Calling all wrestling fans, animators, and creative people! Celebrate 30 years of WWE's Monday Night RAW by creating animated videos of some of the most iconic wrestling moments from the last three decades, which will air on USA Network in January 2023.
WWE's Monday Night RAW will be turning 30 in 2023, making it the longest running episodic television series in history. Over the past three decades, RAW has seen it all. From epic feuds with some of the biggest WWE superstars - like Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker, John Cena, and Roman Reigns - to betrayals, beer trucks, and weddings gone wrong. To help mark this milestone, USA Network - the home of Monday Night RAW - is looking to create at least seven animated :12 video bumpers depicting different iconic moments from the last 30 years to run on the air in January. We're planning to greenlight seven pitches to start, but the hope would be to greenlight as many as 12.
In terms of animation, the USA team is open to any and all styles - from 2D or 3D, to papercraft, motion graphics, stop motion, claymation, flipbook drawings, domino art, or any other creative medium you can think of. The only thing we are NOT looking for is live action reenactments of any moments, so please do not include those in your pitch. You also cannot use any toys or action figures in your content, even if those toys or figures are WWE-branded. It's also important to note that while you're only creating one :12 video, you'll need to deliver a version in 4 different aspect ratios, so you may need to animate additional shots or angles to ensure that your 9x16 version is as cool as your 16x9 version.
The USA team has included a list of iconic RAW moments that could be recreated in the Background below. They are also open to other moments beyond this list, so if you don't see your favorite moment listed, please feel free to include that in your pitch. However, please try to avoid moments that heavily feature wrestlers or personalities who are now working at any WWE competitors. In addition, please do not pitch any moments that took place on WWE pay-per-views or Friday Night Smackdown - we are only looking for moments that took place on Monday Night RAW programming.
Lastly, you can assume you will have access to the original audio from the moments you are recreating. However, please do not pitch any moments that exclusively focus on entrance theme music, as that may not be usable for copyright reasons.
In your pitch, please specify the iconic RAW moment you'd like to recreate, and the medium you'd use to do so. For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES:
TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets section.
EXPOSURE:
TARGET AUDIENCE: WWE Fans, young and old
TONE: Upbeat & Celebratory
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a bid. Though most 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 submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and the project team.
Shooting live action or stop motion? 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.
Below are some iconic moments from Monday Night RAW that could be recreated. However, this is hardly an exhaustive list, and if you don't see your favorite moment here, please feel free to run with something awesome beyond this list. Just remember: any iconic moments you are pitching to create must be from Monday Night RAW. You cannot include moments from WWE pay-per-views/premium live events, or Friday Night Smackdown.
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: You will be required to use the USA-approved music provider Source Audio to source music for your Video submission to this Project. Music from this provider is available only to the filmmakers that USA selects at no charge solely for their incorporation into Submissions to this Project and will not require a separate music release form. Filmmakers will be provided with a log-in and access by a Tongal producer once they are selected.
If you are selected as a filmmaker and choose to use custom/original music, you must fill out and submit our music release form.
FONTS: If you use any actual fonts (as opposed to drawing your own letters) you will be required to use the USA-approved font service Monotype to source fonts for your Video submissions to this project. Fonts from this provider are available only to the Pitch Winners at no charge solely for their incorporation into Submissions to this Project and will not require a separate Release. Pitch Winners will be provided with a log-in and access by a Tongal producer once they are selected.
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.
To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.