We're looking for one team to conduct an inspiring and uplifting docu-style video and photo shoot in New York City for the grand prizewinner of the Block Advisors "Fund Her Future" grant program. If chosen, you'll also need to supervise four other satellite photographers, who will be capturing photos with the "Fund Her Future" runners up.
Building a business is no easy task. No matter how great a company strives to be in its early gestation, there are always Sisyphean obstacles, both logistically and financially, that a small company must constantly contend with as they grow. Block Advisors by H&R Block exists to help small business owners handle these hurdles and grow their businesses with year-round services for tax prep, bookkeeping, payroll, business formation, and reporting compliance – all crucial components to survival, especially for micro and small businesses. Resources like these can be just as important as seed funding for small businesses to survive, and that's even truer for female-presenting small business owners, who are one of the fastest-growing segments but often lack access to this support at the same level as their male peers. This is where Fund Her Future, in its inaugural year in 2024, comes into play. Through this new grant program, Block Advisors provides $100,000 in grant funding and a year of small business services, to a few deserving female-presenting US-based small business owners through the Fund Her Future initiative. H&R Block wants to help celebrate 2024's winner and runners-up with some video and photo content to help support and promote their businesses, show the impact of Block Advisors' year-round small business services on their success, and elevate the visibility of the Fund Her Future program.
We're looking for a creative team that can produce docu-style video content and still photography about this year's Fund Her Future grand prize winner, based in New York City, while also overseeing satellite photographers capturing candid 'day-in-the-life'-style photography with 4 runners up. You can read more about the grand prize winner in the Background, and the four runners up in this project. You'll be responsible for production and post-production for the shoot in New York City, as well as any post-production or retouching work on the photo stills from the satellite shoots. The satellite shoots themselves will be conducted by other photographers around the country, working with separate budgets, although you'll need to collaborate with them to ensure consistent tone and style for the campaign.
Your video content will include a 3+ minute interview-based hero video, along with some short cutdowns, all for social platforms, and your photo stills will need to include a portrait-style headshot, as well as 10 candid stills of the winner within her business. All shoots should be lower-touch and nimble docu-style productions – think a bounce vs a full lighting package – and they should feel stylistically similar. Content should highlight each winner or runner up's journey as a small business owner. H&R Block will work with you in pre-production to align on questions for your interview with the grand prize winner, ensuring you highlight the professional journey of her business and how the Fund Her Future grant has been a source of growth and support. Above all, the video and stills should all be relatable to the audience, illustrating the ups and downs of small business ownership – but also how Block Advisors is the best resource for small business owners to grow their businesses and build confidence for long-term success.
Please note you do NOT need to be based in New York City to pitch on this project, but there is no additional travel budget available, and any crew travel or lodging should be covered under your production budget. Your budget should also account for a limited amount of color grading and retouching for the photo stills that will be sourced in the satellite photo shoots. If you think you're able to handle the photo shoots for any of the runners-up, you're welcome to raise your hand, but the expectation is that those will be handled by other local teams.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There will be 5 total video assets a 55 total photo stills:
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, as it is NOT limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Small business owners, especially females
TONE/FEEL: Warm, inspiring, relatable
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.
THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Allégorie Design - A small-batch accessory line based in NYC whose bags and accessories are made from discarded fruits, and are designed to elevate everyday style. They search for high quality, eco-friendly alternatives to animal and PVC leather, otherwise known as "vegan leather," and look for meanings in objects that we all use everyday. In the case of Allégorie bag, every piece they make reduces food waste and GHG emissions, and symbolizes a much more sustainable, circular way forward for fashion.
ABOUT FUND HER FUTURE: One annual grand prize winner receives a $50,000 grant, and four runners-up receive $12,500 each; all five also receive expert assistance with everything from their small business taxes, an analysis of their business structure, and bookkeeping and payroll guidance through Block Advisors.
Be sure to check out this Business Insider video for a sense of tone and style.
In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors.
The most compelling pitch will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing next steps. All submitters will also receive an automated email notification that a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed.
Creators who’ve been selected will receive funding upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment. Payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal, typically included with the project timeline.
PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor on the elements below. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until an element is approved.
If you begin production before you have received final approval, you may need to reshoot or reanimate at your own expense.
For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot. Backlot includes search tools to help you find collaborators and crew by role, skill set, location, and more, for productions of any size and type. Tongal also supports inclusivity in all productions, and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find additional options for staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.
REVISION REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: Once Content has been submitted and the initial Production Phase completed, greenlit creators will enter into Revisions. Creators will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the Sponsor's feedback. Check out our Filmmaker Resource Portal to access helpful post-production resources like Text-Safe Guides for different platforms, Project File Organization Tutorial, Export Presets, and Captioning services.
MUSIC: If you use music from a library for your content, you MUST use one of Tongal's music providers: Jingle Punks and Universal Production Music. Music from these providers is available to registered Tongal members at no charge solely for their incorporation into submissions to this project, and will not require a Music Release Form. To learn more, click on any of the providers' names above.
If you choose to use original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. Please ensure your composer reviews and signs this form BEFORE beginning their work.
STOCK FOOTAGE: Tongal has partnered with the stock footage library STORYBLOCKS, which can be used to source video clips, photography, and After Effects templates for your video submission to this project. Video or photo content from Storyblocks is available at no charge, solely for incorporation into submissions on this project, and will not require a separate Release Form. If identifiable people or intellectual property appears in a video clip or photo, you may only utilize assets that are clearly marked “Model released: Yes” or “Property release: Yes” on the clip description pages. You may not use any audio.
If you intend to use Storyblocks, inform your Tongal producer, and an account will be created for you to access the library. Once assets are approved for delivery, you must provide a complete list of all Storyblocks content that you used via our template HERE.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec in order to submit final payment. You are responsible for any costs associated with the hard drive and shipping. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.