Last month, my first feature-length documentary, Anything For Fame, was released on Paramount+ and broadcast nationally on Showtime. The doc delves into the ruthless “attention economy” of the internet, where young influencers gamble everything for fame and fortune. Climbing the Golden Gate Bridge, licking airplane toilets, lighting their heads on fire — you know the drill. The release had me reflecting on how I started as a content creator on Tongal, what a gift it has been to be part of this community, and what I've learned on the platform that has helped me to fulfill my life-long ambition to make a feature-length film.
One of my first paid gigs in film was a $750 project for Tongal back in 2013. It was an ad for Excedrin. The ad was okay, the brand didn’t love it, and we placed 13th out of 15 submissions. However, this experience started me on a journey that has led to 624 pitches and 113 greenlit projects. Here are my five biggest learnings from my journey with Tongal and how it prepared me for my biggest challenge yet.
We all have good ideas, ideas we think are good but no one else does, and then ideas that, with the right feedback, will be great. Being active on Tongal forces you to think about how you think. You have different clients you're pitching to, and often, even if the idea is good, you’ll need to adjust or change it with just a few days' notice. When I first pitched my film Anything For Fame to the 12-time Oscar-winning production company, the NFB, it was actually a different film. They didn’t love it, but they gave me a chance to pitch again. Tongal taught me to always have multiple ideas ready, so I pitched a new concept about influencers doing extreme stuff on the internet and they were sold. And like that we were off to development.
Tyler and his editor Seb at the Tongies in 2014
Everyone loves sitting around with friends and dreaming of making a film. But sometimes it doesn’t work out, and a short shoot is the best way to learn that lesson. Those 113 greenlights on Tongal were a masterclass in learning how I liked to work and who I liked to work with. Only by being on set can you tell if a team works, and commercials are a great space to work with new people as you grow as a director.
If you get a chance, check out our Tongie-nominated Sears ad A Good Night's Sleep. That's the same core team — director of photography Peter Planta and editor Sebastian Merado — that joined me on the 70-day North America-spanning shoot for Anything For Fame. We learnt we loved to work together, then the experience helped us to all learn how to be better — a winning formula.
I'm proud of how far we've come and grateful for the opportunities to grow.
Tongal has an insanely-talented roster of filmmakers. There’s so much activity on the site that it’s easy to forget that behind each project is an incredibly talented creator you can learn from. I’ve made many lifelong friends through Tongal. When we were stuck figuring out how to edit our four-hour documentary down to 90 minutes, I was lucky to have a friend and fellow Tongaler, Don Droida, give us excellent feedback. The value of fresh eyes when you’re deep in a project is priceless.
If you’re impressed with someone’s work, it’s always great to let them know. I routinely meet with people for coffee to discuss the complicated dream that is filmmaking. Make use of the fact that on Tongal you can see other people’s work and connect from a place of shared passion for the art. When you really watch someone’s work and then reach out, you’re able to ask deeper questions, learn more, and share more. Someone reaching out because they want to know how you got financing is always a weird chat when they haven’t seen your work and are only focused on your results. But if you can connect through passion for the art form, you make a real connection. Those are the people I end up staying in touch with and working with.
Being a filmmaker who is always on time makes a big difference. Things will always get delayed; documentary subjects will cancel on you, then confirm, then cancel again, only to ask a moment later if you can still shoot. If you've done your work and you're prepared, you’re always able to catch magic no matter when challenges arise. The deadlines you set matter, and when you respect them, things move.
I could go on all day, but I’ll end with this: watch Anything For Fame because, like any good pitch, it gets to the point. And if you’re in Vancouver, hit me up. We can grab a coffee and chat about all things Tongal and indie filmmaking.
If you're a creator who wants to be connected to world-class brands, please check out our Open Projects. Or if your brand is interested in unleashing the power of our global creator community on your content, book a demo.
