Creative Writer (Los Angeles)

About Mochi
For all of us, Mochi started from the same dream: to make anime.

We’re a small venture-backed team of passionate anime fans, storytellers, artists, and technologists creating original short-form anime dramas for the mobile generation.

We believe we’re living through a uniquely exciting moment in creative history. AI is fundamentally changing how stories can be created, allowing small teams to bring ambitious ideas to life faster than ever before.

Our series are designed as serialized vertical anime dramas, typically structured as 24-episode seasons with episodes running approximately 60–90 seconds each. The focus is on emotionally gripping stories, strong hooks, cliffhangers, and high-retention storytelling built for mobile-first audiences and social platforms.

We also see AI as a creative amplifier, not a replacement for taste, artistry, or storytelling. We care deeply about pacing, emotional payoff, visual quality, and creating series that feel authored with intention rather than generated for volume alone. Basically, not AI slop.

Anime is the medium we love most, and we want to work with other people who feel the same way.
We’re still early, moving fast, experimenting aggressively, and building a new kind of entertainment company from the ground up.

Looking For
We are looking for highly creative writers to help develop original serialized anime dramas for Mochi.
This is not traditional television writing. This role is focused on creating emotionally gripping, high-retention short-form stories designed for vertical video platforms. Writers will collaborate closely with our team to develop concepts, characters, episode structures, dialogue, cliffhangers, and series arcs.

Episodes are typically 60–90 seconds long and designed to maximize audience retention, emotional intensity, bingeability, and virality.

We move extremely fast, iterate aggressively, and heavily integrate AI tools into our creative workflow. The ideal candidate is excited about experimenting with new storytelling formats and building the future of entertainment.

Responsibilities
Story development:
Create original serialized drama concepts optimized for short-form mobile viewing
Develop emotionally compelling characters, relationships, twists, betrayals, and cliffhangers
Write episodic scripts designed for strong audience retention and binge behavior
Shape stories from concept through production
Rapidly iterate on stories based on creative feedback and audience performance data
Help identify trends, tropes, hooks, and story structures that resonate with internet audiences

Writing:
Write and revise episodic scripts for vertical anime dramas
Structure episodes around strong hooks, emotional escalation, and cliffhanger endings
Maintain consistent pacing, tone, and character voice across episodes
Adapt stories to production realities and AI-assisted workflows
Creative Collaboration:
Participate in creative brainstorms, story workshops, and production discussions
Work closely with the Mochi team to continuously improve storytelling quality and production velocity
Contribute ideas for new genres, formats, and experimental storytelling approaches

Qualifications:
Strong storytelling instincts and understanding of emotional pacing
Deep familiarity with anime, manga, web novels, serialized dramas, or internet storytelling culture
Ability to write quickly while maintaining strong story structure
Comfortable receiving and implementing feedback rapidly
Strong understanding of audience psychology, hooks, cliffhangers, and retention-driven storytelling
Self-motivated and highly collaborative

Bonus Points:
Experience with screenwriting, manga/webtoon writing, visual novels, or serialized fiction
Familiarity with AI creative tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, Midjourney, or video generation tools
Experience creating content for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or similar platforms
Understanding of viral internet storytelling formats and social media pacing

We care less about traditional credentials and more about creative instincts.

You might be a fit if:
you obsess over anime and serialized storytelling,
you understand what makes people binge,
you naturally think in hooks and cliffhangers,
you love emotionally chaotic drama,
and you’re excited about using AI tools to create stories faster than traditional studios ever could.

Application Requirements
Please submit:
Resume or portfolio
Your favorite anime and/or manga
2–3 writing samples
At least 1 sample focused on emotionally-driven drama, romance, thriller, or serialized storytelling
Optional: links to social content, web novels, manga, scripts, or creative projects