Using the established Stay Tours first-person POV technique, create two elegant, dynamic, and immersive :90 guided luxury travel videos documenting the "stay" at the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC and the Conrad Washington, DC for YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and web.
Hilton's luxury properties are all about maximizing The Stay: every detail is thoughtfully curated for discerning guests accustomed to a certain level of comfort, customization, and quality. This extends from spacious and well-appointed guest rooms and cushy communal areas to unique, exclusive amenities and stand-out Hilton hospitality that not only serves but anticipates their every need. With the success of Hilton's ongoing "Stay Tours" social campaign, we're looking to expand into Hilton's luxury-tier properties, both across the US and globally, to shine an alluring and detail-rich spotlight on these cream of the crop hotels and all that they have to offer. To start, we're looking for a talented production team with luxury brand experience to capture the stay at the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC and the Conrad Washington, DC, ideally between March 18-21, 2025.
Unlike our current and previous Stay Tours series – :30–:60 first-person POV videos shot vertically on iPhone, fast-paced edits, and an overall playful and excited tone – Lux Stay Tours will take a much different and more production-heavy approach. You'll still maintain a first-person POV with a lightly-featured hand model, but you'll also need to cast and style two background talent per property, and shoot on a more cinematic camera on a gimbal, for final delivery of a :90 video at both 4x5 and 9x16 for each property. Where the general crew footprint for Stay Tours is usually 2-4 total people, for Lux Stay Tours, you'll also need HMU, PAs, and potentially a small amount of lighting gear and crew to ensure every space and every shot looks its absolute best. Your budget should also take into account any travel needs for you or your crew (airfare, ground transportation, lodging, per diem); and the possibility of covering on-property costs including picture F&B, on-site valet, and a wardrobe/HMU/gear staging space. We've factored these potential costs into your per-episode budget. See the Budgeting Assumptions section in the Background for a full breakdown of what you can expect.
So to be greenlit on this project, you'll need to show experience and skill in a few areas: an eye for thumb-stopping cinematography and enticing visual storytelling for sure, but also familiarity with luxury branding and working with high-end brands, a keen eye for details and textures, and strong casting and styling capabilities. From there, it's crucial that you nail the very specific 'voice' of a luxury Hilton traveler: someone approachable with a sense of adventure and a sense of refinement, who appreciates the VIP treatment and exclusivity but isn't 'wow'ed by it. Your shots need to be sensuous but not boring and your camera moves should feel fluid and thoughtful but not slow. Clever transitions, unique angles, and a strong sense of being in the moment are important to capture.
Ultimately, all of the content created for Stay Tours needs to feel like it's part of the same broad campaign, but with a more Lux touch; while you'll still capture the hallmarks of Stay Tours, you'll need to do it through a distinctive and authentically Lux angle. Lux Stay Tours should focus more on each property's attentive service, one-of-a-kind amenities, and distinctive experiences and less on the guest room. Your pacing and storytelling approach should also be slower and more thoughtful, giving time for the viewer to sit with the special touches that luxury travelers expect from their stays no matter where they are in the world. So your camera should sweep smoothly through a hotel lobby, catching the grand chandelier above a reception desk but not 'gawking' at it. Spa treatments should look as luxurious as they are, as if the viewer is experiencing this well-deserved treat themselves. Your camera should linger over world class, chef-driven dishes or customized cocktails, and personal concierge services should be thoroughly explored. Each video needs to be crafted specifically to reflect A) each property's unique highlights, style, and/or amenities; and B) the appropriate "traveler" persona for that stay: high net worth individuals and families accustomed to a more elevated hotel experience and the amenities and perks that come with it.
Occasionally, we'll see our first person guest's hands, but this should be kept to a minimum; it's important that viewers feel like this is their POV. Background talent – either posing as other guests or as property team members providing a service – can be used to add some humanity to backgrounds, but should never be the focus of your shot. You can reuse talent across your various shoots, but on-screen diversity is crucial. It's not mandatory, but we'd love to see casting options in your pitch. Hilton will provide a room at each property for filming, although you should NOT assume that you can stay in this room overnight, and you should be available to shoot on location in DC roughly March 18-21. You should expect to spend a day or two scouting the locations during pre-production, and one full shoot day per property.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are six video assets, 12 still assets, and two caption file assets per property:
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE. Please note the anticipated shoot window of March 18-21.
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: Gen X and older Millennials; a new generation of smart luxury travelers, for whom life, business, and pleasure seamlessly intersect.
TONE/FEEL: Authentic, luxurious, indulgent, immersive, elegant.
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.
BUDGETING ASSUMPTIONS:
REFERENCE VIDEOS:
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.
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.