Produce a bold, inspirational, and anthemic live-action campaign for Chamberlain University that reimagines and revitalizes their “We Believe” messaging - infusing it with authentic insights and the kind of powerful, everyday stories that only nurses can tell - in order to motivate prospective nurses to enroll at Chamberlain.
For over 130 years, Chamberlain University has been dedicated to empowering students to pursue their calling to help others - a mission that continues to inspire every aspect of their community today. As the largest nursing school in the country, Chamberlain offers a journey defined by personalized support, generous scholarship opportunities, and a culture of care that ensures no student walks their path alone. They bring together individuals united by a passion for healthcare and a belief in making an impact. In 2023, Chamberlain introduced its brand platform, “Belong to Something Greater,” a rallying cry that celebrates the collective spirit of the nursing community. Campaigns under this platform connected authentically with nurses and healthcare professionals, highlighting the values, beliefs, and defining moments that resonate with those who feel called to care for others. Central to this expression was “We Believe,” a construct of anthemic declarations that unify and inspire.
The goal of this project is to reimagine and expand upon the “We Believe” campaign with a fresh, bold, and comprehensive live-action execution that harnesses the idea that Chamberlain believes in the same values that drive nurses. You should assume that this will be anchored by multiple :30 hero videos, and be supported by a suite of content that'll include cutdowns, tailor-made social videos, audio ads, and static display assets. The content should feel like part of a large and cohesive campaign and stem from that underlying brand platform, "Belong to something greater." We want it to live and breathe the ins and outs of nursing, just as authentically as the initial campaign, but with a fresh, new creative construct. While Chamberlain has long been recognized within the nursing community itself, they are now focused on top-of-mind awareness and consideration for prospective students by capturing the feeling that "Chamberlain is a school for people like me." Audiences should come away with the impression that as the #1 largest nursing school, Chamberlain prepares you to be the nurse the world needs today, because they understand your purpose, your community, your challenges, and how to support your journey.
You'll need to honor the ethos of “We Believe” while enriching it with raw, authentic insights: think about everyday stories and powerful moments or observations that only nurses truly understand. By elevating nurses' lived experiences and weaving them into Chamberlain’s core values and guiding mantras, the campaign should feel deeply personal yet universally inspiring. You'll find a list of example moments that Chamberlain has already sourced in the Background, but you should not consider that list exhaustive and you are encouraged to go beyond it. Given the variety of moments and observations that we're considering here, it's more likely than not that each of your videos will be comprised of multiple vignettes, but there's still flexibility in how you approach this.
For the individual deliverables, you should consider the :30 videos to be the heroes, as they'll see the most exposure. If you review the previous "We Believe" campaign, you'll see that while some talent, locations, and narrative elements appear in several of the existing videos, each video still feels unique, and each is driven by distinctive messaging. With that in mind, it's not mandatory that each of your videos utilizes different talent or locations, so long as they too feel very unique, and so long as you have enough diversity within your talent pool and locations that the campaign feels big. Alongside the traditional :30 heroes for linear media, we'll also need standalone social-first :30 videos, purposefully designed for social platforms in multiple aspect ratios. These should not merely be recut versions of the main heroes, but should be thoughtfully and deliberately crafted for their intended usage. For all content, there's a preference for messaging that is drive by VO - instead of on-screen dialogue - in order to provide Chamberlain with the flexibility to scale this campaign further, and/or create additional versioning in the future.
We are working with a minimum budget of $280,000, but may have up to $350,000, if the production approach justifies the higher spend. In terms of production, this no doubt will require multiple days of production, with a larger cast, and a range of locations. Although it is not mandatory, some filming can take place at one of the University’s U.S. locations, but you should understand that not all of their programs take place on a physical campus, and they also have 20+ campuses distributed across the United States (viewable here). It's more likely than not that you'll need some medical settings as well, but we are open to approaches that leverage constructed sets or a studio, so long as that does not detract from the authenticity of the storytelling. You should assume that you will need to cast talent for all of your lead roles, and that you'll be responsible for the full suite of content (including social videos, audio ads, static images, etc.). For other production and budgeting specifics, please review the “Budgeting Assumptions” outlined in the Background section for a detailed breakdown, and note that if your bid approaches the ceiling, you may be asked to modify your pitch to accommodate a lower amount.
For your pitch, apart from authenticity, visualization is going to be important, and we'd encourage you to put together some kind of pitch video, rip reel or animatic. Although we're not looking for AI-generated content within the campaign itself, you're welcome to utilize AI-generated content for the creation of your pitch materials, since it can provide a cost effective and valuable tool for the purposes of visualizing your approach. After the Pitch Phase, Chamberlain *may* select up to four pitches and ask for revisions or animatic creation in order to send materials into a quick round of testing. That's not guaranteed, however, but if it does happen, an additional budget of $500 will be provided for each pitch before selecting a creator to move forward into production.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: While our deliverables list is still being finalized, you can expect to produce at least the baseline deliverables outlined below. It includes 16 total video assets as well as 20 photos, and 2 audio ads.
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:
TONE/FEEL: The creative should have an upbeat tone displaying inspiration and optimism and expressing Chamberlain’s caring and supportive community. Viewers and prospective students should feel inspired and motivated to enroll at Chamberlain University.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
OPEN BID:
OTHER EXAMPLES FROM THE "WE BELIEVE" CAMPAIGN: Please note, we are not looking for a simple repeat of what has already been done. Our goal is to build on this foundation, elevating and enriching the campaign with fresh, authentic insights and stories that bring new energy and perspective.
INSPIRATION FOR "BELIEFS": These are some real example moments, values, and insider nuggets about nursing that Chamberlain has sourced that can be leveraged for your storytelling, but you should not be limited to these.
BUDGETING ASSUMPTIONS:
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. Unless specifically requested, there's no need to include a budget with your submission.
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 BIBLE & APPROVALS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST prepare a singular pre-production "bible" document with the elements contained below, and that document MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor. We recommend that you use the bible template we provide HERE, or something very similar. The bible can be presented in stages as different elements are ready for review (i.e. it's not expected that storyboards, if required, are ready with your first draft). Apart from the below, you're also welcome to include other key items that you think would be helpful to communicate your plan (e.g. moodboards, lighting, music, shot list, etc.).
Note that there may be multiple rounds of feedback until elements are approved, and 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: Universal Production Music, PrimalHouse, or Slipstream 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 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.