So far, in 2018 alone, we’ve launched just over 100 Open Idea and Video Projects and awarded over 500 individual Idea and Video submissions on Tongal. Each Project is an opportunity for one or more members of our community to contribute their talents and unique perspective to make a real impact on the brands, networks, and studios with whom we have partnered.
Excitingly, 43% of the awarded Ideas and Pitches in 2018 to date went to Tongalers who enjoyed their very first win on our platform! And while numbers and statistics are one part of the story, it’s the individual creators behind the numbers that we’re more interested in. We spoke to a handful of these newly-minted Tongal Idea and Pitch Winners to get a better sense of how they managed to breakthrough - and how others hoping to do the same might follow in their footsteps. Here’s what they had to say:
Why do you submit to Tongal Projects? And how long had you been submitting on Tongal before you won your first Project?
Kelsey Taylor (Californian Filmmaker and Tongaler since 2017): I'd been aware of Tongal for some time but had never submitted because honestly, it seemed too good to be true... It's literally everything I want -- commercial filmmaking awarded to great ideas/concepts based on merit. Looking back on it, I feel so stupid for not jumping on these opportunities sooner. I started submitting in November kind of randomly every couple of months when a project came up that I really liked with an eventual win in June.
Stephan Robinson (UK Editor/Ideator and Tongaler since 2015): I'd been submitting to Tongal projects every now and again when something interesting came up. I go for them because whether I get them or not they're good creative exercises and can stretch the imagination.
Melissa Chiou (Californian Ideator and Tongaler since 2015): I submit to Tongal Projects because I like the challenge of coming up with new ideas. I submitted for about 3-4 years off and on before I won my first project. I have only recently started to submit more.
Peter Heacock from UNPOP NOW (Pennsylvanian Ideators/Filmmakers and Tongalers since 2018): We submit to Tongal because they rep great brands who are interested in dynamic advertising and storytelling for digital platforms. Working with the Tongal team is transparent, smooth, and the compensation is fair. We pitched 2 concepts and won our third submission. The winning pitch was accepted after 2 months on the platform.
Alina Galieva (Russian Ideator and Tongaler since 2016): It is interesting for me to participate in the competition because I can present my ideas. I think if I have an idea, I have to show it to Tongal. I've been working with Tongal for about a year.
Isela Quijas (Californian Filmmaker and Tongaler since 2018): Personally, I was attracted to the fact that Tongal operates like a meritocracy. Your work is what matters -- not necessarily where you live, where you come from or who you know. You also don't have to work your way up a production ladder to direct!
Which Project did you breakthrough and have your first win on? How did it feel when you realized your Idea or Pitch was awarded?
Isela: I broke through with a project for the SYFY TV Channel (the SYFY Fan Made Logo Videos Project) and it felt like a legitimate blessing from God.
Melissa: I won for National Geographic’s Valley of the Boom Concepts Project. I was very surprised that I won, though I thought it was a good idea when I submitted it.
Stephan: I was one of the 6 selected winners for the Macy's Style Crew Editing Project. Winning felt amazing and I had to double check the email to make sure I hadn't misread a rejection letter or something.
Kelsey: My breakthrough project was the Amazon Shopper Video. I was on set 2nd ACing so I was beyond STOKED to see the email about a directing job -- it felt like, YESSS, I finally cracked the Tongal code. It felt great to have a little success and that's a big part of why I've begun submitting to more projects.
Peter from UNPOP NOW: We won with the Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee Recipe Videos Project. I was super excited when I received the email on vacation. I dropped my mini golf putter and did a dance on the green. I was relieved that all of the hard work for the pitch had paid off.
Did you do anything differently on that Project than you previously had when you submitted and didn’t win?
Peter from UNPOP NOW: We read the brief very carefully and meticulously chose our sample work so that the client got a very clear picture of what we would make for their brand.
Alina: I tried to come up with an unusual idea. [Ed. Note: She placed in the Concept phase of the BetterHelp Realization Video Suite Project]
Kelsey: I wish the answer was no because so much of it seems like luck and a numbers game but I actually did treat this project differently. On previous pitches and concepts I've gone for a pretty vague approach. On this pitch I made a commitment to a very specific idea and approach and that seemed like it was well responded to. Good to know for future pitching. The beautiful thing is that Tongal lets you submit more than one pitch so you can really go for it with multiple ideas!
Stephan: I've gradually been improving my pitch documents and each is a lot better than the one before it. I also tried a more personal tone in the document than I had in some previous attempts. Instead of making it very formal I worked on making it more 'me'. [Ed Note: Check out Chapter 3 of Tongal 101 for more tips on Pitching!]
When developing your Idea/Pitch, do you approach the creative ask with a particular strategy?
Melissa: I have experience working on entertainment marketing campaigns, so I used marketing terms to describe the concept in the submission. When developing my idea or pitch, I consider the client, their objective, and the target demo they’re trying to reach.
Stephan: The Macy's brief was asking for editors to work on social media content. Obviously I wanted to sell my editing skills chiefly, but I also work a lot with social media management. So I worked on showing the tips/tricks I could bring to the table beyond just the video editing. I also searched online for the Macy's style guide and fonts list. I formatted my treatment accordingly and made it as visual as possible with images and colour to bring out my ideas, and edited the document to cut down on words as much as possible.
Kelsey: You know what... I don't. And that's probably something I should start paying more attention to. In my other projects outside of Tongal I find myself always trying to come up with ideas that are feasible or that are easy to produce but for some reason I've really tried to let go of that with Tongal and just come up with ideas that I think are original and fun.
Isela: Nothing fancy. I don't know if everyone does this, but I consider what other filmmakers may submit and ask myself how I can make the project unique with what I can bring to the table.
Do you have any advice for Tongal community members who are also chasing that first win on a Project? What can they do to work smarter?
Alina: I think we should try to read the brief and assets more carefully. It is necessary to clearly understand the purpose of the project.
Melissa: My advice is to become knowledgeable about marketing and pitching strategies. What will help achieve the client’s goal? You can’t focus on yourself.
Stephan: Go the extra mile and research the client as much as you can. What has worked for them in the past, what they're doing now, what their competitors are doing, and what other companies are doing in their field.
Peter from UNPOP NOW: I would go for the project you think you can win and go all in on the pitch. I would focus your energy on a few rather than many pitches. Pick the ones that are right for you.
Kelsey: Tongal is an amazing place for people to work on their portfolio and practice pitching and from what I can tell they really emphasize good ideas! The more you put yourself out there, you're going to get faster, better, and more comfortable pitching. I think keeping at it is really important and going the extra mile means a lot. If someone cracks the Tongal code I'd love to know the secret!
Is there anything you would like to see or change about the brief - or the submission process, in general - to help with your creative process?
Alina: I think that you need to show examples of works. For example, we see a project ... And we see an example of work that is expected from the participants of the competition. In general, I think that Tongal is a great platform for creative people!
Kelsey: My only qualms are with how open-ended some of the briefs are. I always like to know what a sponsor is looking for precisely but I imagine their goal is to not hamper creativity with too many specifics.
Melissa: Maybe a section for emotion. How does the client want the target audience to feel? The client could even indicate the emotion using an emoji or gif on the brief. That might help with pitches.
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Thanks to each of the Tongalers who let us pick their brains for this blog post! Got some great insight of your own? Make sure to share it down in the comments!
