SeriesFest

A Celebration of Episodic Storytelling

Next50 FOUNDATION + SERIESFEST TV WRITING LAB

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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

We’re proud to announce our writers and mentors!

Read more below

SeriesFest is thrilled to partner with with Next50 Foundation on this year’s TV Writing Lab! We’re looking for emerging episodic writers to join us for an exclusive Writers Retreat in the fall of 2026 in Colorado.

The TV Writing Lab in partnership with the Next50 Foundation seeks unproduced 20-45 minute pilots that challenge the perception of aging and scripts must be void of stereotypes traditionally associated with aging.

Instead of familiar tropes, we’re excited to see nuanced, authentic, and surprising representations of older adults. Intergenerational stories are not only welcome—they’re encouraged!

“Aging is one of the most universal human experiences, yet older adults remain one of the most misrepresented groups on screen. Stories shape not only how we see each other but ourselves. By partnering with SeriesFest, we’re investing in writers who have the vision to share stories that truly value growing older.”

Peter Kaldes President and CEO, Next50 Foundation

Next50 FOUNDATION + SERIESFEST TV WRITING LAB

We’re thrilled to welcome our guests to Denver, CO, from October 28–30, 2026, with support from the All Inn Hotel and Call to Adventure Media.

Writers

Hannah Cheesman
Writer, Badger

Two sisters become parents to their parent, before they’re parents themselves, when their father has a life-changing stroke.

Bio

Bio

Hannah Cheesman is a writer-director whose work blends dark comedy, genre, and emotionally driven character stories. A TIFF Emerging Canadian Filmmaker and recently selected as a Ryan Murphy Half Initiative participant, she is currently developing her auteur feature debut, Succor, with producers Lulu Wang (The Farewell, Expats), Mike MacMillan (In Cold Light), and Jennifer Blake (Joyland), based on her acclaimed short that premiered at TIFF 2020 and became a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Her latest short, Marriaginalia (2025), which she wrote and directed, premiered at TIFF 2025 and is being adapted into the high-concept horror feature The Joy, selected for the Blood in the Snow Film Festival Lab and VIFF IMI Lab.
As a television writer, Cheesman’s sold pilots to Apple Studios, The Mark Gordon Company and Bell Media for development, and served as writer/co-producer on SurrealEstate (Season 3). Her credits include Workin’ Moms, Find Me in Paris, and story coordinator/showrunner assistant for the Emmy Award-winning Orphan Black. She co-created the award-winning comedy series Whatever, Linda, winner of the inaugural CANNESERIES In Development Award at MIPTV, which received over 20 international and national awards and three Canadian Screen Award nominations.
As a director, Cheesman helmed seven episodes of Something Undone, earning a Directors Guild of Canada Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. Her feature The Boathouse won awards at the San Diego and Rhode Island International Film Festivals.
Her acting credits include Hey Viktor!, Star Trek: Discovery, Schitt’s Creek, and The Institute. She received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Hey Viktor!.

Elijah Guo
Writer, Cecil’s World

Cecil Sheng’s world is forever changed when his wife Mina suddenly passes away… but after her loss, he is surprised to feel a newfound lightness, freedom and lust for adventure at 95 years young.

Bio

Bio

Elijah Guo is a writer/actor whose original TV pilot MY FRIEND WILL premiered at Tribeca and streamed on The Roku Channel. His original series STAND-INS premiered at the Emmys-partnered Catalyst TV Festival, and his short film READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP premiered at Dances With Films and was a finalist at the Austin Film Festival. His original feature PERSIMMON SPRING is on the Black List Quarterly Top List.

Elijah’s play TOURIST TRAP is an O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Semifinalist, premiered at Ars Nova ANT Fest, and was a Top 12 Finalist at the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival. He is an alum of the Harvardwood TV Writers Program and a winner of the Sundance Collab Screenwriting Challenge. MFA: American Repertory Theater Institute at Harvard University.

Jenny Rachel Weiner
Writer, Mule

A half-hour dark comedy about a Jewish bubbe in Florida who gets catfished into becoming a drug mule, but over the course of the series transforms herself into a bonafide queenpin running an international drug cartel.

Bio

Bio

Jenny Rachel Weiner is a playwright, director, and screenwriter based in Brooklyn and a graduate of The Juilliard School. Her plays include Horse Girls, performed around the world; Kingdom Come, produced Off-Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company; and The Chameleon, commissioned by Roundabout and produced at Theater J. Jenny has sold feature films to Universal, Netflix, and Makeready, and original television projects to Onyx, Amazon, Hulu, and FX. Fugly, an Audible Original she wrote and directed, executive produced by Elizabeth Banks, was released in 2026. She is currently developing projects with Michael Showalter, Maya Rudolph, and Jenni Konner, and will write and direct the short film SPECIAL, starring Catherine Cohen, in 2027.

Mentors

Teri Weinberg
President, Yellow Brick Road

Bio

Bio

TERI WEINBERG
President, Yellow Brick Road

Former NBC Entertainment Executive Vice President Teri Weinberg, who oversaw all aspects of NBC Entertainment’s scripted development and current primetime programming, launched her own production company, Yellow Brick Road, in 2009, with a two-year first look deal with NBC Universal. Weinberg then partnered with Golden Globe, Emmy Award winning actor and producer, America Ferrera in 2016, with a four-year first look deal with NBC Universal, and has since returned to independent producing.

Weinberg was Co-Executive producer of the Peabody, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning “The Office,” which has also received two Television Critics Association Awards, multiple WGA awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also served as Executive Producer of “Ugly Betty,” winner of two Golden Globe Awards, an Emmy Nomination, a Peabody Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In addition, Weinberg was Executive producer of the Golden Globe nominated, “The Tudors.”Weinberg was nominated for two Emmys in July 2007, as both “The Office” and “Ugly Betty” were nominated as Outstanding Comedy Series. Weinberg Executive Produced National Geographic’s Emmy Nominated Event Movies, “Killing Kennedy” and “Killing Jesus,” multiple Film Festival winner “Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story,” and has most recently Executive Produces Netflix’s new dramedy series, “Gentefied,” which is embarking on its Season Two.

Earlier, Weinberg served as Executive Vice President of Scripted Programming at Reveille from its inception in 2002, overseeing and serving in a variety of producing, development, casting and Executive roles. Also during her tenure, Reveille was responsible for producing “The Biggest Loser,” “The Restaurant”, “Nashville Star” and “30 Days,” amongst other unscripted fare.

Prior to Reveille, Weinberg was a television talent agent at ICM. She began her agency career working in the feature talent and literary department.

Weinberg resides in Los Angeles. Interests and passions include health and wellness, yoga, surfing, hiking, philanthropy.

Elsie Choi
Head of Scripted TV, CJ ENM America / Studio Dragon Global

Bio

Bio

Elsie Choi-Pletts most recently served as the Head of Scripted TV at CJ ENM America / Studio Dragon Global. Prior to CJ ENM America, she was a Non-Writing Executive Producer on Hulu’s INTERIOR CHINATOWN created by Charles Yu and directed by Taika Waititi. She was also the Head of Cable/Streaming TV for Rideback and served as Executive Director of the MRC x Rideback TV Incubator.

Choi-Pletts started in TV as the SVP of Development for Mad Rabbit, a joint venture with Red Arrow Studios and writer/director/producer Kari Skogland (Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning director of THE HANDMAID’S TALE). She began her career at Morgan Stanley executing financings for cultural institutions such as The Getty Center and American Museum of Natural History, and then transitioned to marketing and publicity at DreamWorks Pictures in New York and Los Angeles. Choi-Pletts went on to head development for Bruce Willis’ company, Willis Brothers Films, where she produced award-winning documentary and narrative features that have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca and Toronto Film Festivals.

Alex Maggioni
Head of Television, LAIKA Live Action

Bio

Bio

Alex Maggioni is Head of Television at LAIKA Live Action, where she is building the studio’s television division and an ambitious slate of bold, highly authored series rooted in distinctive worlds and deeply human characters. Current projects include developing Exit Party with Emily St. John Mandel, who is adapting her acclaimed novel for television following a highly competitive rights process; working with Charise Castro Smith on an adaptation of Kay Chronister’s World Fantasy Award finalist The Bog Wife; and developing a Hugo Award-winning book series with Netflix.

Prior to LAIKA, Alex spent nearly a decade at Amblin Television, where she developed and shepherded series including Masters of the Air (Apple TV+), Resident Alien (Syfy/Peacock), Brave New World (Peacock), and Halo (Paramount+). Her experience spans development, packaging, and selling projects across the television landscape, including packaging The Challenger for Amazon and selling S.A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed to Netflix.

Across both LAIKA and Amblin, Alex has worked closely with writers to develop ambitious ideas into compelling, producible television, with a particular focus on distinctive voices, character-driven genre storytelling, and projects that pair creative ambition with broad audience appeal.

Betsy Marino Leighton
Producer / Writer, Call to Adventure Media

Bio

Bio

Betsy has worked in the film and television industry for the last twenty-five years. Beginning her career as a Page at NBC, she then went on to work for Scorsese Productions and Clinica Estetica before producing and directing the award-winning documentary, A Six Voice Home. Betsy has produced long form reality and other series for Starz, Ovation, Animal Planet, and High Noon Entertainment. In 2014, Betsy cofounded Unreal Media which sold their first independent horror feature, Apartment
212. Betsy heads Unreal's Development slate, and is in pre production on a half-hour series, Drop Shot Divas. More recently Betsy has started the writer’s development company, Call to adventure Media, where she organizes and runs writers labs, rooms workshops. She has taught screenwriting and tv writing at Stephens College and Colorado Film School. Betsy has also written a YA novel for Dutton and has finished

AWARDS & PRIZES

Three Series Projects will be selected to take part in a 3-day intensive in the fall of 2026 led by Call to Adventure Media where their pilot scripts will be workshopped by industry mentors and experts. Activities include one-on-one meetings, small group workshops, mini writers’ rooms, and networking opportunities. 

What is included: Accommodations and Ground Transportation in Colorado 
What is not included: Airfare and Meals

TIMELINE

DateMilestoneFee
Apr 22Open Submissions$40
Jun 3Regular Deadline$40
Jul 14Late Deadline$55
Oct 3Latest Notification Date
Oct 28-30TV Writing Lab

SUBMISSION MATERIALS

Pilot script (all genres are welcome) Between 18 – 40 pages

  • Seeking  stories that thoughtfully challenge and expand perceptions of aging—think along the lines of Grace and Frankie, Hacks, or Shrinking. Show us dynamic, complex characters and fresh perspectives that reflect the richness of life at every stage.
  • Scripts must not include stereotypical portrayals of aging
    • The ‘frail’ and helpless older adult or sickly elder in need of constant care
    • Grumpy curmudgeon
    • Sweet grandparent with no character or lines

Series Format Deck

  • The Series Format Deck is a 2-15 page document that includes a logline, series regular and recurring character descriptions, and Season One story arch or future episode descriptions.

Writer’s Bio & Resume

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the contest, entrants must be aged 21 years or older. Limit one entry per person. Each entry must include only one (1) script. Entries must be written in English. Scripts must not be encumbered by any obligation to, or option held by a third party.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER

Next50

Next50 is a Colorado-based national foundation that works toward a society that values aging and makes growing older an empowering, fulfilling experience. In a culture that too often equates aging with decline, Next50 believes that shifting how we perceive and talk about growing older is foundational to building systems that truly serve older adults. We fund programming in three key areas: ending age-related bias and discrimination; advancing digital equity so technology is available to all; and making it possible for people to age where they want to live. To learn more, visit www.Next50foundation.org.

Special thank you

Call to Adventure Media

Call to Adventure Media is a writer’s development company that provides services for storytellers, including writer’s retreats, writers’ rooms, and script consulting. They focus on building community and offering mentorship to help creators develop their narratives.

Accommodations provided by