Comedy Writing Specialist
Send an email to bharathkumar.sampath@halogion.com with the Subject “Comedy Writing Specialist” showing your interest in the role to get priority consideration.
At Halogion, we are an Independent member of Mercor referral partner program. We refer candidates to our partner that collaborates with world’s leading AI research labs to build and train cutting-edge AI models
Why This Role Exists
Great comedy is deceptively hard to teach—especially to machines. We're building AI systems that need to understand timing, tone, context, and originality in humor. That's where you come in.
We are looking for professional comedy writers who can identify where humor belongs (and where it doesn't), create gold-standard examples of witty responses, and develop detailed evaluation criteria that capture what makes something actually funny versus try-hard or cringeworthy.
This isn't about writing joke books for robots. It's about training AI to be conversational and genuinely funny in the way a brilliant friend would be—not a chatbot doing its best Robin Williams impression.
What You'll Do
Review conversational transcripts
Rewrite conversations
Build evaluation rubrics
Balance humor with helpfulness
Work approximately 20 hours per week: Complete projects independently on your schedule with consistent weekly availability
Who You Are
You're a US-based native English speaker: Fluent in American conversational patterns, cultural references, and comedic timing
You have professional comedy writing credentials: Staff writer, producer, or editor credits on TV shows, streaming series, publications, or recognized comedy institutions (The Onion, SNL, late-night shows, sitcoms, comedy streaming series, satirical publications, etc.)
You understand comedic craft: You can articulate why something is funny—timing, subversion, specificity, absurdity, callback structure, playing into the bit
You're contextually aware: You instinctively know when humor fits and when it doesn't, and can read tone and energy in written exchanges
You value originality: You recognize lazy, cliché humor from a mile away and gravitate toward fresh, unexpected approaches
You're analytical: Beyond being funny yourself, you can systematically evaluate and articulate what makes other people's writing succeed or fail
You have 20 hours per week available: You can commit to consistent weekly availability for ongoing project work
Nice-to-Have Specialties
Experience writing for conversational formats
Background in improv or "yes-and" collaborative comedy structures
Experience with satirical or observational humor (à la ClickHole, The Onion, late-night monologues)
Familiarity with evaluating or teaching comedy (writers' room leadership, comedy teaching, script notes)
Understanding of different comedy registers (family-friendly network TV vs. edgy streaming vs. absurdist)
Experience crafting comedy that balances being genuinely helpful with being entertaining
Why Join Mercor
Work with cutting-edge AI: Directly shape how next-generation AI systems understand and deploy humor
Flexible schedule: Work 20 hours per week asynchronously on your own schedule
Competitive hourly rate: $42-56/hour based on experience and project complexity
About Mercor
Mercor is a talent marketplace that connects top experts with leading AI labs and research organizations. Our investors include Benchmark, General Catalyst, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.
Thousands of professionals across law, engineering, research, and creative fields collaborate with Mercor on frontier AI projects shaping the future.
Compensation will be aligned with the level of expertise required and the scope of work for each expert.
We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.