Location: Portland, Oregon
Member Since: August 2009
Biggest Win: $1,000
Lifetime Tongal Earnings: $1,640
In this installment of the Tongal Twelve, Caleb Light-Wills interviews longtime Tongaler and 1st place winner of the $2,500 Governor Fitzy’s “Texticle” Music Video Contest, Tyler Short. Since August, Tyler has participated in a total of thirteen contests, four of which have resulted in cash payouts of over $100. His 1st place Idea in the Bringit contest is, relatively speaking, the most influential piece of content we’ve seen produced on Tongal, serving as the inspiration for eleven out of the fifteen Bringit Videos. Here’s what he had to say:
Caleb Light-Wills – How did you first find out about Tongal?
Tyler Short – I don’t remember specifically how I got linked to it, but I recall I was just browsing the web for video contests, and happened to come across it. It was around August of 2009.
CLW – Were you apprehensive, or was it something you understood immediately?
TS – After the first couple minutes of confusion, I watched the introduction video and perused the site a bit, and then it basically made sense. The true potential of the site didn’t truly click until a bit later, once I started actually using the site and entering contests.
CLW – What has been your favorite contest so far?
TS – I actually really enjoyed the BringIt contest. As far as a total group of entries, I thought that contest had a bunch of really great choices. Making a prediction for that contest was pretty tough.
CLW – “An Easier Way To Bring It” is a beautifully simple and effective concept. How did you come up with it?
TS – Well, I figured the good folks from BringIt really were looking to emphasize the competitive, fun nature of their site, rather than just a money-making portal. So I looked to create a concept that showed a gamers’ competitive edge in a funny, light-hearted manner.
CLW – Four out of five of the winning Bringit videos were based on your concept. Are you flattered by the fact that so many people used your idea as the basis for their videos?
TS – Yeah, I think it’s always a great feeling to see how other people can adapt to your vision and make it their own. I chose not to enter the video phase of the contest, so it was refreshing to just be able to watch the videos, laugh and enjoy, without having to worry about any competition. I thought Zak did a great job with the idea, and really took it beyond what I had first had in mind.
CLW – Are you psyched about the residuals?
TS – The residuals are a great way to really make you feel a part of the process, and remind you that not only were you able to impress some judges, but people making videos wanted to use it as well.
CLW – One of the best things about watching your videos is all of the special effects you use. What does your production background look like?
TS – I really don’t have any sort of film training whatsoever. I didn’t really get into making videos until a high school English project, when some buddies and I decided to shoot a bloody and over-the-top recreation of The Great Gatsby. After doing that, and seeing my classmates’ reactions, I decided making videos is something that I wanted to pursue. From that point on, I was basically self-taught, learning various programs and entering video contests on the Internet. I shoot on a Canon HV30, and use a combination of Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, and 3DS Max.
CLW – What was your biggest win on Tongal so far?
TS – Texticle was my biggest Tongal win so far. It’s always a great feeling to get recognized for all of the hours that go into making a video. Filmmaking is a time-consuming thing, and I think you have to go into each contest with a mindset that you aren’t going to win them all, but it definitely is a big relief if you do.
CLW How long did it take you to get paid?
TS – There was a little different time schedule in this particular circumstance, as I was still waiting on residuals from the BringIt contest. But, I was always kept in great communication, and when it was time to wrap up the payments, it was in a very prompt and friendly manner.
CLW – What are you going to spend the money on?
TS – Besides the always-looming college tuition, I’m saving up to hopefully upgrade my camera equipment sometime in the near future.
CLW – What’s next?
TS – I’m hoping to squeeze in some time to create a video for the Binaca contest, seeing as there are some great concepts in there.
CLW – What sort of contests would you like to see on Tongal in the future?
TS – At this point, there’s not too much I’d like to see Tongal doing differently, as I think they’ve done a great job at building a unique site with a dynamic, creative community. I expect it to only get better as the site continues to grow. The more contests the better!
This interview was conducted via email on February 2, 2010.
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