Produce an insightful and empowering expert-led social video series for Lifetime, based on themes that relate to their monthly TV shows and content, to inform, equip, and engage fans.
Known for its gripping true crime, high-stakes thrillers, and powerful survivor stories, Lifetime delivers intense, female-focused dramas and true-to-life narratives that spark deep cultural conversations. Now, with its new Lifetime of Wisdom campaign, they are looking to create an expert-led, social-first video series that can discuss the serious, real-world topics and themes that inhabit their current linear programming, and by doing so, then create a social space where important conversations can happen. This will be something that allows Lifetime to be a part of the social zeitgeist more organically, rather than serving as heavily branded promotions for the programming itself.
The goal of the series will be to inform, empower, and equip Lifetime's social audience with a grounded, educational social series that addresses specific deeper life topics each month and ties them into Lifetime’s programming TV themes, while making Lifetime's social channels a must-stop for expert knowledge. This project will serve as the pilot for what that social series could look like, with two different creators each creating a :45-1:30 vertical social video. The pilot will need to be led by a subject-matter expert or host personality that you'll need to source, focusing on either of the first two months and themes. However, we will note that while it is a bonus if you can find fitting talent, this is more about the overall format so if you have a great concept or believe you can provide great production value where a host can be plugged in at a later date, you should still pitch even if you don't have exactly the right talent. Since Lifetime will be greenlighting two teams, one creator/expert team will focus on December, and one on January, each highlighting specific key seasonal programming and social themes for that month.
We want the expert's authority, empathy, and practical insight to shine through, framing discussions with a social-friendly hook or question that puts an educational, proactive spin on topics that Lifetime's audience cares about and can relate to. While acknowledging the realities of life's heavier themes, such as navigating breakups or managing family stresses, the content should remain approachable, empowering, and focused on resilience, rather than feeling like a formal therapy session. The series approach can feature the expert on their own, speaking direct-to-camera, or the expert can host a guest or conduct a broader discussion in a clean, cohesive, and repeatable studio or home setup.
In terms of casting, we are looking for recognizable experts, therapists, relationship coaches, authors, or thought leaders who bring distinct authority and clear communication to complex topics. They should have strong online personas and a modest-to-established following, starting at 100K+ followers on Instagram or TikTok). For examples of the content style and types of experts we are exploring you can check out a longer list of names in the Background, which includes people like Dr. Gabor Maté, Jillian Turecki, or Dr. Amen. While we prefer experts who regularly share actionable advice, self-advocacy, or wellness insights on their channels, this isn't a strict requirement so long as you can communicate complex topics in an accessible and conversational way. Expert talent MUST live in the US or Canada and will be required to sign the standard Tongal Talent Release. We also understand obtaining certain expert talent may require additional budget, so if including a specific expert or creator would require more for your budget, please include the exact additional cost you would need on top of the current budget of $6,000 allotted per video team.
Importantly, since this is the pilot of this series, the expert you cast is not necessarily guaranteed to stay with the series if it moves forward; your focus should be on developing the best creative take on the format, structure, and educational style that could work for a repeatable series like this. That doesn't mean Lifetime is closed off to your talent: we just recognize that the initial pilot development period and budget may still be limiting. Ultimately, if this moves forward, there's a possibility that the talent is rotated each month depending on the topic (e.g., relationship experts for November, mental wellness/empowerment experts for December), or featured alongside Lifetime talent.
In terms of the style of the content, we are open to seeing a range of executions, as long as they are primarily live-action video focused around the on-screen expert. That sad, as this may be an ongoing series with rotating talent, we don't want the creative to be focused around a host or their particular personal style. Your approach can also involve multiple on-screen talent, as a conversation between two or more people may be more engaging than a straight-to-screen dialogue format. The execution should lean towards a simple but premium setup, using talking-head, podcast, or Q&A-style footage with polished graphic hooks. The setup should feel familiar and easily repeatable in a way that is cohesive, but set it apart from current Lifetime programming. Since this series is more focused on the information and educational components, it may be worth looking into creative ways to bring in motion graphics, text callouts/quote cards, or even 2D or 3D animation that could support the live-action elements to make key takeaways easily digestible for social feeds. You could also look at how we could take already known quotes or talking head moments from experts and how they could be redeveloped in a new way within the edit. Keep in mind that these are social first with 16x9 and 9x16 aspect ratios, which means you should plan to shoot in 16x9 while keeping the 9x16 framing in mind.
In terms of the themes, take a look at the two different themes provided for November and December to get a sense of the subject matter that will typically be covered each month, and consider how your creative format could incorporate the different themes in creative ways.
For the December video, we want to focus on "Holidays, Family Dynamics & Empowerment," so content should cover new approaches to end-of-year topics, such as setting meaningful New Year's resolutions, navigating complex family dynamics during the holidays, dating in the New Year, and staying positive/empowered through the seasonal rush. For January's "Survivor" theme, the video focus should be more about expert advice around personal advocacy and starting over in various aspects of life, including techniques for self-defense, navigating fresh starts after breakups or hard life transitions, advocating for yourself in the workplace, and coping through challenging life moments. We want the Lifetime social channels to feel like a space for important conversations to happen and provide a sense of community with other like-minded individuals who watch similar programs that can relate to their everyday lives.
FOR YOUR PITCH: Please include your creative format for the social series, how that could be adapted month to month, which specific month you'd prefer to create the pilot for (December or January), and any information regarding the influencers you are looking to create the content with.
For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 2 total video assets per creator.
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 we CANNOT guarantee that usage is limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Fans of Advice and How-To Content, Fans of Lifetime TV programming light-hearted shows
TONE/FEEL:
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
AI USAGE: You may not use AI generated visual or audio assets in your final content. However, for the purposes of your pitch and pre-production materials, you are welcome to use generative AI to create visuals, storyboards, animatics, proofs-of-concept, etc. that might help the Sponsor understand your vision for creating the final content. Additionally, assistive AI tools (e.g. object removal, compositing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitling, etc.) may be used in post-production to supplement your workflow. Please keep record of any AI usage deployed in your submissions in the event that the Sponsor requests AI disclosures. If you have questions about any specific usage or tool, please ask your Tongal producer.
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.
HELPFUL INFLUENCER REFERENCES FOR INSPIRATION/TONE:
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.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot - before or after the Pitch Phase. 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.
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.
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 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.