Have you always wanted to write a Video Series for a beloved children’s toy brand? Now is your opportunity! Pitch us your take on how you would write one, two, or all three of the Thomas & Friends™ Series listed below. Winners will be assigned to write a single Series that focuses on a specific line of Thomas & Friends™ toys where they will develop the outline, work on screenplays, and eventually collaborate with a Tongal animator on the production of the Series.
HOW TO PITCH: Writers, please read ALL of the below, that means the entire brief. You can pitch on any and all of the Series, but you will need to submit a new separate Submission for each Series you pitch against. Your Pitch should include your vision for the Series, treatment, character descriptions, sample episode loglines, and a two to three-page written pilot episode of your Series. In addition, you have the option to upload a Pitch video where you can further articulate your vision along with any relevant past writing samples. Bonus points if you can include children’s writing samples along with your pitch.
Writers, make sure you read all of the background information below before pitching your Series!
About Thomas & Friends™
The beloved Thomas & Friends™ children’s brand features a wide variety of train characters as they embark on exciting adventures. Thomas is the No. 1 blue engine. He is a cheeky little engine who often gets into scrapes, usually by being over-eager to do things best left to bigger and more sensible engines. The brand includes a TV show, publishing, consumer products, Live Events and, of course, toy trains! Within the toy line there are different ‘segments’ – three of which are outlined below. Just like each character in Thomas & Friends™, each segment has its own unique ‘personality’ and this should come across in the style and tone of each Series.
Below are the three toy segments that each Series must be based around:
About Thomas & Friends™ Wood
Thomas & Friends™ Wood toys are perfect for crafting fun and endless stories that connect the engines to the figures and animals in the set. These figures and animals are perfectly sized to go along for the ride and should interact closely with the trains to show kids all the delightful stories that they can tell with Wood. You can view some photos of the Wood line here.
About Thomas & Friends™ TrackMaster™
Thomas & Friends™ TrackMaster™ is the motorized segment that is all about bringing real train play to life often with stunts and exciting performances. You can view some photos of the TrackMaster™ line here.
About Thomas & Friends™ MINIS™
Thomas & Friends™ MINIS™ is the collectable miniature version of Thomas & Friends™ trains that fit in the palm of a child’s hand and features wild and wacky designs that extend far beyond what you see in the content! MINIS™ features trains, raceway sets, launcher set, and mini packs. With MINIS™, it’s not about the size, it’s about the fun! MINIS™ can work together to create epic and hilarious heroic moments for your favorite Thomas & Friends™ characters. You can view some photos of the MINIS™ line here.
The primary objective of this project is to write three Thomas & Friends™ Digital Series that will be put into production this Summer. Each Series will focus on a specific Thomas & Friends™ line of toys including Thomas & Friends™ Wood, Thomas & Friends™ TrackMaster™, and Thomas & Friends™ MINIS™ and should be styled to show the unique difference and personality of each line! Each line of Thomas &Friends™ toys is broken down below. READ CAREFULLY!
SERIES #1: THOMAS & FRIENDS™: WOOD
STORY: Thomas & Friends™ “Wood” toy Series should feature stories about Thomas and his friends as they connect and interact with the human and animal characters featured throughout the toy line. The human and animal characters that are featured in this segment allow for richer and expanded stories and should be an integral part of the story. Episodes should be set up in a repeatable format. The episodes should include interactive storylines that teach lessons about friendship, the environment (wood is eco-friendly!), and cooperation. Stories must be told without dialogue.
FORMAT: This Series will be filmed with stop-motion animation, please pitch and write with the format in mind. Series format should be repeatable and feature the Thomas & Friends™ Wood cast of characters. The Series is three (3) episodes long. Each episode should be three (3) minutes in length.
TONE: This content is aimed for children ages 2 to 4. Thomas & Friends™ “Wood” toys should feature stories that are sweet and light-hearted. Stories that promote life lessons are encouraged!.
CHARACTER: Thomas & Friends™ “Wood” series features your favorite characters including Thomas, Percy, James, and Gordon. The “Wood” line also features various human characters and animals from the TV show that can ride along in the train and should be featured in the Series.
AUDIENCE: Boys and Girls; ages 2 to 4.
SERIES #2: THOMAS & FRIENDS™: TRACKMASTER™
STORY: Thomas & Friends™ “TrackMaster™” series should feature action-packed and daring storylines that bring the speed and thrill of train play to life. Episodes should be set up in a repeatable format. The episodes should include interactive storylines that thrill and excite with adventures safe for a 3 to 5 year old viewer. Stories must be told without dialogue.
FORMAT: This Series will be filmed with stop-motion animation, please pitch and write with the format in mind. Series format should be repeatable and feature the Thomas & Friends™ TrackMaster™ cast of characters. The Series is three (3) episodes long. Each episode should be three (3) minutes in length.
TONE: If Trackmaster™ were a feeling, it would be the moment at the top of a rollercoaster just before the drop! Thomas & Friends™ “TrackMaster™” episodes should feature stories that are thrilling and exciting.
CHARACTER: Thomas & Friends™ “TrackMaster™” Series features your favorite characters including Thomas, Percy, James, and Diesel – and the themes/engines are normally tied to Thomas & Friends™ movie releases e.g. “Journey Beyond Sodor” in 2017.
AUDIENCE: Boys and Girls; ages 3 to 5.
PRODUCT: See the attached asset for more information about the product.
SERIES #3: THOMAS & FRIENDS™: MINIS™
STORY: Thomas & Friends™ “MINIS™” toy Series is all about the fun and collectability of the toys. Stories should include many MINIS™ characters working together to achieve a single goal. They might be mini, but together they are mighty! Episodes should be set up in a repeatable format. The episodes should include interactive storylines that thrill and excite. Stories must be told without dialogue.
FORMAT: This Series will be animated in a yet to be determined style, please pitch and write with the animation format in mind. Series format should be repeatable and feature the Thomas & Friends™ MINIS™ cast of characters (no licensed characters, so apologies to our super heroes!). The Series is three (3) episodes long. Each episode should be three (3) minutes in length.
TONE: This content is aimed for children ages 3 to 5. Thomas & Friends™ “MINIS™” toys should feature stories that are heroic and hilarious and demonstrate their uniqueness by assigning personalities to each one. Funny and slapstick humor that appeals to the target audience (e.g. funny faces, burps, farts, laughing etc…) should be incorporated, and the humor should be sourced from the on-screen action.
CHARACTER: Thomas & Friends™ “MINIS™” Series features your favorite characters including Thomas, Percy, James, often as you’ve never seen them before and many, many more cool and relevant themed engines! MINIS™ is highly collectible and is all about celebrating as many characters as possible.
AUDIENCE: Boys and Girls; ages 3 to 6 (boys primary; girls secondary).
PRODUCT: See the attached asset for more information about the product.
This Project will be worth a total of $7,500 and consists of three Phases: Writer Pitch Phase, Writer Phase & Revision Phase. Be sure to read the following information carefully as well as the Official Rules.
PHASE 1: WRITER PITCH - Submit your Writer Pitch (What is a Pitch Phase?) convincing the Sponsor why you should be selected to write one of the Series based on Thomas & Friends™:
The 3 most compelling Pitches will be selected and, upon submitting the Winner’s Affidavit and the IP Assignment, will each receive $1,250 to help create the Series Scripts. If your Pitch is selected and you execute the Series Scripts effectively in the Writer Phase, then you are guaranteed to win an additional $1,250.
PHASE 2: WRITING PHASE – We’ll work with the three winning Writers from the pitch phase to fully develop their Series for production. The Writer will be responsible for writing a complete digital series which will consist of 3 three-minute episodes.
PHASE 3: REVISIONS – Once the Scripts from the Writing Phase have been approved, the Writer will be working with the Series Producer on script revisions that may occur throughout the duration of Series Production.
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. 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.
3. BY SUBMITTING A 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.
4. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
5. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.
6. 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.
7. Scripts must be in the English language or subtitled.
8. Limit 5 submissions per member, per Phase.
9. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
10. In the event that fewer than 30 Pitches are received, the Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest for up to fourteen (14) days at their discretion.
11. 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 Script based on their prior work and experience as a writer.
12. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished product without providing additional compensation. Remember it’s easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
13. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, winning Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their winning 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 prize.
14. 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.