Contributing Historian (Freelance)

Company: PastPort Inc.
Position: Contributing Historian
Type: Freelance / Project-Based
Compensation: $100-130 flat fee per completed script
Location: Remote

About PastPort

PastPort brings history to life through immersive, location-based storytelling. We connect people with the individuals, events, and places that shaped the world around them, making accurate history engaging, accessible, and meaningful.

Our experiences feature historical figures telling their own stories in the first person, allowing audiences to encounter the past through the voices of those who lived it.

About the Role

We are seeking Contributing Historians to research and write PastPort scripts. Contributing Historians transform complex historical material into compelling first-person historical narratives that are accurate, accessible, and engaging when spoken aloud.

Each PastPort script is approximately two minutes long (generally, 300 – 400 words), spoken in a historical figure’s voice, set at a specified date, and connected to a real location.  

The ideal candidate is passionate about public history, enjoys communicating historical ideas to broad audiences, and can balance scholarly accuracy with strong narrative writing.

Key Responsibilities

• Historical research: Research assigned historical figures using credible primary and secondary sources.
• Scriptwriting: Produce original, first-person scripts that bring historical figures to life.
• Historical accuracy: Ensure that facts, quotations, interpretations, and descriptions are supported by reliable evidence. 
• Source documentation: Provide citations and footnotes supporting historical claims, along with a list of research sources.
• Editorial collaboration: Work with PastPort's editorial team to incorporate feedback, clarify historical details, and revise scripts as needed before final acceptance.
• Guideline adherence: Follow PastPort's Script Style Guide, Script Template, and agreed deadlines.

What We're Looking For

• Academic background in history, public history, or a closely related discipline. Graduate-level study is preferred but not essential.  
• Experience writing for museums, heritage organizations, historical publications, podcasts, audio tours, or other public-history projects is welcome but not essential.
• Strong historical research skills with both primary and secondary sources.
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to make complex historical subjects clear, engaging, and accessible.
• An understanding of historical interpretation, context, and the importance of accurately representing people and events.
• An interest in creative nonfiction, narrative history, museum interpretation, or public-facing historical storytelling.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly around factual accuracy, chronology, and source attribution.
• Ability to work independently, respond constructively to editorial feedback, and meet agreed deadlines.
  Compensation & Working Arrangement

$100-130 flat fee per completed and accepted script.

This fee covers research, writing, source documentation, and participation in the standard editorial revision process.

Assignments are offered on a freelance, project-by-project basis, with volume and deadlines agreed in advance. The role is remote and offers flexibility around other professional or academic commitments.

How to Apply

Please submit via email:

• your CV
• a summary of your historical research and writing experience
• a 300-word sample script for a historical figure of your choice, written for a general audience