A hiring hackathon is a time-limited creative challenge that revolutionizes how creators hire talent. Unlike traditional hiring processes that rely on portfolios and interviews, hackathons allow candidates to demonstrate their skills directly with your content, creating a real-world test environment.
For creative roles such as Video Editors, Scriptwriters, Thumbnail Designers, or Content Strategists, hackathons offer a dynamic approach that:
- Eliminates guesswork by having candidates work with your actual footage or brief
- Creates a level playing field where all applicants have the same time constraints and materials
- Reveals adaptability and creative thinking in a way portfolios simply cannot
- Builds community engagement around your hiring process
- Saves you time by streamlining the evaluation process
The structure is simple but effective:
- You create a challenge based on your actual needs (e.g., "Edit this raw footage into a 90-second video maintaining my style")
- Set a timeframe (typically 48-72 hours)
- Establish optional rewards for top performers
- Review submissions in our intuitive TikTok-style feed for easy comparison
Real Creator Success Story
Jenny Hoyos (8M subscribers) faced the challenge of finding an editor who truly understood her content style. Rather than reviewing countless portfolios and negotiating individual trial projects, she launched a Roster hackathon. View Jenny's hackathon
She provided raw footage and a clear brief, then promoted the opportunity to her audience. Within 48 hours, she had dozens of submissions specifically tailored to her content - not generic portfolio pieces. This allowed her to:
- See exactly how different editors would handle her actual footage
- Compare approaches side-by-side in our submission feed
- Identify candidates whose style naturally aligned with her vision
- Make a confident hiring decision based on relevant work samples
The hackathon format transformed what could have been weeks of interviews and test projects into a streamlined 48-hour process that yielded better results. Jenny found her perfect editor and built excitement in her community simultaneously.
