T-Mobile is looking for several creators to produce suites of really quirky and comedic short social media videos that can help their Careers team showcase the benefits of working at T-Mobile. Live action filmmakers and animators alike are welcome, as well as anyone who likes personality quizzes...
T-Mobile's got amazing employee benefits and an incredible company culture, and they're a super fun place to work and to develop your career - so their Careers Team wants to let people know. Now, ordinarily, you might just plop some HR dude in front of a blue screen and have him ramble on about "unlocking your potential" while smile-filled stock footage rolls, but that's sooooooo boring. No, T-Mobile is the Un-carrier. They're more interested in personality quiz parodies or fake horoscopes that tell you what kind of network engineer you're going to be, and that's why we're here. We need several creative teams to jump in and produce some clever, unexpected, and quirky content that T-Mobile can use to talk about careers, benefits, and culture.
The goal here is to find several creators who can each produce at least two social-first videos with a budget of up to $6000 total (i.e. up to $3000 per video). We say at least two, but there's also a chance that you be greenlit for up to five videos, with up to $3,000 for each video you produce. Ultimately T-Mobile needs at least 10 total videos, and there's flexibility in how that comes together. The videos themselves can be anywhere from :07 to :60 in length (though shorter is better), and they're intended for social media so we're not looking for high production value or polish. We expect that the complexity of your concept / production is what drives the budget, so if you're pitching something simple and short, don't max out that $6000 budget bid.
We're looking for cleverness, comedy, self-awareness, and smart messaging, and you have A LOT of room for creativity here - just check out this T-Mobile Careers Bob Ross parody. We'd encourage you to think about all sorts of different internet trends, memes, parodies, tropes, sketches, and gags. Your videos will need to cover one or more topics from their employee benefits, perks, culture, community, diversity, and other company initiatives, which you can find in the Background. Both videos could potentially involve the same conceptual approach, cast, and location, but messaging needs to be unique in each video. While we are primarily seeking live action executions, if you have a surprising or extraordinary idea for how to showcase this in animation, we are keen to see what you come up with.
One last thing: there is one particular concept that T-Mobile wants to explore, and while we don't want everyone doing it, we are looking to greenlight at least one filmmaker who has a good approach to it. It involves a parody on personality quizzes and the classic "character selection" meme, and you can find more information about it in the Background.
For your pitch, we highly recommend submitting multiple concepts, and If you're doing more than two videos, please tell us how each video will be different. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There will likely be 6 total assets, though we might not require all aspect ratios be delivered for your video, depending on your concept.
TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We anticipate content will be used on the platforms listed below, but if casting talent, please be sure your talent reviews the required Talent Release, 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 page.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Career seekers, millenials, and Gen-Zers.
TONE: Self-aware, humorous, surprising, winking but not too snarky, big, bold, fun & relatable
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
OPEN BID:
T-MOBILE BENEFITS: Each individual video should cover at least one topic or category of benefits, but it can also cover multiple, if structured the right way. Think about what works best creatively. An ASMR video can cover a lot of messaging if someone's speaking the whole way through, but if you're tracing out words on a cake, you'd be much more limited in what you can communicate.
PAST VIDEOS FOR REFERENCE:
THE CHARACTER SELECTION / PERSONALITY QUIZ CONCEPT: Which Harry Potter house do you belong to? Are you an enneagram type 2... or an enneagram type 7? Would your friends call you a Rachel, or a Monica? Can your horoscope predict your career path? There are a million different ways to approach "character selection" or a "personality quiz" tropes, and T-Mobile wants to know if there's a playful one that might show someone whether they're - for example - an events manager, or a network engineer. T-Mobile offers many, many different careers that you could leverage - at local stores, or at the corporate level - and how you choose to showcase the different options is where the real fun comes in. Don't be afraid to get weird and creative with this one. T-Mobile created a similar campaign late last year that reimagined Zodiac signs as different positions, and that can also help inform you about different open positions and the traits associated with each role. Check out some other examples of the concept below:
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.
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 & RESOURCES: 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. 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 any music from a library for your content, you MUST use one of Tongal's three music providers - Jingle Punks, Universal Production Music and Epidemic Sound. 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 about using each of these music providers, click on any of the providers’ names above.
If you choose to use custom or 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 the costs associated the hard drive and shipping.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.