May 6 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
SeriesFest’s Pitch-A-Thon! program provides independent content creators with an opportunity to participate in an exclusive live pitch session with top television, new media, and digital executives in hopes of moving their unproduced projects forward. Six series will have five minutes to pitch live to a panel of industry experts!
Panel: Krista Gano (Founder/CEO, Working Artist Group), Luisa Law (Manger, Dilettante Productions), Sarah Minnie (Head of Artist Development + Production, OPEN TELEVISION), and Alec Ring (Manager, Cinetic Media)
The Death Doula – Brittany Ballard
USA | Drama
When Shay, a seasoned Labor and Delivery Nurse, fails to prevent the traumatic loss of a Black birthmother, she strikes out on her own to forge a new path as a Death Doula.
ELLIES – Mahlena-Rae Johnson
Canada | Drama
When an unexpected visitor arrives in her city, maverick senator Athena Napoli must stop the colonizer before he invades the entire country. ELLIES is a sci-fi dramedy for professional women ages 30-40 who wish they lived in a peaceful, matriarchal utopia run by Black women. It’s like Veep meets Black Panther with the heart of Parks and Recreation. This quirky, hour-long series contains twists, turns, and political hijinks. Even if you have never been lost in space, ELLIES will entertain audiences throughout the Milky Way and beyond.
Flock – Dan Mathis
USA | Drama
Meet Paul: A bible school dropout turned con-man. For a price, he and his manipulative wife, Beverly, sell door-to-door salvation — Offering peace, hope, and forgiveness to the unforgivable, chronically shamed, and just plain crazy.
When a harmless con leads to a girl’s suicide, Paul is shaken to his core. His newly found conscience complicates his ability to pay the impossible dept demanded by the girl’s dangerous father.
In the midst of the chaos, the mysterious Alice crosses his path, spurring Paul on his own journey for meaning and genuine purpose in his own life.
Heaven Help Us – Carissa Blades & Jeff Chlebus
USA | Comedy
When Angela arrives in Heaven with the purest of intentions and an open heart, she quickly realizes that humans desperately need her. She believes in righteousness and saving souls. But Heaven has the corrupted politics of the superheroes on “The BOYS”, but with the hilarious monotony of having lived for all eternity with your immature coworkers.
Penis Cake – Qaseem Fazal
Canada | Comedy
Penis Cake is a comedy series about being yourself and part of a chosen family that accepts you for it. It’s a fun show full of characters you don’t get to normally see together on television. A queer Muslim man, African-American trans woman, and African-American pansexual woman who all run a fun and inclusive Pastry School that also doubles as an online business called Penis Cakes. A place where students learn about the culinary arts and shoppers can find authentic and realistic Penises… curves, veins and all.
Silver Spoon – Lucy Porter
USA | Comedy
When the matriarch of the dysfunctional family behind one of the nation’s largest restaurant chains suddenly remarries, jeopardizing the future of the company, the family must reconcile their egos and ignorance to maintain their declining breakfast food empire.
Panelists
Krista Gano is a Writer/Director/Producer who is also the CEO of Working Artist Group, which provides coaching and consulting for the working artist. She is an award-winning director/screenwriter and will be co-directing her first feature in the fall. Additionally, she is thrilled to partner with SeriesFest to coach the finalists of Pitch-a-Thon.
Luisa Law produces independent content across all platforms.
Projects include Love In The Time Of Cholera, Master Gardener and The Accidental Getaway Driver.
A veteran of the independent music business, Luisa has unique insight into the challenges facing the film industries rising competition from cable operators and streaming.
Sarah Minnie is an award winning Producer, Director and Editor that operates on the belief that filmmakers have the privilege of changing the world through the age-old magical practice of story sharing. Sarah’s magic as a Filmmaker has led her in creating content such as; commercials, fashion films, music videos, web series, pilots, short films, features and more. Her work has been published in VOGUE, The Reader, The Chicago Tribune, SCREEN MAG, Women & Hollywood, and in film festivals such as DC Black Film Festival, NYC Web Fest, Austin Film Festival. Sarah’s devotion to continuously serve the marginalized community she represents and loves, has led her to partnering with Open Television (OTV), as the Head of Artist Development and Production. Sarah’s work illuminates the power of being authentic – creating bold and unapologetic content.
Alec Ring is a Manager at Cinetic Media representing writer, director, and multi-hyphenates across all media. Alec graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Economics and Hispanic Studies. He is from Baltimore, MD and based in NY.
