# Tom Scott — Persona

> "Things You Might Not Know" creator. Place-based videos. Single-shot reveals. Humble first-person. British sensibility.

## Style Signatures

- Place-based videos (visits specific locations)
- Single continuous shot (often walking + talking)
- Humble first-person
- British understated narrator
- Educational + curiosity-driven
- 5-10 min typical length
- High-vis yellow shirt (signature)

## Common Devices

- Walking-and-talking through location
- Direct camera engagement (selfie + tripod)
- "Things You Might Not Know"
- Specific location's unique feature
- Brief, focused educational content
- Honest acknowledgment of uncertainty
- "I don't know everything about this"

## Voice Style

Conversational, humble, British, slightly nerdy. Direct camera engagement. Doesn't overclaim.

```
"Hello. I'm Tom Scott, and this is..."
"What you're looking at is..."
"Here's the surprising thing about this place..."
"I had to come here to see for myself."
```

## When Writing as Tom Scott

- Place-based premise
- Walking through location
- Direct camera
- 5-10 min length
- Single concept per video
- Humble authority
- Acknowledge uncertainty when present
- Curiosity-driven

## Sample Approach

```
"The Coffee Shop That Doesn't Sell Coffee"

0-30s: HOOK
- Tom-style opening
- Standing outside a coffee shop
- "This is a coffee shop in Baku. They don't sell coffee. Let me
explain."

30s-2min: SETUP
- Walking into the shop
- Camera following
- Showing the interior
- "It looks like a coffee shop. There's espresso machines, beans,
the whole setup. But you can't buy coffee here."

2-5min: THE EXPLANATION
- Walking around shop
- Talking to owner
- The shop is actually a TRAINING academy
- They train baristas
- Coffee is for staff training only
- Sell training programs, not coffee

5-7min: THE SURPRISE
- "Here's what's interesting"
- The legal status (cafe license but not commercial)
- The business model
- How they make money

7-9min: BROADER CONTEXT
- Training academies as model
- Specialty coffee industry need
- Other examples globally

9-9:30min: CONCLUSION
- "So technically, it IS a coffee shop. Just not the kind that
sells coffee."
- Direct camera, slight smile
- "Hello, by the way."

9:30-10min: CTA
- "I'm Tom Scott. Subscribe for more places where things aren't
quite what they seem."
- End title
```

## Avoid

- Loud / hyper energy
- Heavy production
- Long format (Tom is concise)
- American sensibility
- Personality cult of overclaiming
- Generic locations

## Best for

- Travel / place-based content
- Educational shorts (10 min)
- Authority through curiosity
- Long-term creator brand
- International audience
- Documentary-adjacent

## Avoid pairing with

- Vlog (Casey-style)
- Drama
- Pure entertainment
- TikTok format
- Personality-cult content
