven, detail-oriented, an excellent communicator with the written word, and has an established track record writing for entertainment and advertising-based media.

The people who consistently succeed at The Merry Beggars live and breathe our core values, listed below. If these values resonate with you and you answer ‘yes’ to the questions, you may be a fit for The Merry Beggars.

Culture Changing Catholic: We follow Jesus Christ and are on a mission to glorify God. We don’t accept the cultural status quo. We draw upon thousands of years of painting, sculpture, storytelling, and experience to inspire us and give us direction.

• Do you wholeheartedly agree with the Catholic Church’s moral teachings and deposit of faith? Do you seek God’s guidance in your life? 
• ** Note: Contractors need not be Catholic or Christian, but will generally not succeed if they are anti-Catholic or anti-Christian.**

Professional Excellence: We delight in excellence, exceeding expectations in every area. We tend to the details no one will see. From developing scripts to welcoming actors to designing sound, we strive for perfection in all areas of our craft.

• Do you demand high standards of yourself? Are you driven by a desire for achievement and excellence? Are you dissatisfied until all the details in a project are exceptional?

Total Ownership: Our job isn’t done until the job is done. We hold ourselves responsible for all results, no matter the circumstances. We find a path or invent one. We never take an excuse.

• Do you follow up on projects until you achieve the results? Do you do whatever it takes to get the job done instead of blaming others and making excuses? Do you own failures in order to maximize your own growth?

Continual Growth: We are driven to realize potential, professionally and personally. Opportunities are responsibilities entrusted to us for the good of others. We strive to have the greatest impact possible. We constantly seek growth. We are never done.

• Do you consistently seek out self-development, instead of waiting to be trained by others? Do you consistently challenge yourself and seek growth in your personal life?

Hungry: We work hard. We are passionate about our mission, care deeply about our people, and settle for nothing less than excellence. We are humble, entitled to nothing. We embrace challenge, leaving everything on the field.‍

• Are you self-motivated to accomplish ambitious projects? Have you overcome massive obstacles to achieve your goals? Do you make your own luck?

Open & Honest: We share openly and challenge directly, always seeking the greater good of the other person and our company. Truth builds trust, which builds teamwork, which builds passion and excitement, which fuels growth and excellence.‍

• Do you seek out constructive feedback - and offer it to others - to solve issues and build trust with coworkers?

‍

• Write/edit five (5) episode intros and one (1) epilogue per series. 
• Read scripts and distill character, action and plot into short intros using descriptive language
• Format and deliver two documents to TMB Publishing and the Creative Producer. 
• Responsible for ensuring hook copy is clean, correct and broadcast ready
• Ensure timely delivery and high-quality content within the structured process

• Aligned with the Christian mission and ethos of The Merry Beggars
• Professional experience writing for film, radio, advertising, etc. 
• Solid understanding of dramatic form and structure
• Excellent written-language skills
• Able to learn various software platforms: Slack, Arc Studio Pro, ClickUp, Google Drive, etc.
• Ability to adapt your writing to the needs of different styles and genres
• Familiarity with Google Drive and Google Docs for collaboration

TMB is seeking to fill this position with the right candidate(s) as soon as possible. 

Because TMB works with writers from around the country, this is a remote position. The person(s) hired will collaborate with the TMB team via Zoom, email, or phone. 

This is a contractor position starting at $20/hour.

After submitting your application below, your application will be reviewed.

If our team thinks that you might be a good fit, you will be emailed a job audition.