Jeff the Killer is a foundational figure of the Creepypasta genre—horror urban legends that went viral through "copy and paste" across the early internet. The character's viral success wasn't due to a single, consistent narrative, but the terrifying power of his image. The iconic picture—a heavily edited, pale face with no eyelids and a permanent, carved smile—acted as a self-contained scare. It circulated across the web before the most popular accompanying story, detailing a teenager's descent into madness after being burned, was popularized on the website Creepypasta and on YouTube.

Jeff's status as an internet horror icon is defined by this crowd-sourced, adaptable lore. His popularity immediately spawned a massive wave of user-generated content, including the famous catchphrase "Go to sleep," numerous fan-fiction continuations and countless animated videos and fan art. This organic, communal expansion cemented Jeff as one of the most recognizable horror figures to emerge from the digital age, a true meme that demonstrated the early internet's ability to create and distribute a shared, terrifying piece of modern folklore.

Your Concept does NOT need to adhere to any established lore, but can certainly be inspired by it.

A legendary figure of modern internet terror is preparing to take center stage, and we need visionary creators to help define what truly makes him tick. While audiences may know his name, we want to establish a compelling, spine-chilling creative foundation for who Jeff the Killer is when he steps out of the shadows. The goal of this project is to flesh out Jeff’s character profile by identifying his core motivations, defining his distinct vibe/characteristics, and detailing his signature killing techniques.  

We are looking for original concept submissions that go beyond standard slasher tropes to build a visceral, psychological profile for Jeff. Your concept should articulate what drives his terrifying impulses, the atmosphere that surrounds his presence, and the precise, memorable methods he uses to execute his craft. This project is ideal for storytellers and world-builders who excel at deep character development, suspenseful horror, and crafting unforgettable genre lore.  

Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

EXPOSURE: 

• Digital Platforms such as YouTube and Instagram
• Film Festivals
• Major Studio Executives or Financiers

TARGET AUDIENCE: 

• Young Horror Enthusiasts (ages 16-35) who are highly engaged with internet culture and modern horror.

TONE/FEEL: Intense, Cinematic, Dreadful, Modern, Humor, Camp, Action, essentially anything goes as long as it sits within the horror genre.

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Your concept should only include the characters of Jeff the Killer or his brother Liu from the original Creepypasta story. No other additional characters created by other contributors later. You can invent your own characters though.
• Your concept does NOT need to follow any currently established lore and any story you bring to the table should be original.
• Your concept must outline his underlying motivation, sinister vibe/characteristics, and signature killing techniques.

CREATOR OWNERSHIP (Added, 8/14): We're here to open the creative process up to more people with good ideas, but only 5 submissions are ultimately going to be selected.

• If your concept is one of the 5 selected, you will receive $500, and Tongal will own your concept. From there, all of the selected concepts will be used in some way to shape the next stage of development for Jeff the Killer. 
• If your concept is NOT selected, the rights to your concept will revert back to you when this project concludes, and you'll retain all rights, so you can use it however you'd like.
• If your concept is one of the 5 Honorable Mentions, it's a recognition that you offered a really strong creative approach that, ultimately, was still not selected. In this case, the rights to your concept will revert back to you when this project concludes, and you'll retain all rights.

CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT & NEXT STEPS (Updated, 8/14): At this early stage of development, this is still a community workshopping process. We'd love to find people with standout ideas or talents who could stay involved with the project, but it's difficult to know what direction Jeff the Killer and his character may take, how many of the selected concepts may inform that direction, or whether the submitter even wants to stay involved, so if your Concept is selected, a Tongal Producer will reach out. From here, we may follow this project up with another that would be focused on additional story development, or potentially a proof-of-concept. 

AI USAGE (Added, 8/14): Tongal has always been driven by the human creativity that comes from the creators and filmmakers in our community, and we believe that this project will succeed because of the creativity and the passion of real people and real fans. We're not looking for AI-generated submissions and we won't be using submissions to train AI to tell this story. We understand that you might still use AI tools to help workshop or edit, but the concepts that you submit should represent your own original ideas.

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that Tongal is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event Tongal decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the project team.

In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission.

• CHARACTER CONCEPT (REQUIRED): Quickly Summarize your Jeff the Killer Character Concept using up to 250 characters. Remember, a concept is not a detailed script - it is a spark of inspiration or distillation of what will happen when your concept is brought to life. As always, concepts should be clever and engaging.
  
  
• CONCEPT UNDERLYING MOTIVATION (REQUIRED): Tell us your Concept of Jeff's Underlying Motivations using up to 500 characters. 
  
  
• CONCEPT SINISTER VIBE AND CHARACTERISTICS (REQUIRED): Tell us your Concept of Jeff's Sinister Vibe and Characteristics using up to 500 characters.
  
  
• CONCEPT SIGNATURE KILLING TECHNIQUES (REQUIRED): Tell us your Concept of Jeff's Signature Killing Techniques using up to 500 characters.

• HELPFUL REFERENCE LINKS (Optional): Have you seen another idea, video or marketing activation that you think makes for a helpful reference? Feel free to include a link to any existing content that'll be useful when trying to understand your Concept.

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. BY SUBMITTING, 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.
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. 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 creator.
   
   
7. Submissions must be in the English language or subtitled.
   
   
8. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor, nor can Submissions contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
9. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
   
   
10. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
11. 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.