YouTube scripts · Documentary · Explainers
Scripts that keep people watching.
I'm head writer for Moon, a YouTube channel with 1.8 million subscribers: writing, reviewing and editing scripts, and helping decide what gets made. Recent videos include "George Orwell Tried To Warn You" (1.6M views), "Miami Is Everything Wrong With Society" (2M) and "Adobe Is Completely F*cked" (1.9M). I also write for Versed Media, a video essay channel, and before that wrote science and engineering scripts for BeAmazed as it passed 10 million subscribers. Long-form, research-heavy, built for retention.
A script is not an article read aloud
It's a structure for attention. The first thirty seconds have to earn the next minute. Every section has to open a question the viewer wants closed. The facts have to be right, because the comments will find out if they aren't, and they have to arrive in an order that feels inevitable rather than listed.
I write for the voice that will read it and the footage that will cover it. Short sentences where the edit will be fast. Room to breathe where the visual needs it. Call-outs for the editor where a fact needs a source on screen.
What I bring
- Real research: papers, archives, interviews, the primary source rather than the Wikipedia summary of it
- Hooks, open loops and payoffs mapped before the first line is written
- Ideation and title development, not just execution
- Editing and reviewing other writers' scripts to a single channel voice
- A background in audio production, so I hear how a line will land before it's recorded
Subjects I've scripted
Space and cosmology, AI and the future, engineering and megaprojects, natural phenomena, history's strange corners, the science of everyday things. If you make the kind of video people watch at midnight with the lights off, we'll get on.
Sam is definitely a cut above the rest! The quality of his work always exceeded my expectations in terms of creativity and originality.
YouTube channel owner, review on Upwork
His ability to never lose the quality of his writing, even with a new story every day, has been an absolute testament to his knowledge and his craft.
Editorial lead, AI news publisher, review on Upwork
Scale
Moon, Versed Media and BeAmazed
Scripts I've written have been watched by tens of millions of people across Moon, Versed Media and BeAmazed. The format works at that scale for one reason: every line has a job.
Talk about your channel →Questions people ask
Questions about script writing
What kind of YouTube scripts do you write?
Long-form documentary and explainer scripts, typically 10 to 30 minutes, on science, technology, AI, history, space and the future. I've been head writer for Moon, a channel with 1.8 million subscribers, since 2025 and wrote science and engineering scripts for BeAmazed when it passed 10 million.
How long does a YouTube script take?
A researched 2,500 to 4,000-word script usually takes five to seven working days from brief to first draft. Faster for formats we've done before, and I can keep a weekly cadence on a retainer.
Do you write for retention?
Yes. Every script is built around a hook in the first 30 seconds, open loops that pay off, a structure that earns each next section, and an ending that makes the next video the obvious click. I work from your retention data where you have it.
Can you help with ideation and titles?
Yes. On my current channel I contribute to video ideation, titles, thumbnail text and content development, not just the script. The best scripts start with the right idea, and the right idea usually starts with a title.
Can I see a sample?
Most scripts are under NDA and the videos go out under the channel's name, so I share samples privately. Tell me your niche and I'll send the closest match.