A premium Hollywood content studio is looking for the next big true crime or mystery podcast, and they've identified three concepts they think could lead to the next breakout hit. Read on if you want to learn more about developing and producing a podcast pilot based on one of these concepts.

With the explosive popularity of podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder, it's clear that audiences can't get enough of true crime content. That's why Tongal has teamed up with one of Hollywood’s premium content studios - and we're talking A-list here, with Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, you name it - to produce a pilot for the next great podcast set in the world of true crime. The studio has identified three topics they think could be successful, each of which is included in the Background/Additional Details section below. 

We're running this project a bit differently than normal, so if you are interested in learning more and pitching on this project, submit in the Pre-Pitch Phase to demonstrate your production capabilities. ANY creators that can produce a podcast will be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement so that we can reveal the identity of the studio. At that point, you will also be given additional information to put together a pitch. One (or more) creators may then be selected to move forward into the next phase to produce a pilot.

Please note that there will not be any funds awarded in the Pre-Pitch Phase. Should a creator be greenlit in the Pitch Phase, they will then receive funding to produce their content. 

Please also note that this is a podcast production project, so we are looking for people who have past experience producing audio & podcast projects. If you're not able to produce yourself, but you know someone who would be a great fit for this, refer them through our Podcast Referral Project and earn up to $600.

DELIVERABLES:

• One 10-minute condensed podcast pilot 
• One Series bible

TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.

EXPOSURE: The studio may develop a podcast for any audio platform

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• True mystery or suspense podcast audiences lean female, but the studio is open to podcasts aimed at any adult audience, so you can target a broad demographic.

TONE:

• The studio is open to a wide range of tonal executions, so this can be dramatic, emotional, comedic, intense, irreverent, weird, quirky, or exciting - or any mix of these. It can be educational and conversational too, so long as it's a compelling format that will hook a listener.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Avoid "whodunit" stories that are simply re-tellings of a criminal case, especially if they don't add anything new to the investigation. If it’s going to be a whodunit, it also needs to have really compelling characters involved.
• Avoid one-person, Wikipedia-style re-treads of well-known mysteries or conspiracies. They want a more dynamic structure with the host or hosts, and they want to be able to reveal something new or surprising.
• These concepts - and really any true crime concepts - are research heavy, so your team should ultimately include a researcher, and probably a producer who is experienced working with and licensing archival material in your Pitch.
• If relevant to your pitch, you should include information on individuals or sources you have access to, intellectual property you control, or other reporting that may be pertinent. 

OPEN BID: 

• This is an open bid project, so if you are selected to move forward to the Pitch Phase, you will get to set your own budget proposal within the $6,000-$10,000 range. 
• By participating in this open bid project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most open bid projects on our platform do move forward with a greenlit bid, we will notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any bids via the project forum. Regardless of the result, all open bid submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.

Here are the three concepts:

1. TIME & PUNISHMENT: This podcast will detail the discovery, investigation, prosecution, and punishment associated with different types of crimes committed at different points and in different places throughout history, LONG before societies developed the organizations, processes, tools, and innovations currently used in investigation. It should be told as a thrilling and suspenseful narrative that you’d expect to hear for a modern crime, and the episodes will look at the personalities, procedures, roles, cultures, organizations, and laws involved in that process. The crimes themselves can be either real and documented historical crimes, OR hypothetical and fictional crimes based on existing historical research from an era. A host can certainly serve as a narrator and anchor, but we expect that you'll need to bring in historians and experts to weigh in on all of the details to make the storytelling compelling and accurate. The examples below illustrate what we mean, although you're not tied to them:
   • One episode might introduce the highway robbery of a prominent figure in 1749, and then follow London's Bow Street Runners, perhaps the first western police force, as they investigate and ultimately track down the criminals behind it, bringing them to justice before the magistrate at Bow Street Court.
   • Another episode might cover the famous and well-documented true story of Yaoya Oshichi in Edo, Japan, 1682, a teenage arsonist who set fire to buildings in the city to try and reunite with an old lover, until she was ultimately tracked down by samurai police and sentenced to death by fire because of a mandatory sentencing requirement for those aged 16 and up.
     
     
2. CRIMINAL ART: Art has incredible power. It can inspire, motivate, and drive people to do amazing things... but this podcast will investigate what happens when art motivates people to pursue darker intentions - to steal, to lie, and even to kill. You have a lot of flexibility in how you explore this concept, and there are dozens and dozens of cases you can look at, but here are a few examples of criminal cases that illustrate what we mean:
   • In 2004, fourteen year old Michael Hernandez, lured his friend into a bathroom stall and stabbed him more than forty times, and would claim that he modeled his behavior on the villains featured in the films “American Psycho” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”
   • In 1988, Jeffrey Lyne Cox, a high school senior, read Stephen King’s book “Rage,” which tells that tale of a high school student who kills his teacher and takes his classmates hostage. Cox attempted to re-enact the plot by entering his humanities class with a
     rifle, ordering the teacher to leave and making hostage demands. He was eventually overtaken, and prompted King to request that the novel never be published again.
     
     
3. LATE CHECKOUT: Thousands of people arrive at hotels, Airbnbs and well-known landmarks every day - each with their own stories, and from every walk of life. But some may never leave. This podcast will explore strange murders & crimes that have occurred at these places, as well as the subsequent investigations and impact on other guests, staff, and members of the community.
   • The Body in Room 348 - The corpse at the Eleganté Hotel stymied the Beaumont, Texas, police. They could find no motive for the killing of a popular oil-and-gas man and no explanation for how he had received his strange internal injuries. Bent on tracking down his killer, his widow turned to a private investigator to crack the case.
   • The Dresser Drawer Murder at the Claypool Hotel, Indianapolis, IN, involved typist Dorothy Poore, who was reported missing after she missed a Civil Service examination on a Friday in 1954. One of the most sensational crimes in Indianapolis history, Poore’s 5-foot-6-inch, 125-pound body was found jammed into a dresser drawer, which was about 48-inches by 24-inches and approximately-10 inches deep. The coroner said there was no evidence her death was caused by blows, puncture wounds or bullets, and noted there were no signs of violence on the body, but bluntly added, “You don’t just stuff yourself into a dresser drawer.”

Some mystery and thriller podcasts meticulously dissect a single event over the course of an episode, while others might use a few examples to illustrate a particular topic of story. Any framework is appropriate, and you should consider the full range of storytelling approaches too, from classic journalistic investigations to more casual conversational discussions, and even comedic angles. 

Your approach obviously depends on the concept you choose, but the studio is open to anything. Additionally:

• You're not tied to a specific episode length.
• You should be able to sustain your podcast for at least 10 episodes.
• You should be able to identify at least 10 stories that you can investigate.
• You are not tied to murders and violent crime; conspiracies, disappearances, frauds, kidnappings, blackmails, hustles, and thefts are on the table too. 

TONGAL ORIGINALS INCUBATOR & THE SPONSOR:

• This project is part of the Tongal Originals Incubator program, and we're partnering with a premium content studio to make it happen. You can learn more about the program itself HERE, but the Sponsor has elected to remain hidden for the initial phase of this project. We can tell you that they're able to develop, produce, or finance any podcast, but beyond that, you'll be able to learn more if you're selected for the Production Phase. 

RIGHTS & PARTICIPATION: 

• If your Pitch is in consideration: Before pitches are selected, a short list of submitters whose pitches are in consideration will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, at which point the Sponsor will be revealed, and budget proposals will be subject to good faith negotiations with the Sponsor. After that, the submission selections will be finalized and announced. 
• Submissions Not Selected by Sponsor: All rights to pitch submissions that are NOT selected by sponsor will revert back to the submitters after the close of the project.
• Submissions Selected by Sponsor: All rights to pitch submissions that are selected will be owned by the Sponsor for a period of 7 years. If and when the Sponsor elects to move forward with a submission after a pilot is delivered, the submitter's involvement and participation in the project, including their percentage of net proceeds, will be subject to good faith negotiations with the Sponsor and covered by a separate agreement.

PRE-PITCH PHASE:

In order to be considered for the Pitch Phase, you must include the below materials in your Pre-Pitch Submission. The Pre-Pitch Phase gives filmmakers the opportunity to submit a 500-word synopsis of their creative vision for the final Pilot(s), confirm their availability for production, and submit samples of previous work. It’s your chance to raise your hand and say, “Hey, I’m available and I have this opportunity and want to learn more!”

• TEXT (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less synopsizing why you are interested in and think you could be a great fit for this project.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous podcast work. Please specify your role (producer, director, sound engineer, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual podcasts. 

• PODCAST CONCEPT (REQUIRED): Select which of the three concepts you're pitching on from the dropdown menu.

PITCH PHASE:

If selected to move forward to the Pitch Phase, you must include the below materials in your pitch submission to be considered for this project. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): 500 characters or less synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute your podcast. Your treatment should break down how you envision your 10-minute condensed pilot, as well as how that would fit into a longer season of content, with multiple ideas for additional episodes.
  
  
• PODCAST CONCEPT (REQUIRED): Select which of the three concepts you're pitching on from the dropdown menu.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous podcast or audio work. Please specify your role (producer, director, host, etc.). Please link to individual podcast episodes or audio files.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): This must included a detailed narrative description of your podcast's subject, as well as your approach to covering that subject. We've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.

• TEAM BREAKDOWN (REQUIRED): Please include a breakdown of the key members of your team (including but not limited to director, producer, host, etc.) and relevant examples of their past work. 

• BID (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project. This budget should be within the range of $6,000-$10,000. No full budget is required; just your bid.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the studio and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell them what they can expect should they choose your pitch. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the studio gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

The most compelling pitch(es) will be greenlit, and upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment, the responsible creator will receive funding to create a 10-minute condensed pilot & a series bible. Please note: the 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 beginning production, podcasters must receive the below approvals from the Sponsor.

• TREATMENT FOR PILOT: This project requires treatment approval for the pilot before podcasters can move onto the Production Phase. The treatment should describe how you plan to execute the pilot and how you plan to make the content interesting, accessible & engaging in the podcast format. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your treatment and ask you to submit a new version. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until a treatment is approved by the Sponsor.
• SERIES BIBLE: This project requires series bible approval before podcasters move onto the Production Phase. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your outline and ask you to submit a new version. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until a series bible is approved by the Sponsor. 
• HOST CASTING (IF APPLICABLE): This project requires casting approval for any hosts or voice talent before podcasters move onto the Production Phase. You must submit at least two options per role. If the Sponsor does not approve either of your options for a role, you may be asked to submit two new options.

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.

REVISION REQUIREMENTS: Once the Production Phase has closed, the greenlit submitters will enter the Revisions Phase. Filmmakers will perform reasonable edits on their podcasts 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 podcast 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 pilot paperwork.

ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS: You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a .wav and .mp3 master file of your completed pilot 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.

1. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 16x9. Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. BY SUBMITTING A PODCAST ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR CONTENT HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
5. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
    
7. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.
    
8. Podcasts must be in the English language or subtitled.
    
9. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
    
10. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Podcast based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.
    
    
13. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Podcasts without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
    
    
14. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Podcast creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Podcasts, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings.
    
    
15. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.