Manscaped enables men to unlock their confidence by providing innovative and premium grooming products at attainable prices. They believe your bits deserve better than the bargain bin. They're tired of endlessly nicked nuts. They're not convinced that all men are supposed to smell like the same middle school locker room. So shove over squeaky teens and hard bodies, everyman is the star of this show. Lumberjacks to jacks of all trades, drag queens to firemen, gamers to gear heads; every dude was meant to invest in his look, no matter what it looks like. Mutton chops? Racing stripes? Velvet purse? Whatever floats your scroat, Manscaped shaves and wash and spritz it all. Nose to nads. First fuzz to full Jamnji. They are Manscaped - and they're elevating everyman.
MONTHLY MINUTE HERO CHARACTER: The protagonist is smooth, charming and charismatic. He can be talking about anything, but the ark of the messaging falls back to that core message: grooming makes you feel smooth (in more ways that one...).
ANIMATION REFERENCES: Please keep in mind that these are examples the brand has provided but they are open to any ideas and don't want you taking them too literally.
CONTENT HIERARCHY: These are the parts of the body to focus on grooming.
- Beard > Breath > Nose > Lobes > Nails > Nuts > Scent
Confidence. Wit. Charm. That's just part of what it takes to be smooth. The other part? Manscaped. Manscaped products make men feel smooth. It's about being well groomed, and knowing it, like this roguish gentleman from the latest Manscaped ad. We're here to help other men feel that same way, because the Manscaped team is looking for a savvy animation team who can create a monthly video series that'll teach men how to regularly check and groom themselves - the "Monthly Minute" - and they want you to infuse it with the same attitude that makes that snooker guy feel so damn smooth.
No doubt, you will need to demonstrate your own wit and comedic writing skills for this one, and Manscaped wants to find hero VO talent that exudes confidence and speaks with that distinctive brand voice. This lead character will need to encourage men to check and groom themselves in a really funny and compelling way (i.e. not another boring instructional video). Manscaped will provide key beats for each script (i.e. how-to check your beard, feet, balls, nose, etc.), but they are really leaning towards you to come up with the story development that's centered around this Hero character.
In terms of the animation, Manscaped is also looking for something that has a retro vibe to it, almost cosmopolitan, but playful, and reminiscent of the hand drawn illustrations and artistic minimalism you might see out of The New York Times or The New Yorker. Manscaped likes classic line art, comic-book style art, even more abstract line drawings, but they are open to seeing your suggestions as well, if there's something that you feel captures the right feeling. Check out the Background for some examples the brand has provided, but don't take them too literally. Your Hero character should be illustrated, so keep that in mind, because you'll need to provide a proof of concept illustration for him in the Pitch Qualification Phase.
And if you've got the wit, but not the way to execute it - or if you're an animator without a writer - take your questions or your team building requests to the Project Forum.
THE PROCESS
- In this Pitch Qualification Phase, you'll be asked to create a proof of concept style frame for the Hero Manscaped character, and include a writing sample to show off your comedic chops. It can be an existing sample, or something written specifically for this.
- In the Pitch Phase, three greenlit Pitch Qualification creators will be selected and each will be awarded $2,500 to develop scripts and storyboards, as well as provide VO casting options, and put together a bid for a per episode series budget, with a total per episode budget of up to $7,000. Two rounds of revisions will be included in this Phase to ensure that scripts and storyboards are polished before a final decision is made.
- Ultimately, one creator's pitch will be selected and awarded $5,000, and they will move immediately into production in the Video Phase.
DELIVERABLES:
- One up to :60 pilot video (1x1)
- You will be creating one pilot video to start, BUT could lead to monthly recurring video, up to six videos or more. The Sponsor will decide if they would like to move to a full video series order after the production of the pilot video.
TIMELINE: For the full project timeline please see the Assets section
- The storyboards and script are due by June 30th and the first animated video is due by July 29th.
EXPOSURE:
TARGET AUDIENCE: Male, 18-49 years old, for whom grooming is important but have not found the right tool for the job.
TONE:
- Witty, funny, charming, and clever. Have fun, but no juvenile/overt/immature/offensive body humor. Elevate your humor.
- The brand voice is clever, quick, witty, smart, analytical, outspoken, blunt, brash, edgy, and sexy from a place of confidence, no posturing or sexism.
EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:
- Your illustration sample needs to show what the recurring Hero character will look like.
- The Hero character needs to reflect the brand's voice and humorous yet charming tone.
- The comedic voice is very important so you should elevate your humor in your writing. Do not tell juvenile jokes.
- Your writing should focus on how men should check and groom themselves. You can keep the Manscaped products in mind but you don't have to mention them. It's not a product push, but more of a brand awareness play. Check out the content hierarchy in the background section below.
- You need to include male VO casting options (25-40 age range) in the Pitch Phase, check out the Manscaped YouTube channel for examples. Must be native English speaker, but open to different accents, like British, Australian, New Zealand, American, Canadian.
- The first video should walk through how to spot-check your grooming: beard, breath, nose, lobes, nails, nuts, and scent in less than a minute, as per the brief request.
In order to be considered for this project, you must include the below materials in your Pitch Qualification submission. Three selected teams will then move into the Pitch Phase. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery
PITCH QUALIFICATION PHASE:
- TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and execute this video series.
- TREATMENT & PROOF OF CONCEPT ARTWORK (REQUIRED): A detailed narrative description of what's going to happen in the video series. If it's helpful to you, we've provided a treatment template, which you can find here. This should also include a proof of concept piece of art that shows how you envision what the Hero Manscaped character would look like.
- WRITING SAMPLE (REQUIRED): Please include a writing sample of your short comedy work. This can be a sample from previous work, OR a sample written specifically for this project.
- 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.
- VO CASTING OPTIONS (Optional): In additional to a Headshot, you should also include actors' demo reels with your submission.
- 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.
PITCH PHASE:
- SCRIPT (REQUIRED): The three selected teams will each need to write scripts for approval. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your storyboard and ask you to submit a new version.
- STORYBOARD (REQUIRED): The three selected teams will each need to create storyboards for approval. The Sponsor may provide feedback on your storyboard and ask you to submit a new version.
- VO CASTING (REQUIRED): The three selected teams will each need to present casting VO options for the Hero Manscaped character.
- ANIMATION BID (REQUIRED): This is an open bid project for the series, so after the initial $5,000 for the pilot, you’ll get to propose a per episode budget for the series, with a total per episode budget of up to $7,000. The Sponsor will decided if they would like to move to a full video series order after the production of the pilot video, so you series budget will come in handy should they decide to greenlit the series!
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.