We're looking for an organized and efficient campaign director or team to work hand-in-hand with a big tax preparation brand and their agency partners to oversee and edit a live-action social campaign that will profile Tax Pros in 9 different cities around the U.S. If chosen, you'll need to help supervise multiple filmmakers, each capturing the stories of different Tax Pros (and working with their own production budgets), while handling all post-production and content delivery for the campaign.
With decades of experience and expertise, this tax preparation brand has seen it all, and their Tax Pros are well versed in the ever-evolving tax landscape and the changing needs of tax filers. That said, when you're actually going to a tax professional to file your taxes, it's often about more than just expertise: for many people, the tax business is actually a relationships business, and that often means it's also a local business. Having a Tax Pro from your community means having someone who can better relate to you and what's happening in the world around you, because they're invested and active in it too. Their dedication and their contributions are felt close to home, and that inspires a lot of confidence and trust. Luckily, this brand's got tens of thousands of Tax Pros within five miles of every American, ready to be that person - and we're here to tell some of their stories.
The goal of this project is multi-faceted and the creative is still being actively developed, but it revolves around the creation of a large suite of social-first docu-style content that will capture the intimate stories of 9 real-life Tax Pros from different cities around the United States, and show how they're an active part of the local communities they serve. Many tax filers don't think of this brand as "the local guys," so we want to build awareness around their Tax Pros and get people to reassess, and then drive consideration by establishing relevance, trust, and expertise. As campaign director, you will not be the primary driver of the overall creative approach up front, but you'll be an integral part in developing the guidelines that shape this campaign and physical production. Ultimately, the creative approach is being driven by Tongal and one of the brand's agency partners, so you'll need to collaborate closely as we move towards production, where you'll then need to help supervise multiple satellite filmmakers, each capturing the stories of different Tax Pros during a production window in mid-December. In the end, you'll handle all post-production and content delivery for the campaign, which is where you'll have greatest impact
Although some elements of this project are still being determined, and although the Tax Pros are still being identified, this is a fast-moving campaign, so we'll need to bring on a campaign director or team now, before many of the specifics are locked in. That said, we've structured the scope of this project to account for that, and we don't anticipate that any changes will have a substantial impact on the budget and scope.
In terms of the creative and brand messaging, this should feel uniquely emotional and authentic, but it's also a social-first campaign, so we're leading with 9x16 vertical content and need a team that can deliver smart, visually dynamic, and energetic social videos. Our lead videos are likely :90, and we anticipate they'll be accompanied by a bunch of individual cutdowns, roughly :15, that pull out impactful lines or moments that reinforce some key messages. The number and nature of the cutdowns is still pretty tentative. Beyond that, we'll want to think about clever transitions, fast-paced edits, and potentially motion graphics or motion text captions. We'll also want to shape our interview questions in a way such that we can drive key brand proof points, and ensure that we're capturing both the real personality of the Tax Pro, and illustrate how they engage with their local community, as it's very important that in each video we capture the unique essence of the community we are in. Whether we nod at that through the way the Tax Pro phrases things, reference something recognizable to that community, or find another way to accomplish this entirely, we want to make sure that these videos really feel local and personalized.
Importantly, you will not be responsible for any physical production within the scope of this project, and you are not expected to be physically present on set for any of the shoots. We are running a separate project (with a separate budget) in parallel to source the satellite filmmakers who will handle local production with each Tax Pro in December. If the campaign director is able and willing, they're encouraged to participate in and pitch that project. In most cases, campaign director teams do actually film at least one video, but given the number of different cities involved here, and the fact that timing requires that we run two projects in parallel, we haven't included any production here. You should also know that this brand's agency partner may actually film a "pilot" video first, in a different U.S. city, which could serve as a template for the rest of the productions.
Although some creative guidelines will be developed with the brand and its agency partner, the campaign direction team will need to develop a more specific executional approach and curate it for each individual's story, creating story outlines and shot lists to ensure we are capturing key elements. We expect that each Tax Pro will ultimately be filmed with a small docu-style crew, using a limited number of locations. Overall, the campaign director will be responsible for:
In your pitch, please tell us more about how you bring intimacy and sentiment through in docu-style content, and show us how your team would approach this project from the campaign director level and with an eye towards 9x16, in terms of pre-interviewing talent, staying organized and overseeing satellite filmmakers, and managing a large number of assets in post-production. This is not really about creative, because that's still in development, so don't worry too much about coming in with a strong POV there. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are *approximately* 36 total video assets. Full Deliverables list is subject to change, and some assets below may be unnecessary.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will drive hyper-local media buys, so your audience should be a local audience, and you should create content with that in mind. Otherwise, we'd imagine usage on the platforms below, although content may NOT be limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Hardworking Americans from each local community, typically aged 40+, who are looking for expert assistance with their taxes.
TONE: Relatable, vibrant, positive, energetic, optimistic, and confident.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects on our platform do move forward, we will 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 the project team.
BRAND PROOF POINTS:
OFFICES & CITIES BEING PROFILED:
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.
PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to shooting, filmmakers must receive the below approvals from the Sponsor. You will also be required to develop physical production guidelines and technical directives for the satellite production teams, but that will not fall under the purview of Grand Canyon University.
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. You must also provide 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.