with Ed Helms & Michael Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company
The Storytellers Initiative aims to discover and celebrate bold new series with a strong point of view and bold characters from the next generation of storytellers. This Initiative cultivates lasting relationships between emerging creatives and industry executives, focused specifically on supporting diverse voices, championing marketable, unique storytelling, and pushing independent projects into production. Writers are invited to submit their pilot script for a chance to participate in a writers workshop, a live read of their script with professional actors, and a year-long development deal.
For Season 11, SeriesFest is partnering with Ed Helms and Michael Falbo’s Pacific Electric Picture Company to discover episodic content featuring uplifting and heartwarming comedies. The script competition provides artists the opportunity to share diverse ideas through visual media and create groundbreaking television. The winning artist(s) will receive the opportunity for a development deal with Pacific Electric Picture Co.
Why Submit to the Storytellers Initiative?
Learn more about previous cycles:
Storytellers Initiative with Propagate
Storytellers Initiative with Janelle Monàe’s Wondaland
The Workshop
Three semifinalists will take part in a two-day creative workshop with industry experts, which includes sessions on ‘how to pitch’ and mini writers rooms for all 3 scripts. The goal of this workshop is to further get to know the creators and their skill levels as well as determine the Season Eleven Winner! This workshop will take place virtually the week of March 17, 2025.
“This was all onward and upward energy. And the fantastic realization is that this works; when writers feel supported, we can all get back to the exciting “let’s make a show” excitement of why we came to arts in the first place.“
Liz Stephens, 2022 Finalist
“It honestly helped humble me. Having your project completely dissected and gone through was very important to me. I felt I grew significantly as a writer from this experience and will prepare me for the next time.“
Jake Kelley, 2022 Finalist
“We were able to create a much more cohesive story. The advice and edits given really helped us create what we believe is a much better and more fun script.“
Wes Ward, 2022 Finalist
KEY DATES & FEES
Submissions for the Storytellers Initiative open September 5, 2024.
Regular Deadline
11/8/24
Standard
$50
FilmFreeway Gold Member
$40
Final Deadline
12/13/24
Standard
$75
FilmFreeway Gold Member
$60
Submissions are open, and listed prices are available through 11:59 PM (local time) on the date shown.
PRIZES
Three Finalists will take part in a two-day creative workshop with industry experts, which includes sessions on ‘how to pitch’ and mini writers rooms for all 3 scripts. The goal of this workshop is to further get to know the creators and their skill levels as well as determine the Season Eleven Winner! This workshop will take place virtually the week of March 17, 2025.
The winning artist(s) will receive an exclusive development deal with the presenting partner, Pacific Electric Picture Company. The winner(s) will also be flown out to Denver, CO for SeriesFest: Season Eleven, and participate in a Storytellers Initiative Live Read Presentation of their script with professional actors.
Other Awards
ENTRY MATERIALS
Thank you to our partners
Pacific Electric Picture Company
Founded by Ed Helms and Mike Falbo in 2012, Pacific Electric Picture Co. is a production company with a first look deal at Universal Television. They most recently produced two seasons of RUTHERFORD FALLS, created by Helms, Sierra Ornelas, and Mike Schur for Peacock & UTV. Also for Peacock, they released TRUE STORY WITH ED & RANDALL, co-hosted by Helms and Randall Park, to rave reviews. Before that, they produced the critically acclaimed sketch show AUNTY DONNA’S BIG OL’ HOUSE OF FUN for Netflix in 2020. In 2018, Pacific Electric won a WGA Award for their Comedy Central special THE FAKE NEWS WITH TED NELMS, a subversive, a-political news show satire, hosted by a guy who kind of looks like Ed Helms.
On the feature side, they produced COFFEE AND KAREEM for Netflix, directed by Michael Dowse and starring Ed Helms, Taraji P Henson, Betty Gilpin, and David Alan Grier, and CORPORATE ANIMALS, written by Sam Bain, directed by Patrick Brice and starring Demi Moore, Jessica Williams, and Karan Soni, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. They currently have shows and films in development at networks and studios around town.
In addition to their TV and film slates, they recently released season two of the hit podcast SNAFU WITH ED HELMS and are currently producing a third season in partnership with FilmNation for iHeart. Besides SNAFU, they also released the podcast BROOMGATE, about the biggest scandal to hit the sport of curling, to wide acclaim.
Media Partner
Deadline Hollywood
Deadline.com is the premier news source covering the business of entertainment, including movies, television, online, digital and related areas. Deadline was founded by veteran journalist Nikki Finke in 2006. Since then, the site has grown to feature a number of additional prominent and experienced entertainment editors from around the world.
