Document the authentic stories of two internationally-trained nurses arriving in America to further their nursing careers through PassportUSA. One nurse arrives on August 2nd in Jacksonville, FL, and the other on August 23rd, in Baltimore, MD.
It's no secret that immigrating to America can be a complex, expensive, and arduously long process. For healthcare professionals, this involves additional prep and difficult exams on top of the typical EV3 Immigrant Green Card process. Depending on a nurse's birth country, the green card process can take anywhere from 2-5 years and cost over $20,000. Even with these additional hurdles, the "line" to immigrate to the US as a working nurse can be almost comically long, because of the opportunities working as a nurse in the US can offer: higher pay, more eligible working years, and, often, a less discriminatory hiring process, not to mention more opportunities for their families.
So when one of these nurses finally steps through customs at a US airport it's a really big deal, and that's why the goal of this project is to document the moment when two nurses arrive in the US next month. This will involve two suites of videos, as well as some travel, and you must be prepared to hit the ground running to capture the nurses' arrivals. Here's what you can expect:
More information on each nurse's background and story will be provided to the greenlit filmmaker.
We're looking for filmmakers who know how to tell these nurses' – and their coordinators – authentic stories in a compelling and compassionate way. We'd like the filmmaking process to start before the nurses' arrivals in the US, where you'll guide them both through capturing video diary-style footage of the end of their visa application process and build a rapport with them before they land on the ground in the US. Then you'll meet them and their PassportUSA teams to document their arrivals in America. We'd also love to capture video diary and/or interview footage with both nurses coordinators to round out both sides of the recruitment and immigration process and show how PassportUSA goes above and beyond to be good partners to their international nurses.
If any part of either nurse's story resonates with you in a personal way, we'd love to hear about it in your treatment; while certainly not a mandatory requirement, your own personal perspective could bring added value to this project. Check out more information in the Background / Additional Details, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are 18 total video assets:
TIMELINE: Please note that this project will hit the ground running with a kickoff call with Nurse Go's arrivals team at 10am PT/1pm ET on July 30 and filming on August 2. For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.
EXPOSURE: Social media, including Facebook and Instagram; PassportUSA.com and other Health Carousel websites. Please review the platform best practices page.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Internationally-trained nurses, especially those based in the Philippines (85-90% of the nurses PassportUSA works with are Filipino)
TONE: Inspirational, uplifting, celebratory, exciting, dramatic, cinematic.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a pitch. Though most projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit pitch, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any pitches via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all pitch submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.
Our priority is ensuring everyone's safety, so please review our COVID-19 Production Safety Guide and check federal, state, and local rules before and during your shoot to make sure your on-set protocols are up to date. We're working hard to keep people working during this extraordinary time, and you should ensure your submission is executable within the anticipated timeline and budget, while also ensuring everyone's safety.
Rewind 2-5 years from the moment when a nurse enters the US: if they are working with PassportUSA, then that nurse has had not just a recruiter but an entire team by their side throughout the entire process. Someone to remind them to do the study modules for their exams. Someone to prep them for the cultural differences between their home country and the US. Help them find a 3-year job assignment (with higher-than-average pay in a better-than-average healthcare facility), and even eventually a full-time career in the US, once their green card has been approved. PassportUSA also covers the cost of the green card process and sends an arrival team to the airport to meet the nurse when s/he lands, show them around their new community and get them situated.
PassportUSA from Health Carousel is a leading provider of U.S. careers for internationally-trained RNs, PTs, OTs, and medical technologists. They abide by ethical international recruitment practices and have a stellar record of U.S. placement. U.S. healthcare organizations of all sizes choose PassportUSA for their great service and the quality of the healthcare professionals they offer.
Right now, PassportUSA has roughly 900 international nurses on assignment across the US; 85-90% of those nurses come from the Philippines. When these nurses come to the US, they often bring their families with them, changing and contributing to the fabric of the communities they join.
Check out the testimonials on this page (scroll down) for more insight.
PassportUSA's mission statement:
Every year, foreign-educated nurses dream of coming to America to begin or further their careers, pursue additional educational opportunities, and increase their bedside care experience. But for many of them, the American Dream feels out of reach; the process of immigrating to the US as a healthcare professional can take years, thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours of study and preparation. It's a challenge big enough to discourage many. Until they find PassportUSA.
For 15 years, PassportUSA has stood for ethical and responsible international healthcare recruitment. We've stood for the foreign-educated healthcare professional, the countries they leave behind, and the communities and patients that they will one day serve in the US. And PassportUSA is the partner (and financial sponsor) that can make the impossible-seeming goal of achieving the American Dream a reality for healthcare professionals all over the world.
*If you're interested in this project, you should also check out the Nurse's Journey Authentic Story Project, which films in Florida. Health Carousel is willing to consider the same filmmaker for both projects.*
In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.
The most compelling pitch will be greenlit, 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. Please see the full payment schedule in the Assets section.
PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to shooting, filmmakers must receive the below approvals from the Sponsor.
For your convenience, we’ve provided some helpful templates to use at your discretion. They include templates for creating a treatment, production budget, storyboards, shot list, call sheet, and a music cue sheet. Additionally, there are templates that will help you clearly present cast, location, and wardrobe options to the Sponsor. They can all be accessed here.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Tongal supports inclusivity in all of our productions and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.
REVISION REQUIREMENTS: Once the Video Phase has closed, the greenlit submitters will enter the Revisions Phase. Filmmakers will perform reasonable edits on their videos according to the Sponsor’s feedback.
MUSIC: Tongal has partnered with three premiere music providers: Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound, any of which can be used to source music for your video submission to this project. 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 separate Music Release Form. To learn more about using each of these music providers, click on any of the providers’ names above.
If you choose to use custom/original music, you must fill out and submit our Music Release Form. If you obtain music from third-party catalog providers, you must purchase the appropriate license at your own expense and submit it with your license purchase receipt when you turn in your video paperwork.
ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: 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 the costs associated the hard drive and shipping.
For Tongal’s file delivery specs and any other questions you may have about post production, please click here.