Note From Tongal: "Keeping it Real: Sourcing Authentic Stories for Tongal Projects" is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the In Your Own Words Tongal Blog Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and stay tuned for more opportunities to Pitch a topic and write for the Tongal Blog!
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“Ever use Butt Paste?”....“You don’t happen to have psoriatic arthritis, do you?”....“Tell me you drink Ensure and want to be in a Tongal video.”
Modern pickup lines? Not quite, but it is lines like these that have led to a Chief of Police in Massachusetts, a millennial Mom in Long Island and a crafty elementary school teacher in Maine allowing me to submit their stories to Tongal for Authentic Stories projects. [Ed. note: Brands that host Authentic Stories Projects on Tongal seek to "cast" real people as the subjects of their videos.]
Finding subjects for Authentic Stories projects can be challenging. Brands are usually searching for subjects with very specific attributes. It can be hard to find someone with the unique personality traits a brand might be looking for. Couple that with things like overcoming obstacles, battling disease or being an avid product user, and your pool of candidates may appear very small. A lot of things need to fall into place for the subject to be the right fit. Remember, these stories are authentic – you can’t fake it.
When you first read a brief for Authentic Stories, you might think, “How on earth am I going to find someone who meets that criteria, and even if I do, will they be willing to participate?”
It's a big ask of someone to divulge their personal life in docu-style, often dramatic fashion for a national brand. These stories may expose some of the subject’s greatest challenges. Not everyone would be up for it. But so far, I have had success with my network of family and friends on a few different occasions.
When the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Real Stories Project launched, I first thought – "I am way beyond the diaper stage and so are most of my friends," but then I realized, not only is my sister in-law a millennial, she has not one, but two young daughters in diapers!
Their family fit the bill perfectly. But would she be too busy? I reached out to her, explained the deal, and she, willingly, let me tell her story. Their spot was filmed by Gray Cat Films based out of Portland, Oregon. After some introductions and sharing of contact information, the subject and filmmakers connected and coordinated their schedules.
In their pitch, Gray Cat Films said, “We get to know our subjects prior to filming and set a relaxed on-set atmosphere to encourage authenticity.” And this is exactly what happened. My sister in law’s family greatly enjoyed the experience, and they enjoyed working with Melissa and JP of Gray Cat Films.
More recently I recruited my friend and former boss, Police Chief Bill Baker of Foxborough, MA for an Ensure spot. I knew he was the “Can-Do” person they were looking for, but I didn't really know if he drank Ensure. When I asked, it turned out that not only did he drink it, but he had lots of stories to go along with it! Having had knee, neck and back surgeries, he used Ensure as part of his diet to keep getting back in the game. I explained the process to him and got a resounding, “I’m in!”
Filmed by Brandon Carter, with Tongal’s Jamie Newton and brand representatives on set, Chief Baker got a good dose of all the moving parts of Tongal. “I learned a lot about the creative process - about the relationship between idea people, producers, directors and brand folks all with slightly different views of their world. I learned about how brand exposure works and about the art of still photography and videography,” said Chief Baker.
Filming for each of these spots took about 2-3 full days of the subject’s time, so I felt like maybe I roped these busy candidates into something more than they bargained for. Chief Baker said the time commitment was not more than expected, “But I think the key to that was pre-planning and setting up shot locations and arrangements with collaborative partners up front which I took upon myself to do.” So subjects should be aware they may need to help coordinate some locations so that filming can run smoothly once the crew is in town.
Be clear with the subject on what the expectations and compensation will be right from the start. They will need to sign release forms and follow through, so make sure they are fully on board with the entire process.
Once a story is chosen and moves along the timeline, the subject can expect to hear from a Tongal producer and expect to be connected to the filmmaker, often via email. Schedules will need to be coordinated and shots and locations will need to be planned. The subject and filmmaker will need to get to know each other, discuss the approach and locations and collaborate to plan the production and schedule.
From his experience Chief Baker shared, “You can expect a warm collegial approach, great coaching and direction on what is needed and expected to produce a great product and a clear, comfortable and fun experience from beginning to end.”
By all accounts, in both cases, the subjects and their families had a blast and learned about the creative process along the way! So not only are subjects rewarded with monetary compensation, they are rewarded by the entire experience.
Although Chief Baker donated any monetary compensation he would have earned to the people he involved in the production, when asked if he would participate in the project again, he said, “Without hesitation!”
Authentic stories are all around, somewhere in your network of family and friends. Look beyond your immediate circle of friends and family. You may need to get creative in your search. Try posting in a Facebook group or asking colleagues at the office if they might have a good subject. In my experience, people are intrigued when they hear about an opportunity to be a part of a production for a major brand. Share some sample Tongal videos with them. When you think you might have found someone that would be a good subject for a project, the number one thing you need to do is ASK!
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Ready to keep it real? Check out the Empowered by Jane Authentic Stories Project, accepting submissions through November 13th.
