Animation Scriptwriter
We’re looking for a scriptwriter to start with us on a few Malaysian animation projects tied to UN Sustainable Development Goal 15, Life on Land, with an eye on building a long-term writing partnership across more story-led projects with ROUGE.
Our work is steady, and each good project tends to bring the next. We hire project by project, but we're not looking for a writer for one job. We're looking for a voice we can trust and keep coming back to. Consistency matters more to us than volume.
Remote is fine. You don't have to live in Malaysia, but you have to know it in your bones: how people speak, what's happening there now, the humour and references that don't survive translation.
Must Have (these are non-negotiables)
If these don't fit, we can't consider your application:
You're Malaysian in lived experience, not just on paper. You know the cultural nuances, how people speak, and what's happening there now.
You write English the way Malaysians speak it. Our scripts start in English and are often translated into Malay, so the English has to sound like a Malaysian, not a textbook.
You've written scripts that have been produced. Tell us what you've written, and in which formats.
Heart comes naturally to you. You can make someone care about a place or a creature without telling them to.
Should Have (these will make you shine)
You know how to write for animation. You understand how a script becomes a finished film, and you write to its constraints: dialogue is expensive, the image carries the story. We can teach this, but we'd rather you arrived with it.
You have standing in the Malaysian or regional screenwriting scene, or can point us to another strong writer when you're too busy.
You can write a purpose-led brief without it becoming a lecture. Conservation themes go preachy fast. The skill is making them a story anyway.
Nice to Have (this is the cherry on top)
You write in Malay too, or can check that a translation keeps the feeling of the English.
Past work in conservation, nature, wildlife, or tourism.
Experience with B Corps or mission-driven organisations.
A real relationship with the natural world, from time in it, not reading about it.
Folklore and adaptation instincts.
A Note on Working Style
This is a collaborative room. Multiple passes are normal, so we want a writer who treats a note as material rather than a verdict. If your instinct on a rewrite is to find another way in rather than defend the first draft, you'll fit. We care about the work more than who had the idea first.
What You'll Actually Do
Turn a brief, a theme, or a folktale into a script that holds up on screen
Build characters and worlds that stay consistent across a series and its seasons
Write dialogue that sounds like real people and survives translation
Collaborate early with the assigned project leads, , so script and visuals grow together
Take notes, do passes, hold the through-line as things change
Help shape the story bible where a world needs one
Bring ideas for where a project could go next
Why This Matters
The films you'd write make people care about the Malaysian natural world at a moment when much of it is under pressure. When it works, a viewer feels something new, and sometimes that feeling becomes action. That's why we do this.
How to Apply
Send us:
Your portfolio, or the scripts and films you're proudest of
A short piece for us: make us care about something unglamorous you'd find in Malaysia. A peat swamp, a storm drain, an oil palm estate, a mynah on a wire. A few lines is plenty, and no telling us to care. This can be something from your existing portfolio.
What country you're based in, and which languages you write in
Email: make@withrouge.com
Subject line: "Animation Scriptwriter - [Your Name] - [Your Country]"
We review as applications come in. If you're the one, you'll hear within a week.
ROUGE Collective is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members.
