Jellyvision Needs Great Writer-Directors who are masters at communicating ideas

Jellyvision is perhaps best known as the creator of interactive games such as the YOU DON'T KNOW JACK series and the Who Wants to Be A Millionaire CD-ROMs. However, since 2002, we've evolved our business to focus on not just virtual game show hosts, but virtual teachers, insurance agents, salespeople, advisors, you name it. We're pioneering a new approach to interactivity, Interactive Conversation, that allows machines to communicate more like people. From a web perspective, we're not creating "pages" but "people" (or at least modeling the way they talk). Our approach is based on writing, performance, and audio sequencing vs. artificial intelligence or new fangled technology, really. We think that web sites can be a lot more effective at selling, servicing, teaching, and entertaining - truly connecting and persuading on a personal, individual level - simply through a more thoughtful approach and better design. See some examples.

We're now focused on helping a range of interesting partners convert more of their web site visitors into customers, and we're looking for logically strong, technically-competent writer/directors with a great ear for dialogue to join our creative team.

"That's lovely, but what's the job," you ask?

We need someone to take the lead on defining, scripting, and using our proprietary authoring environment - "assembling" Interactive Conversations that help our clients more effectively sell or service their customers online. Really, check out some examples. The job is to create stuff like this.

Here's what we're looking for

First and foremost, you must be a great writer. To put it simply, great writing is what defines Jellyvision and makes our products unique. It is also imperative that conversation writers understand how their work fits into the experience as a whole, so each piece of dialogue works with what has come before and after it, keeping the overall feeling of the experience "alive."

We look for writers who can:

Convey concepts creatively, logically and concisely
Get inside the minds of their audience(s)
Understand the inherent benefit and drama, if you will, of whatever we are selling
Communicate an idea in new ways, if the first approach isn't working
Use words to paint a picture in the mind of the audience
Write great, believable dialogue
Dig into a lot of different subject matter areas - from sales to services to entertainment, from health care to education to architectural software, and so on. If you like asking questions until you figure out what makes a subject interesting to you -- that's the kind of writer we're seeking.

We appreciate inspired technical writing and prose, but our productions at Jellyvision are expressed through natural dialogue. So, you should have a knack for writing the way real people speak - more specifically, the way funny and engaging people speak.

You should be audio-visually-minded. This job is about writing for the ear, if you will, as it's largely about scripting dialogue for a voice performer. And you'll be stringing this audio together and supporting text on-screen to create a cohesive experience. Any background or dabbling in audio or film editing will come in handy.

You need to be a student of life and of people. Our projects require writers who are able to immerse themselves in many different subjects, and then try to understand them from many different perspectives. A lot of writing necessitates an ability to understand what various audiences might be thinking or motivated by through our experiences.

But it's more about the raw talent than any required experience. The art of writing for conversation is definitely in a nascent state. (And writing in our authoring tool is unique; it is, at its core, a massive flowcharting environment that allows writers to focus on one path at a time.) But we already have many, many things to say about it that we've learned through trial and error. Rest assured, we'll teach you the guidelines and techniques we've identified and, frankly, the right way to "think in conversation." Then we'll coach you on how to apply these skills to help our partners make more effective, more persuasive, rich media applications online.

What other characteristics should you have?

Technically adept. You won't do technical troubleshooting, but you'll need to write using our proprietary software. The ability to quickly master new software is a must.
Fast, efficient, and able to meet deadlines
Exceptional creativity (have your own ideas)
Self-sufficient
Team player
Excellent communication skills
Client-friendly
Motivated
Good sense of humor
Grace in giving and receiving criticism and feedback. Your opinions are ALWAYS wanted and welcome.
Last but not least, you should be funny. Or at least in possession of a great sense of humor. Interesting taste in music and/or deep knowledge of useless pop culture trivia is a non job-related plus.

Anything else?

Yes. We only hire nice, bright people who are willing to work hard. Jellyvision is a group effort and writer/directors must be capable of working collaboratively with other writers, editors, media producers, project managers, and clients. Everyone at Jellyvision shares a commitment to excellence and a desire to work in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere. And if you've got any voice talent experience, that's a big plus. Please check out www.jellyvision.com to learn more.

Are there any perks?

Competitive pay (if you've got any requirements in mind, please specify them in your cover letter)
Fully loaded benefits plan: 401K with matching and fully-covered disability, life, health, and dental insurance
Casual dress. Come in a sweatshirt, jeans, whatever, like everyone else here.
Creative work environment. We are lucky to work in a place that is full of intelligent, talented and innovative folks. Although most hours the place is deathly quiet (we're a focused bunch), this is punctuated with hilarious outbursts and general merriment, which makes for a nice way to spend the day.
Free food. We have a stocked kitchen that pretty much guarantees you breakfast, snacks, lunch and snacks again. Including a lifetime supply of Hershey's Minis, pudding, and Easy Mac...Apples, carrots and yogurt, too.
Easy transportation. We're really close to the "L" and the Halsted (#8) bus line, and we have free parking.
Did we mention our yoga class? Three days a week, right in the office. Heavily subsidized by Jellyvision and heavily optional, btw.

Interested? Here's how to apply.

Please email us a resume and a thoughtful cover letter that outlines how your experience makes you right for this job. We weigh cover letters heavily, and cannot consider resumes without one. Again, if you have specific salary requirements, please let us know them as well.

E-mail:

**No phone calls please

Thanks for your time!



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