Umami is Seeking Contributors

Are you a compelling storyteller who has something to say about the world of food? Umami is an online food and travel magazine looking for great storytellers who can tell the story of food through written articles, recipes, and pictures.

Organizational Information
At Umami we believe life should be a beautiful adventure and that what we eat, whom we eat with, and how we eat are at the heart of the human experience and how we connect with one another.  Our mission is to help people expand their taste by exploring our world.

At Umami, we take a holistic approach to food and food related content.  We’re looking for contributors who have something to say and can say it in an interesting way.  We truly believe in compelling content and are building our business as a way to support our contributors’ passion and creativity.  Our goal is to become the essential publication for people who are interested in food.

Responsibilities
As a contributor, you will be responsible for working with the editorial team to develop compelling content on a timely basis.  Contributor responsibilities include:

• Developing original content that is exclusive to Umami
• Working with the editorial staff to develop content ideas
• Turning things in on time
• Helping market content through your personal networks

Skills
To do this job well, you need to be able to tell compelling stories, if you can’t don’t apply.  We are looking for excellent writers, recipe developers, and photographers who have something to say about the world of food.  It would be helpful if you knew something about food, whether it’s how to cook, what it’s like to work in restaurants, or how to develop recipes. Contributors should have:

• Excellent storytelling skills
• Superb writing skills
• A deeply curious personality
• Something to say about food
• The ability to get people to tell their stories
• A strong work ethic
• Original thinking
• Photography, video, and cooking skills are a strong plus
• Knowledge of the food industry – this could be in cooking, food production, food science, health, public policy, recipe development, restaurants, cultural studies, etc.…is also a plus

We do not expect all contributors to do all things.  For example, we expect some contributors will focus on writing articles about interesting people and places, while others focus on developing recipes. 

Why you should work here
Umami is dedicated to creating an environment for our contributors to thrive. The goal is to build the site to around 20 to 30 regular contributors. Having a small cadre of contributors allows us to invest time and resources into each contributor, helping them develop their voice and a loyal following while providing the publication with the quality and quantity of content we need to be relevant and to keep readers engaged.

Compensation
Compensation for contributors is 25 percent of the revenue generated by their content. With a base amount upon publication.  The reason we are structuring compensation this way is we want our contributors to be invested in the site’s success and want to have a business model that allows the site and contributors to grow and be successful.  The structure for Umami is designed to earn contributors money over a long period of time through a comprehensive marketing program and search engine optimization.

Employment Status
Contributors to Umami are considered independent contractors.

Time Commitment
Umami is interested in building a team of contributors from all walks of life.  This means having some contributors who work full-time on the site and others who contribute on a more limited basis.  The most important thing in building the team is to find the right mix of voices, who can produce the right content.

How to apply
Send a letter saying why you want to be a contributor along with two work samples and a resume to jobs@umami.site

Umami is an Equal Opportunity Employer