How To Submit A Video Pitch
At One Day Studio, we believe in co-creating a future in which educational equity, economic mobility, and equal possibility exists for all students. Our stories center the voices of those most proximate to educational inequities: young people, families, teachers, school leaders, and local communities.
We invite you to submit ideas for video stories that you – with guidance from our editorial team – would create, covering stories and solutions from those who are leading toward more equitable educational systems in your local community/communities.
Submitting Your Idea
If you are interested in pitching a video idea, submit your idea via our Suggestion Box for approval. In a few sentences or bullet points, summarize your story, describe the storytelling/creative approach or point of view you will articulate, your personal connection to the story and/or community featured, and why you see this topic as timely and important for our audience.
After you submit your idea, a member of the editorial staff will reach out to you to discuss. If your idea is accepted, we’ll discuss offer details, next steps, and compensation for your piece. We pay upon successful publication of a video.
Guidelines for Video Production
- Videos will generally be between 3 - 5 minutes in length, but can vary depending on the nature of the story.
- We are solutions-oriented in our video storytelling. While we illuminate issues, we do that by lifting up systems change leaders who are thoughtfully addressing those issues. We publish stories on innovative approaches to teaching and care; social-emotional wellness; the pedagogy of healing; a holistic approach to education which includes community-engagement; sustainability practices; arts-based teaching practices; etc.
- All pieces must explicitly be tied to students, schools, communities, and/or initiatives to advance educational equity. For instance, a piece about food insecurity should be tied to this issue’s impact on students and their ability to learn and thrive. We do prioritize stories which feature Teach for America corps members or alumni, but all story pitches are welcome.
- Videos can be creatively approached, but must also root in facts and lived experiences of community members. See here for a few examples of past One Day Studio videos.
- Keep in mind that our audience is diverse—in the cultures and identities with which they identify, where they live, how old they are, their professional backgrounds, etc. Films should be engaging and meaningful to viewers across this diverse spectrum.
- Like all editorial content, videos need to meet One Day style and priorities. All videos will be guided by TFA’s video editorial staff. Filmmakers should expect to address questions, receive feedback on ideas and cuts, make revisions, and otherwise be involved in a rigorous editorial process.
- Videos will be published on the One Day Studio website at Teach for America; shared across Teach for America social media channels, reaching our network of 60,000+ educators and community leaders; and we may also work with you on a festival strategy for your film.
- Include a 3-5 sentence bio of yourself that will run with the piece and provide a headshot to go with it.
Topic Areas
Topics we may be interested in can include but are not limited to:
- Arts & Healing - Ways in which teachers or schools are using the arts as a space for self-reflection and/or healing
- Innovation in Education - Teachers and school leaders who are making creative adaptations to how education is done
- Creating in Place: Place-based projects that forge meaningful relationships between students and their local communities
- Civic Engagement - Projects that foster leadership or civic engagement in students
- Care and Safe Harbor: Teachers or after-school programs who are cultivating care of the whole person and inclusive spaces.
- Multicultural Education - Innovations in multicultural education
- Youth Activism - Students organizing for change in their communities
- Mutual Aid in Education - Mutual aid networks within local communities that aim to support students’ education
If you have any questions, email Managing Director of Film / Video at onedayfilms@teachforamerica.org.