Writer and Senior Writer for Vertical Drama

Hey, vertical drama writers! I'm hiring for my screenwriting team at DramaWave. We're working on both live-action and generative AI shows. Are you a savvy vertical writer looking for your next opportunity? Send me a message and let's talk!

I'm looking for all sorts of narrative specializations (YA, contemporary romance, drama, romcom, fantasy, steamy, etc.). Bonus points if you have experience creating successful male-oriented stories.

Significant vertical professional experience is not required, but you must deeply understand the micro-drama medium and industry. (I'm looking at you, recent Sundance Collab class grads and Isabel Dréan incubator participants.)

Posted by: Rachel Zilberg, Lead Writer

About the role

DramaWave is looking for exceptional writers to develop original and adapted vertical dramas across both premium live action and AI production.

We are seeking writers who understand that vertical storytelling is not simply traditional film or television compressed for a phone. The strongest candidates know how to build emotionally compelling characters, design addictive episode progression, and create stories with precise structure, pacing, reversals, cliffhangers, and paywall momentum.

This role is ideal for a writer who understands commercial storytelling but does not shy away from emotion, vulnerability, character motivation, or ambitious world-building.

Responsibilities

• Develop original vertical drama concepts, adaptations, V2 projects, and reskins across multiple genres.
• Write and revise complete vertical series, from initial concept and episode breakdown through final scripts.
• Build clear story frameworks, character arcs, episode engines, reversals, cliffhangers, and paywall sequences.
• Adapt proven story structures for North American and global audiences without losing emotional credibility or cultural specificity.
• Collaborate closely with team leads, producers, and other writers during story development and script review.
• Participate in writers' rooms, story-breaking sessions, and creative development meetings.
• Write visually and cinematically for both live-action and AI production.
• For AI projects, help shape character, costume, location, creature, and world assets from the script-development stage.
• Remain involved throughout production, including casting or asset review, production feedback, cut review, and final creative quality control.
• Deliver scripts on schedule while responding constructively to notes and production realities.

What we are looking for

• Strong command of character, conflict, emotional storytelling, and commercial narrative structure.
• Demonstrated understanding of vertical drama pacing and episodic design.
• Ability to sustain momentum across short episodes without relying only on repetitive conflict or manufactured delay.
• Strong instinct for hooks, dramatic irony, reveals, reversals, humiliation-to-dominance arcs, romantic expectation, and paywall construction.
• Understanding of established frameworks and the ability to combine, adapt, or reinvent them for new audiences.
• Ability to balance proven commercial elements with fresh characters, worlds, and emotional stakes.
• A collaborative mindset and willingness to develop stories through discussion rather than working in isolation.
• Strong visual imagination and an interest in how writing translates into casting, performance, design, editing, and AI-generated production.
• Ability to work across genres, including romance, thriller, fantasy, action, YA, family drama, hidden identity, and male-audience storytelling.

Preferred experience

• Professional experience writing vertical dramas, television, film, animation, digital series, or serialized fiction.
• Produced vertical drama credits or demonstrated success on a major platform.
• Experience with original development, licensed intellectual property, V2 adaptations, reskins, or international format adaptation.
• Experience writing for male-audience or female-audience commercial genres.
• Directing, animation, producing, visual development, or writers' room experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with AIGC production is helpful but not required. We are looking first for excellent storytellers with strong visual instincts.

What makes this role different

At DramaWave, writers are not separated from the production process after delivering a script.

Our writers remain creatively involved from development through execution. Depending on the project, this may include character and world design, casting or asset review, vendor collaboration, production feedback, cut review, and marketing materials.

Our slate includes original projects, intellectual-property adaptations, premium live-action productions, and ambitious AI series. We are looking for writers who want to help define what vertical storytelling can become, not simply repeat what has already worked.

Ideal candidate

The ideal candidate understands the discipline of vertical storytelling but still thinks like a filmmaker. They can work within a proven framework without producing a mechanical copy. They know that pace matters, but that speed without emotional investment does not create a lasting hit.

Most importantly, they want to make stories audiences cannot stop watching and characters audiences genuinely care about.