At Hilton, The Stay is everything. It's that opportunity to allow yourself to focus on the moment and what really matters, to share joy with loved ones, and to give yourself the rest you need and deserve. The Stay is your home base for your trip: the place where you unwind, create new memories, let go of your daily stress. It sets the tone for your whole trip – for better or for worse – and can make or break your entire vacation experience. Luckily, Hilton is built to provide the ultimate Stay experience, from well-appointed hotel rooms and communal areas to unique amenities and stand-out Hilton hospitality.

Now, Hilton is looking for up to four Tongal creators to each create two different :15–:45 live action videos for TikTok that demonstrate why it matters where you stay. Both of your videos will focus on a single property, but with different messaging and/or narratives to set the two videos apart. Your videos should be fun, engaging, and clever; humor is encouraged, and an authentic tone, look, and feel is crucial to success. These videos need to go beyond stopping thumbs and be so influential that viewers are immediately driven to check out all the amenities Hilton properties have to offer and book at a Hilton property for their next stay.

How you do this is creatively open-ended: we're not looking for run-of-the-mill travel vlogger videos. Lean into social tropes, meme formats, and catchy editing techniques. You can film at a Hilton property near you (and which specific hotel is something that we'll work out with greenlit creators) but it's not actually mandatory, or even necessary, and we encourage creative approaches that might combine selfie-style filming with a green screen and photos of Hilton properties in the background, for example. You might also consider POV videos or "Story Time" formats, just to name a few other tropes that would give you a lot of flexibility. And, importantly, yes: this project is open to creators all around the world, not just in the US. There are Hilton properties everywhere, after all, and they're all important destinations.

Hilton's TikTok is a fairly new endeavor, so be sure to check it out to see the different tones, styles, and prompts they've been playing with and what viewers are responding to. We're hoping to start establishing more of a brand voice through this project, so your POV could go a long way for future creative project as well. Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

DELIVERABLES: Two :15–:45 TikTok videos (9x16), each focused on a unique message or narrative around the same property.

TIMELINE: HERE; please note that delivery is split into two phases as the first video needs to be delivered asap.

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.

Hilton's TikTok channel.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Broadly, the global TikTok audience: Millennials, especially younger millennials, and Gen Z.

TONE: Authentic, clever, energetic, humorous, creative, timely.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:

Your videos should present two distinct messages/narratives around the same property. While not mandatory, the Sponsor is interested in seeing different styles of production in both videos as well.
Include a strong engaging visual and/or hook in the first three seconds.
Videos must show Hilton branding in the first three to five seconds, including the hotel facade and/or brand logos.
Videos should also mention "Hilton" and "It Matters Where You Stay" in the first three to five seconds of the video.
You must visually emphasize the beauty of Hilton properties, from the hotel rooms to the communal areas (e.g. lobbies, restaurants, bars, outdoor spaces, etc.).
Your script should speak to specific details that make Hilton properties stand out and that emphasize the importance of The Stay (e.g. special in-room welcomes, team members going above and beyond for your Stay, etc.).
If possible and applicable, mention the full name of the hotel you're featuring and/or staying at
CTAs should incorporate the tags #HiltonForTheStay and #HiltonPartner
Greenlit filmmakers will be provided with brand Dos and Don'ts that will need to be followed during pre-production, production, and post.
Do not include any shots of alcohol, alcoholic drinks, or drinks that could be perceived as alcoholic.
Properties across the entire Hilton portfolio can be included in this project: that includes – but is most certainly not limited to – DoubleTree, Tapestry Collection, Embassy Suites, Conrad, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Curio Collection, and many more property families.
However, there is no additional travel budget, so we encourage you to build your pitch around Hilton property/ies local to you.

OPEN BID:

This is an open bid project, so you will get to set your own budget proposal, up to $5,000 per video or $10,000 per pitch. The Sponsor is interested in seeing tiered pricing options, so please feel free to submit various versions of your pitch at budget, target, and reach price points within that price 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.

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.

Details

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.

TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and produce the content listed out in the Deliverables.
TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A more detailed and specific description of how you propose to execute all of the content listed out in the Deliverables, both in terms of what we can expect to see, and how you’ll make it. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here.
LOCATION (REQUIRED): Your city and state or country so we know which Hilton property or properties are closest to you.
LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous video work. Please specify your role (producer, director, cinematography, etc.) and DO NOT INCLUDE LINKS TO YOUR SHOWREEL. Please link to individual videos.
BID (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project, so you’ll get to set your overall budget proposal. The Sponsor would like each producer to create all of the videos listed in the Deliverables section for up to $5,000 per video or $10,000 per pitch. Please ensure that your budget factors in appropriate COVID safety protocols (i.e. testing, PPE, cleaning supplies, backup talent, etc.).
SCRIPT (Optional): This should include dialogue from the video you intend to create.
STORYBOARDS (Optional): Additional concept art, storyboards, shot list, anything that helps get your point across. You can download the Tongal storyboard template here.
HEADSHOTS/CASTING BOARDS (Optional): Casting notes or concepts, headshots of actors, etc.
PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show them what you're capable of. Consider submitting a pitch video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect should they choose your pitch. Also, test videos, animatics, etc. are welcome. For some examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery. All Pitches will remain private until after the Sponsor gives creator(s) the green light to move forward.

Requirements

Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p 9x16. 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.
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.
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.
BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO 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.
You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor’s organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
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.
Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
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 Video based on their prior work and experience as a filmmaker.
The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Videos, 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.
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.

Background

Objectives

Details

Requirements