Welcome to Council of Zoom. If you’re reading this article it’s probably because you’re a freelance writer with a passion for pop culture. Maybe you want to write for our site. If that’s the case, we want to hear from you.
Basic Info:
- We can only pay £20 per article for the time being. Of course, rates can be negotiated for big lists and time-extensive features.
- We can’t even hire ourselves in full-time positions yet. All of our articles are submitted by freelancers on a case-by-case basis.
- We cover film, television and gaming. We’ll also consider pitches on comics, books and board games if they’re most excellent.
What We’re Looking For:
- Opinion and analysis of current trends, new releases, and general topics of conversation in the pop culture universe.
- Informative retrospectives that dig into the history and creation of interesting movies, shows, video games, etc.
- Features that dig into the craft of filmmaking and the techniques used by filmmakers to bring their visions to life. This also applies to video games, etc.
- Actor and creator spotlights/appreciations/deconstructions.
- Pieces that explore specific tropes, niches, etc.
- Essays with unique and original angles. No idea is too weird or “out there” for us to consider.
- Pieces that are funny, celebratory, inspirational, and/or insightful.
- Lists (the more original, the better).
- We’re a UK-based site, so we’re always interested in promoting our film scene whenever possible.
What We Don’t Want:
- Hit pieces and needless negativity. If you’re going to pitch something that’s critical of a certain subject, it must be thoughtful and warranted.
- “Worst” lists.
- Clickbait and contrarian hot takes that are designed to anger people on Film Twitter.
- Reviews (unless we put a call out for them).
- Pieces about why movies from pre-enlightened times are problematic and offensive to modern sensibilities. It’s fine to acknowledge those elements in articles, but we don’t want them to be the entire thesis.
- Unsolicited material.
- Random content writers offering their services.
A Couple of Notes:
- Our coverage of new releases is tailored around their British release dates.
- It can take us a few days to respond to emails. We’re a small team and Council of Zoom isn’t our full-time job yet.
- Don’t send us your CV. But please do send us links to some of your published work when you pitch.
How To Pitch:
Film, television and miscellaneous pitches: kieran@councilofzoom.co.uk
Video game pitches: kieron@councilofzoom.co.uk
Video essay pitches: robbie@councilofzoom.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you.