The National Geographic Channel is renowned for exploring every corner of our world, and along the way some familiar faces have joined in on the adventure. 

Whether it’s Neil deGrasse Tyson, Katie Couric, or Ron Howard, the channel has had several shows pair well-known voices with the interesting topics that they’re associated with. Each show benefits from the extra profile and celebrity flair, AND National Geographic takes care to ensure that the talent offers the audience both an intimate familiarity with the topic and a unique point of view.

Sometimes, the casting couldn’t be more obvious – who better to host a show like Startalk than Neil deGrasse Tyson? But sometimes the casting cleverly drafts off someone’s public profile, like when they explored the divine with Morgan Freeman in The Story of God. Audiences have seen Will Smith and Darren Aronofsky reveal the world through the perspective of astronauts in One Strange Rock, and soon we’ll see Gordon Ramsay explore anthropology-through-cuisine in Uncharted, and Jeff Goldblum will uncover the extraordinary-behind-the-ordinary in The Curiosity of Jeff Goldblum. 

So, what’s the next great pairing? National Geographic thinks you might know the answer to that, and they’re turning to you for entertaining show concepts that cleverly pair well-known figures with topics or show formats that those people could uniquely take to the next level. 

They’re open to shows that revolve around any major figure in the public sphere with name recognition.  It’s crucial that the general public know who this person is.  That means that it can be a famous A-list celebrity, or it can be a certain expert, game changer, writer, etc. with name recognition. And while the subject matter should obviously make sense for National Geographic, it’s important that the celebrity has a clear tie to the topic. Figures such as athletes or musicians that don’t make as much sense thematically for National Geographic will be more challenging to figure out, but they are not out of the question.

And don’t worry about access or budget – that’s for National Geographic to figure out. They just want to hear everything you can think up. Surprise us, blow us away, and try something off-the-wall. 

So how about it: do you have a concept for a geology show featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? Let’s bring that star power to National Geographic! 

Check out more in the details below…

The goal of this project is to develop a clever, entertaining Concept for The National Geographic Channel that ties a well-known celebrity figure to an idea for a show that explores a subject matter that they’re associated with. This is widely up to interpretation, but the pairing shouldn’t feel arbitrary. 

--Target Audience: Adults 25-54, those who are interested in creative storytelling.

--Tone: There’s a wide range of appropriate tones that you could strike here, so think of Concepts that might be thought-provoking, inspirational, clever, unexpected, fun, exciting, relevant.

This Project will be worth a total of $1,250 and consists of 1 Phase: A Concept Phase. Be sure to read the following information carefully as well as the Official Rules.

PHASE 1: CONCEPT – Tell us your Concept for a National Geographic Celebrity Show Pairing using the following:

• Celebrity Talent (REQUIRED) – Give us the name of a well-known figure that makes your TV show concept work.
• Concept (REQUIRED) – In 250 characters or less, give us a Concept for the show. 

Remember, a Concept is not a detailed script; it is a spark of inspiration, or a distillation of what the show could be about.  As always, Concepts should be clever and engaging. The five (5) winning Concept creators will receive $250 each. 

1. 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.

2. BY SUBMITTING AN 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 VIDEO 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.

3. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.

4. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.

5. 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.

6. Limit 5 submissions per member.

7. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest at their discretion.

8. Winners must submit the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment.

9. 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.