Toronto · 10 homes · Filming this fall

Your landlord won't upgrade your place. We will.

We're picking 10 Toronto apartments and giving each one a full home tech upgrade in a single afternoon. No renovation. No weekend lost to IKEA instructions. No complicated setup you have to figure out after we leave. Nothing your landlord can argue with. You keep all of it, free — and yes, we film the whole thing.

Apply for the upgrade

Free · Renters welcome · Takes about 3 minutes

What shows up at your door

Over $1,000 of tech, installed and set up for you.

Always included

RYSE SmartShade

Clips onto the blinds you already have and motorizes them. They open with the sun, close at night, or move when you ask. Comes off clean when you move out.

Example

Smart lighting

Bulbs and a light strip that shift with the time of day and match whatever your shades are doing.

Example

Voice control

A speaker so the whole place answers to one sentence. Alexa, Google, or Siri — your call.

Example

Smart thermostat

Learns your schedule and stops heating an empty apartment. Pairs with the shades to keep the sun working for you instead of against you.

That's the usual kit, not a fixed list. There's a box on the form for what you'd actually want, and if it fits the budget we'll bring that instead.

Read this part before you apply

This is a video series. You'll be in it.

We're not quietly dropping off a box. A small crew meets you outside your building, you answer a few questions on camera, we tour your place, then we film the install and your reaction. The footage goes on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. If you're not comfortable on camera, this isn't the right one for you.

Minute 1

Street interview outside your place. First question is always What's the dumbest thing in your home?

Minute 2

Quick tour. You walk us through the place and rate your home tech out of 10.

The install

We work, you talk. Mostly you reacting to things moving on their own.

The ending

Same question, new number. You rate the place out of 10 again.

Think street interview, not doorstep ambush. Handheld, unscripted, walking pace. We agree on a time in advance and meet you on the sidewalk, so nobody is surprised and nothing is staged.

Two things we'll ask of you: be yourself on camera, and be okay with a few hundred thousand people watching. That's the trade for the gear.

The format

If you've seen videos like these, you already know the vibe.

Example 01

Same pace, same energy. Watch on Instagram

Example 02

Real people, no script. Watch on Instagram

Example 03

One question, then a tour. Watch on Instagram

Swipe for more →

How it works

Four steps. You do one of them.

01

Send us photos

Your living room, your bedroom, and one close-up of how your blinds actually open. That last one decides whether our gear fits your windows, so don't skip it.

02

We check the fit

Our team looks at your windows and tells you yes or no within a few days. If it's a no, we'll tell you why.

03

We meet you and film

One afternoon, a crew of two or three. Street interview, tour, install, reaction. You've already signed the release when you apply.

04

You keep everything

All of it is yours. Free. No payment, no subscription, no catch.

The application

Show us your place.

The thing you still do by hand, the switch in the wrong spot, the appliance you fight with. We ask this on camera too.
Tech, gadgets, or anything else you've been meaning to get around to. We can't promise all of it, but this is what we shop from.
Phone photos are fine. The blind close-up is the one that matters — that's how we know our gear fits your windows.
Read the filming and release agreement

Participant Filming and Release Agreement

This agreement is between you and RYSE Inc. ("RYSE"). By checking the box and typing your name below, you agree to the following.

1. What you're agreeing to

You invite RYSE and its crew into your home on a date you both agree on, to film a video for RYSE's marketing and social media channels.

2. Rights you're granting

You give RYSE permission to record your name, voice, image, likeness, statements, and the interior and exterior of your home. You grant RYSE a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to use, edit, reproduce, distribute and display that material in any media now known or later developed, including paid advertising, without further approval or payment.

You also grant RYSE the same rights to the photos you upload with this application.

RYSE owns the resulting footage. RYSE decides whether, when and how anything is published, and is under no obligation to publish anything.

3. What you get

If you're selected, RYSE installs and gives you the products described on this page at no cost. The products are yours to keep. There is no other payment, and you waive any claim to compensation, royalties or residuals.

Products carry only the manufacturer's standard warranty. RYSE makes no additional warranty.

4. What you're confirming

You are at least 18 years old. You live at the address and have the authority to allow filming there. You will obtain any permission your landlord, condo board or building requires. Anyone else who appears on camera will sign their own release before filming, and no one under 18 will appear without a parent or guardian signing.

5. Release

You release RYSE, its employees, contractors and partners from any claim arising from the filming, the installation, or the use of the material, including claims for defamation, invasion of privacy, or right of publicity. You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished material.

RYSE will take reasonable care in your home. Report any damage caused by the crew within seven days and RYSE will repair or replace it.

6. Either side can walk away

Applying does not guarantee selection. Either you or RYSE may cancel before filming begins, for any reason, with no obligation. Once filming begins, the rights granted above apply to whatever was recorded.

7. Privacy

RYSE uses your contact details only to run this program. RYSE will not sell your information. Ask RYSE to delete your application data at any time before filming.

8. General

This agreement is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario. It is the entire agreement between you and RYSE on this subject. Ticking the box below has the same effect as a handwritten signature.

Uploading your photos. This can take a minute or two on a phone connection. Keep this page open — we'll confirm as soon as it lands.

We only contact you about this. Nothing else. Applications close when we've filled all 10 spots.

Got it.

A confirmation email is on its way to you now, with a summary of what you agreed to. If it isn't there in a couple of minutes, check your spam folder.

We go through applications in batches and look at your blind close-up first, since that decides whether our gear fits your windows. You'll hear from us either way within about a week.