FAQ
Creative Invites | Using Talenthouse | Intellectual Property Protections
What is Talenthouse?
Talenthouse is the leading platform for creative collaboration, providing artists opportunities for recognition and compensation. Talenthouse embraces artists at every level of their career, as well as all supporters of the arts. Attracted by the potential for discovering, collaborating with and mentoring emerging talent, many global brands and acclaimed industry icons are involved with Talenthouse by hosting Creative Invites. Brands choose Talenthouse to engage in a dialogue with their audience in a targeted, relevant and credible context. Talenthouse currently focuses on film, fashion, music, art / design, and photography.
Why is there a need for Talenthouse?
“So many great painters, great musicians, great geniuses ended with nothing. With broken hearts in rooms with broken windows. I want to see artists sitting at the table that decide the outcome of their lives.” -Bono
Talenthouse provides an opportunity for artists to collaborate, be recognized and compensated. Working with brands and major entertainment icons enables us to deliver on that vision.
Why should artists become involved in Talenthouse?
- To present their work and portfolio to a global audience
- To establish a professional web presence to share with others through various channels
- To collaborate and work with other artists all over the world
- To empower other artists and to be supported by the Talenthouse community
- To have the chance to work with some of the greatest artists of our time
- To participate in creative challenges and become recognized by great artists and brands
- To join and grow within a democratic creative environment where quality is determined by a community of artists
- To find the means, people and support to launch new creative projects
- To revenue share to enable artist financial accomplishment
- To take advantage of a dedicated platform for all creatives to create and share
- To use collaborative functionality developed by artists for artists
- To allow distribution to all other social networks
- To gain exclusive access to iconic artists & events
- To achieve artist liberation through development, education & visibility
- To embrace, develop and share their passion
With technology disrupting traditional consumer behavior and media consumption patterns, brands need to seek alternatives to traditional advertising. Talenthouse has seized upon the opportunity provided by social media to create a two way connection between brands and their target customers powered by referral by influencers, who in this case are artists.
Creative Invites
What is a Creative Invite?
Creative Invites provide opportunities for emerging artists throughout the world to shortcut the usual career path and bypass longstanding barriers by collaborating with established artists or brands while gaining recognition and compensation for their work. Talenthouse, unlike many other sites, protects the artists’ interests and therefore does not take an ownership in any of the artwork submitted.
How does a Creative Invite work?
It’s a very open concept. An artist or brand defines the focus of a Creative Invite and the desired result. They have to provide the material the participants will need (images, video, music) and set some parameters (start date, end date, criteria). All submitted work – sometimes referred to as the “Entry” – is visible on the site so that other users can vote for their favorite and share their thoughts. At the end the host will choose one or more participating artists to work with. The hosts may or may not consider the crowd’s preferences although the voting will certainly play a role in how an Entry is recognized and perceived.
What is the actual participation of artists who create Creative Invites in Talenthouse?
The artists and brands who support us do so by hosting a Creative Invite. All of them love the concept of getting involved with new talent and collaborating together. This is not like endorsements; we don’t pay anybody directly, we offer opportunities.
How do I participate in a Creative Invite?
All artists are invited to browse our Creative Invites (also sometimes referred to as a “CI”) page to find projects that appeal to them. When you find a CI that you want to submit your work for, click on that specific CI page. From there, simply click “Get Started” and follow the instructions.
Can I submit an entry after the submission deadline of an Invite?
Talenthouse cannot accept Entries after the official end of the Invite. Please make sure you check each Invite for specific end dates and times. If you are having problems with your Entry, please contact member support at least 24 hours before an Invite ends.
Do I have to pay to submit to an Invite?
No. Entries are always free.
How is the winner of a Creative Invite selected?
The Talenthouse community votes for their favorite submissions to any particular CI. The finalists are typically those who receive the highest number of votes. Artists and/or brands will choose the winner(s) from all qualified submissions with special consideration for the top voted entries. A qualified submission is one which meets all the Terms & Conditions and Guidelines of the Creative Invite.
How can I launch my own Creative Invite?
Anyone and everyone can suggest an idea for a CI. If you have an idea for a CI, please send your suggestion to invite-ideas@talenthouse.com. If your suggested CI is in tune with Talenthouse’s mission and vision, we will publish it on the site.
Who launches the Invites?
Artists as well as national and international brands in search of innovative marketing solutions partner with Talenthouse to host art focused competitions. Talenthouse partner artists and brands also provide a creative brief defining their identity and describing the kind of creative material they’d like to receive. The Creative Invite also contains any other special materials from the artist and/or brands you will need to create your submission.
Why is it taking so long to declare a winner?
Once an Invite has ended, the host has a number of days to choose a winner. Because there are often many great Entries, hosts can have difficulty deciding on the winner. They might also have to present Entries to other parties for ultimate approval. Be patient!
How are winners of an Invite identified and notified?
Winners are selected differently for each Invite, so please refer to the rules of the specific Invite.
- If winners are selected by the host artist and/or brand, winners are notified once the host selects the winner.
- If one winner is selected by a host and the other winners are selected by score, NO winners can be notified until the hand-picked winner has been selected by the host.
Once winners are identified, you are contacted by Talenthouse. Then you are instructed to reply with the necessary information to receive the prize. Dependent on the value of the prize, you will be required to fill out a W-9 form (a requirement of the IRS). You can return it via email, fax, or snail mail. Once this info is received, prizes are mailed out as soon as possible. Please note that prizes being fulfilled by a third party may take longer than those fulfilled by Talenthouse.
What should I upload when submitting an Entry to an Invite?
Upload exactly what the Invite requires. Often the Entry must be in a specific electronic format. If the Entry is not in the required format, it may be rejected without consideration.
How do I withdraw an Entry?
You can withdraw an Entry by going directly to the ‘Participate’ section of the Creative Invite you submitted to. After the submission deadline, Entries may or may not be withdrawn at Talenthouse’s sole discretion. Once the Creative Invite goes into the voting period, Entries can no longer be removed.
How do I report a submission which I think breaks the rules?
Contact member support at Talenthouse as soon as possible. Talenthouse will determine whether the Entry breaks any of the Invite’s rules.
Using Talenthouse
How do I sign up?
Anyone is welcomed and encouraged to join Talenthouse. Simply click Join Talenthouse at the top right section of your screen.
Where can I search Creative Invites?
Simply click on the ‘Creative Invites’ link at the top left of your screen. You can modify your search by clicking on film, fashion, music, art / design, photography, or dance.
How can I promote my projects on Talenthouse elsewhere?
Share your artist profile by clicking on the ‘Post a link to Facebook’ or ‘Post a link to Twitter’ links at the left of your profile page. You can post your profile to your favorite networking site to share your work with your friends.
How do I get featured on the Talenthouse home page?
We select artist features based on outstanding submissions, involvement, spreading the word, number of views or simply because we think you deserve more visibility. If you would like to become a Featured Artist please send an email to feature@talenthouse.com including some information about yourself and a link to your Talenthouse profile.
Is there a way to earn money via Talenthouse?
Absolutely yes! More and more brands dedicate a budget to reward the artists who submit artwork to their contests. The reward does not mean that they are buying the intellectual property. All submitted artwork is owned by the artists.
How is the financial reward distributed among participating artists?
The key to maximize you share is to get as many votes as possible. When an invite is closed we count the number of all votes for all the artists involved. The budget is then being distributed among the artists relative to the amount of votes their work scored. If your submission has received 10% of all votes you will receive 10% of the dedicated budget.
How do I upload my art to my artist profile?
Once in your artist profile page, click on the gray “Edit portfolio” button at the top right of your player. A simple uploading system will appear on your screen. Click on “Add new project,” make sure all fields are filled out before clicking “Next,” and from there you can upload your files. You can upload any JPG file up to 5MB in size. If you are uploading music files they must be 10MB and under.
To upload a video, it first has to be uploaded to YouTube. And instead of choosing a file from your computer, copy the URL of the video YouTube provides on the top right-hand side underneath the video description, paste the URL in the Video-ID field and click on “Import Video.” From there you can enter a title and description.
How can I update my profile information?
To edit your profile click on the grey “Edit Portfolio” link in the upper right menu (next to your name, inbox, etc.). Your profile settings (account info, profile picture, etc.) will appear. Make your changes and be sure to click on “Save.”
How can I get in touch with other artists?
Talenthouse gives users the unique opportunity to get in touch with other artists. Simply click on ‘Contact / Collaborate’ under the profile picture of the artist you would like to message. You can keep track of your messages in your Inbox, which is found at the top right of your screen.
How do I vote for Creative Invite finalists?
Please support your favorite artists and help the Talenthouse community choose Creative Invite winners. Once the submission period ends and the voting period starts in a Creative Invite, each submission will be able to be viewed and voted upon through a dedicated voting page showcasing each artists work. Each voting page showcasing the artists work, will have a Facebook and a Twitter button, plus a unique voting code to enter via SMS (text message). Creative Invites have free SMS voting (standard messaging rates apply). Voting is not limited solely to Talenthouse users, anyone can vote as long as they have a Facebook account, Twitter account, or a working cellular telephone with the ability to text message.
How do I contact customer support?
If you have a general question, use the email link in the support section to write to our customer support team. You can also stop by our Customer Support Community, we and other Talenthouse users will be there to help. For ideas, problems and questions there is an online form in the support section too. All comments and feedback are very welcome.
Intellectual Property Protections
What if someone steals my Entry or parts of my Entry?
Talenthouse does its best to protect artists and their work. Talenthouse does not condone intellectual property violations and does its best to eliminate and prevent cases of such infringement. If your Entry or parts thereof have been stolen, please bring it to our immediate attention by emailing protectmywork@talenthouse.com so we can conduct an investigation for more information on Talenhouse’s policy on intellectual property rights infringements, please read the Terms and Conditions. In cases of unmistakable intellectual property infringement, we will remove the offending Entries and suspend the user indefinitely. However, there are cases where a certain amount of similarity is expected. Specifically, these include, but are not limited to, Entries whose members are competing in the same Invite and Entries for which hosts may direct using common concepts or pre-existing materials such as music tracks, certain images, or certain photographic models. Intellectual property rights do not apply to concepts or pre-existing materials. Similarly, intellectual property rights do not apply to situations where a member is the first to use a general concept and other members take up the use of that concept with a different implementation. In a nutshell: you cannot own rights to concepts, but you can own rights to implementations. If you are not satisfied with the resolution and can prove your ownership of the intellectual property in question, please consider filing a DMCA takedown notice. Caution: you will be liable for damages, including costs and attorney fees if you materially misrepresent that an activity is infringing upon your property rights. For more information, check out our Copyright Protection page. Please read our DMCA Notice carefully.
How are copyright transfers handled?
Any intellectual property rights will be negotiated between participants and hosts, unless the CI states otherwise.
What happens when hosts request Entries with owned (copyrighted) materials?
At a hosts’s request, participants may occasionally use owned (copyrighted) intellectual property materials for Entries. At the completion and submission phase of the Entry, the participant owns intellectual property rights to the Entry but not to the host’s pre-existing intellectual property. If the participant’s Entry is selected as the Invite winner, the member agrees to transfer their intellectual rights to that particular Entry to the artist, unless a different negotiation takes place between the participant and host. The transfer processes and procedures are left to the discretion of the host and the winner of the Invite. All participants agree not to use the any winning or non-winning Entries commercially or in any other way without first having the host’s consent. Talenthouse is not responsible for a member’s misuse or infringement upon a host’s property.
In the event of a cash prize, how do I get paid?
Generally, payment will be made within ninety (90) days of the winner being announced. Participants may pursue an action against the host(s) directly if the cash prize is withheld. Talenthouse is not responsible if a host withholds a cash prize.
What is a licensed content declaration?
A licensed content declaration gives designers an opportunity to declare what third-party elements they have used in their designs. If your design is one hundred per cent (100%) original, you do not to make a licensed content declaration. If you have in any way used elements from any third parties, you must provide the details of the third party materials (other than the materials provided by the host for use in the Invite itself) you’ve used. If your design is not original, we reserve the right to remove it from the site. Talenthouse promotes generating and distributing unique creative content.
What if I do not see my question here?
Please contact Customer Support so that we can help you.
