Late Night Competition

Sometimes series just don’t fit into the drama, comedy, or unscripted categories. SeriesFest’s Late Night Competition is designed to discover and honor those strange, absurd, comedic or, sketch series that often leave us scratching our heads, laughing through tears, a little bit scared, and wondering “what the hell did I just watch?” This Late Night Competition provides episodic creators with an opportunity to screen their offbeat, live-action, or animated series on the big screen at SeriesFest: Season 9 (can run as a miniseries or extended seasons with a total runtime of 4-15 minutes.)

SUBMISSIONS

Please carefully review the deadlines, material requirements, and guidelines listed below and on our FilmFreeway page. Fill out your applications and get your projects in before the final deadline. Got questions? Check out our Submission FAQs or email us at info@seriesfest.com.

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Once submissions are closed, our team of experienced producers, writers, programmers, and filmmakers carefully reviews each application and pilot to narrow it down to a curated group of selections that fit the niche category of Late Night. Official Selections to be screened at SeriesFest: Season 9. Official Selections are determined on the basis of the following elements:

Originality and creativity
Overall quality of all elements & aspects of the production of each entry, including, without limitation, writing, acting, directing, editing, etc.
Adherence to and appropriateness for a particular format or type of program
The ability to develop story through a first season and thorough drafting of the arc

WINNERS & PRIZES

Official Selections are up for the following awards:

Best of Late Night
Audience Award

Winners will be determined by a jury of high-profile industry and talent during the annual festival and recognized with an award at our Awards Ceremony, included in our media announcement and showcased on our website. Past jurors include Betsy Sodaro, Danielle Kreinik (Ubisoft), Laura Prudom (IGN), and Laura Schwartz (Newform Entertainment). Scroll down to see the complete list of last year’s jurors and winners. Pilots in this competition are also eligible for the Level Forward Impact Award.

KEYS DATES & FEES

	Earlybird Deadline NOV 17, 2022	Regular Deadline JAN 06, 2023	Final Deadline FEB 15, 2023
Standard	~~$50~~	~~$70~~	$100
FilmFreeway Gold Member	~~$40~~	~~$55~~	$85
Student	~~$30~~	~~$35~~	$45

ENTRY MATERIALS

Produced Pilot
Submitted via FilmFreeway’s Secure Online Screener system. Submissions should not exceed 30 minutes of total runtime and can be given in episodes of any length and completed production no earlier than December 2020.

Series Format Deck
All submissions must also include a Series Format Deck to be uploaded to the application page under “Files & Attachments.” An effective Series Format Deck introduces your project in a visually exciting and emotionally powerful way. It captures the reader’s imagination, allowing them to see the full scope of the series and embrace the characters.

The Series Format Deck should be no longer than 15 pages and include the following:

Log Line
Pilot Synopsis
Season One Outline
Main Character Descriptions (Up to 5)
Tone of your series (can include no more than 2 comps)
Producing Team
Key Creatives
Goals for your Series
A Creator Statement that includes Why This Idea, Why Me, and Why Now?

Press Kit Material
Any available press kit material.

INCLUSION INITIATIVE WAIVER APPLICATION

SeriesFest, in partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada, is launching a sequence of opportunities to make our festival more accessible for all content creators and to celebrate a commitment to diversity and equity, including a waiver for submissions. Pilots applying for the Independent Pilot, Digital Short Series, Late Night, and Collegiate Spotlight competitions have the opportunity to apply for a submission waiver.

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