HELPFUL REFERENCE VIDEOS FOR INSPIRATION/TONE: As noted in the Objectives section above, these are all broadcast videos that The Church has produced in the past to promote General Conferences. We are looking to elevate ours and in turn do something different, but we think it's helpful to view what has been done previously.
Twice each year, in the fall and spring, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints hosts General Conference, where Church leaders from around the world share messages of hope, peace, strength, and joy through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a time for reflection, inspiration, and spiritual connection for members and seekers around the world. For this fall's conference, the Church wants to create two broadcast videos that will help set the tone and provide a meaningful experience for viewers before and after the event.
The goal is to produce two :30-second videos that will bookend the General Conference programming. The first and primary video is a "Welcome" message, designed to spark joy, anticipation, and emotional openness as viewers prepare to engage with the messages to come. The second is a "Goodbye" video, offering heartfelt thanks to viewers for joining in, and honoring the time they spent celebrating Christ and opening their hearts to His teachings. With these videos, The Church is seeking a compelling, emotionally resonant hook that captures viewers' attention right from the start.
While The Church is open to incorporating motion graphics concepts, the primary vision for this project is a live-action production. You’ll find examples of past videos in the Background section, but those should serve as inspiration, and you shouldn't feel limited in how you can approach this. The ultimate goal is to evolve the visual storytelling into something more dynamic and thematically rich. That could be accomplished with all sorts of different creative approaches, such as a sweeping drone footage building anticipation around the Conference Center (as seen in sports game lead-ins), or a cinematic, documentary-style narrative following an individual whose life was transformed by the messages of General Conference, or something else entirely original. The aim is to build on the moral and thematic foundations of past work while elevating both the visual execution and emotional impact to resonate with today’s audiences. You'll see in the reference videos that it's the message that takes lead, and that we're not necessarily looking for high production value, large sets, or complicated shoots. You have a lot of flexibility, but it should be in service of the message, and that means you should be deliberate in the creative choices you make and how you're allocating budget.
One of the key takeaways for those who have watched and listened to General Conference is a deepened sense of connection with God, strengthened by the awareness of belonging to a global community. The “Goodbye” video should express heartfelt gratitude to all who participated, while offering a message of peace and joy as they return to their daily lives. It should invite viewers to reflect on their personal experiences and the themes of the Conference, encouraging them to carry its spirit forward. Ultimately, this video should inspire individuals to share why General Conference is meaningful and worth experiencing.
As part of this project, you’ll be responsible for developing scripts for the videos and collaborating closely with Tongal and The Church during pre-production to ensure the messaging is clear and aligned. While the content will primarily reach existing Church members and their communities, The Church is also aiming to engage a broader audience, including those exploring faith or coming from different religious backgrounds. With this in mind, your concepts should remain rooted in the unique spirit of The Church and General Conference, while remaining welcoming and accessible to all.
If your idea is greenlit and involves filming at the Conference Center or its surrounding areas, you'll have access to those locations. The Church will coordinate and secure the necessary permissions. Beyond this consideration and given the importance of this video project for The Church, they're also looking at creative approaches from another one of their production partners, and this is not guaranteed to move forward, so we encourage you to be crystal clear in your approach so The Church can make as informed a decision as possible.
Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.
DELIVERABLES: There are six total video assets.
EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE
EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, 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.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Church members, their friends, and people interested in faith.
TONE/FEEL: Welcoming, engaging, inspiring
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.
In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors.