Produce a visually captivating, vibrant, and wanderlust-inducing five-episode video series for YouTube and Instagram that takes viewers to five different global Hilton properties and connects them to the incredible neighborhoods that surround them.
It's easy to assume that big hotels only exist in stuffy, crowded, touristy locations. While you can certainly find a wonderful Hilton in Times Square, there are actually a ton of Hilton properties that are off the beaten path, and those are some of the most unforgettable places you can stay. If you've got a little wanderlust in you, those properties can be as much a part of the local culture as they are gateways to exploring that culture, and thus, to exploring some of the most unique neighborhoods on the globe. That's what this "In the Neighborhood" series is all about.
For this project, we're asking you to show people how Stays at five different Hilton lifestyle properties can be part of a traveler's immersive cultural experience, via a captivating profile of the hotel and its local neighborhood. Each of the five Hilton properties is in a different part of the world, so this definitely involves travel on your part. The series you create will be anchored by five 2-3 minute hero videos shot for YouTube in 16x9, and then complemented by social-first edits reworking your footage to feel specific to Instagram Reels in 9x16. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire travelers to stay at a Hilton lifestyle property and encourage then to explore the vibrant neighborhoods around these properties. While the YouTube videos will cover the neighborhoods, the Instagram Reels versions will need to focus more on the properties themselves. The Instagram Reels videos will be recut from your hero content.
A key element here is that the hero videos should revolve around a small cast, and give viewers a tour of the local neighborhood using either a 1st or 3rd-person POV, showcasing unique local experiences, attractions, and cultural aspects of the area, while clearly positioning a Stay at one of Hilton's lifestyle properties as cornerstones to their neighborhoods. You'll want to capture what makes each property special in its own right, drawing attention to a featured guest room and some of the hotel's key amenities, and how they mirror or complement what makes the local area unique. In terms of the cast, each video should include its own unique characters, between 1-4 people, and the number should vary from property to property depending on what particular "Stay" story is associated with that location (e.g. are we following a solo traveler? A couple? Small friend group? Family?). Cast should be a mix of diverse and inclusive Millennial and Gen Z. It's likely that you'll need some dialogue and/or VO, but your creative approach will determine whether any is included.
While your hero videos should follow a traditional three-act narrative structure (setup, immersive Stay journey, transformation), how you approach this and bring the traveler's Stay to life is open to your interpretation. Creatively, your treatment should present a strong visual POV: how would you set your videos apart from other hotel/travel content, as well as other 'follow me'-style POV social videos? What unexpected storytelling and visual direction can you bring with your overall approach and what can you do with your cinematography to catch viewers by surprise, with an ownable, original style? Think about The Weeknd's Super Bowl Half Time Show, where he unexpectedly grabbed a selfie camera, and then seamlessly handed it off to a camera operator, to create something that was unexpectedly playful and dynamic. That's along the lines of the creativity we're hoping for.
This project will also require an Arri LF or 35 camera package and global travel. You should also expect to pilot one episode from pre-production to delivery to set a template, tone, and style for the series, and then batch-produce the remaining episodes. While the full, final list of properties/locations may shift, we've listed the most likely Hilton hotels and their locations in the Background to give you a sense of the travel scope. Logistics are going to be a key consideration here, so your pitch materials should give us a thorough introduction to your core team (e.g. producer, director, DP, editor), and account for how you expect to handle equipment, crew, and travel, as that should be included in your line budget. Our assumption is that you'll travel some key team members, and key camera equipment, but still hire some local crew (be sure to post crew positions on Backlot!), although we're not mandating a particular approach to staffing. If you happen to be local to one of the locations to begin with, all the better.
One last element to keep in mind is that, while you'll be able to work with the Hilton marketing team and team members at each property to identify points of interest that align and connect with their amenities, you should also outline your research approach in your treatment: will you staff someone for this purpose, work with local fixers, or lean into travel vlogs/blogs and local guides?
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 10 total video assets and 25 still assets.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE. Please note there will likely be some adjustments to the timeline as properties are confirmed, but this should give you a good sense of what to expect.
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: Lifestyle and independent traveler: Millennials, especially younger Millennials, and Gen Z.
TONE/FEEL: Vibrant, exciting, inspiring, intriguing.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
OPEN BID:
Unfortunately, there were multiple creative partners pitching on this project with Hilton (i.e. not just Tongal) and while they were truly impressed with the quality and depth of your pitches, they ultimately decided to go in a different direction for this initiative.
Luckily, we're anticipating lots more projects from Hilton of all sizes and scopes in the coming months, so while Hilton has decided not to move forward with a Pitch on this project, we really hope you'll stay tuned and pitch on future Hilton projects.
And although most Projects do move forward with a selected Pitch, we will always notify you in the event the Sponsor has decided not to move forward. Please note that regardless of the results, all
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 three music providers - Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound. 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.