Create an engaging, social-first series for potential Huntington Bank customers in Denver, Colorado that combines financial education and entertainment in a way that feels authentic to the city.
Whether you're just starting out, planning for the next chapter, or preparing for retirement, finances play a key role in every stage of our lives. Huntington National Bank knows this, and that's why when it comes to their customers, they believe that it's about more than just managing your money. Instead, they want to help their customers experience a deeper relationship with their money by providing innovative products, tools, and services. Later this summer, they will be launching a campaign in Denver, Colorado to help increase awareness in the local community there, and to help with this campaign, they are looking to create a short-form, social-first series that's both entertaining and educating, and encourages Denver residents to learn more about Huntington.
For this project, Huntington is looking for a series format with content that is quick and easily digestible, with each video having a run time of :15 or less. We are looking for these to be more like "infotainment," combining small and bits of financial education with engaging talent or interactions. As viewers may be seeing these videos out of order, each video should really stand alone in terms of subject matter (i.e. you should not need to see a previous video in order to understand the one you're watching), but there should still be consistency in terms of the style and format of each episode, so if viewers did see them together, it would be clear these are in fact part of the same series.
In terms of how this comes to life, Huntington is open to any and all executions. Whether it's a hosted series, person-on-the-street style interactions, direct to camera interviews, or something else entirely, we want to hear interesting ideas for how you could combine education and entertainment to create an engaging series that will make people pause their scrolling and watch the full video. It's not necessary for you to capture everything in a single shoot day, so you have flexibility if you need it. From a visual standpoint, please be sure to tell us more about your vision for what this content will look like. Will you shoot on camera, or on a phone? Will you be in a studio, or out in the real world? We're open to any ideas, based on what works best for your concept. Since the videos will be short, please be sure to also consider any recurring visual or branding cues that can help link these videos to Huntington right away.
For any talent in your videos, you can choose to cast talent as characters, feature real people in Denver, or do something else entirely based on what works best for your concept. You do not need to feature actual Huntington customers, and Huntington will not be providing any talent. Whatever your approach is, it is critical that the content feels local and authentic to Denver, as Huntington is aiming to engage the Denver community with this content. Whether that comes across by filming in known areas of Denver, or featuring actual Denver residents, or some alternate option, please let us know how your series will feel specific to Denver in your pitch.
In terms of the financial education, because the run times on these will be so short, the educational pieces will be mostly high level. There are four topics we'll be focusing on: 1) Buying a first house, 2) General Consumer Checking, 3) Saving for Retirement, and 4) Business Checking Growth. We've included additional information in the Target Audience section below about the specific age demographics that are associated with each of those topics, and you should plan to feature a range of people who are representative of those demographics. Outside of those four areas, we'll also be looking to create videos that are more general financial information - so, not linked to a specific life stage. Huntington has provided links to financial information that can be used for these lessons in the Background section below.
Lastly, in terms of graphics, you can plan to keep those fairly minimal and social-first, but you will need to design and include an endcard that drives to the Huntington website. You should also plan to include subtitles in the videos for any sound-off viewing. For the video thumbnails, you should plan to create a template that features stills pulled from the footage, as well as the episode topic or a key piece of information from the video.
Please note you do NOT need to be based in Denver to pitch on this project, but there is no additional travel budget available. In your pitch, please be sure to tell us more about your approach for this series, along with how it will feel specific to Denver, Colorado. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 15 total video assets and 15 thumbnail assets.
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: All content will be geo-targeted for residents of Denver, Colorado. Huntington Bank will be focusing on the following audiences:
TONE/FEEL:
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.
Below are the sources we can use for the three life stages and their topics:
GENERAL FINANCIAL EDUCATION + ALL TOPICS:
BUYING A FIRST HOUSE:
GENERAL CONSUMER CHECKING:
SAVING FOR RETIREMENT:
BUSINESS CHECKING GROWTH:
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.