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Meet the Up-and-Coming Director and Shondaland Mentorship Winner Shelby Blake Bartelstein

Shelby Blake Bartelstein jokes that she’s a “recovering actor” whose “gateway drug” was musicals in junior high. Her passions have served her well, though: The Chicago native went from the theater to applying that same spunky, eccentric outlook to commercials for some of the world’s biggest brands. One of her projects, “I Can’t Wait to Wash My Face: The Musical!,” from Olay, went viral and made its TV debut on the 2018 MTV VMAs.

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SeriesFest Conversations: Ashley Michel Hoban, Showrunner of ‘Dr. Death’

Ashley Michel Hoban serves as the showrunner of ‘Dr. Death’ on Peacock, and we had the opportunity to speak with her about season two of the show, before its release in December of 2023. As luck would have it, Ashley was in attendance at SeriesFest this year for a pair of panels, giving us the opportunity and honor of speaking with Ashley again, to follow-up with her regarding the show, now that season two is on the airwaves.

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Bentonville Film Festival Announces Additional Programming Lineup and Awards

Pitch-a-Thon Presented by SeriesFest
Friday, June 14 at 3:30 p.m. / Fermentation Hall at The Momentary
Five filmmakers with selections at the 2024 Bentonville Film Festival will participate in an exclusive live pitch session with top television, new media and digital professionals in hopes of moving their projects – and careers – forward. Panelists include Lisa Ann Walter (Actor/Producer/Comic), Sarah Minnie (Head of Artist Development + Production, OTV), Erich C. Smith (Agent, TCA), Elias Plagianos (Writer/Director), and moderator Claire Taylor (Director of Programming, SeriesFest). Filmmakers pitching include Sylvester Folks, Set Hernandez, Cynthia Kao, Liann Kaye and Gabriella Moses.

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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Stars Reminisce on the Show’s Impact and Legacy

Shondaland was heavy in the house at SeriesFest, an immersive annual five-day festival in Denver, Colorado, devoted to celebrating television and the brilliant minds who make it. Now in its 10th year, SeriesFest showed a lot of love to Shondaland, a longtime supporter of the conference, with a big honor for executive producer Betsy Beers, as well as a very cool mentorship award to up-and-coming director Shelby Blake Bartelstein, who’ll now get to visit the set of an undisclosed Shondaland show to shadow a director.

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SERIESFEST ANNOUNCES NEW STORYTELLERS INITIATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH ED HELMS AND PACIFIC ELECTRIC PICTURE CO.  

SeriesFest, the non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating innovation in episodic storytelling, proudly announces a new partnership with actor and producer Ed Helms and Pacific Electric Picture Co. This collaboration highlights the Storytellers Initiative, a premier competition designed to uncover and elevate emerging voices in comedy. Previous successful partnerships include Janelle Monae’s Wondaland, Ben Silverman’s Propagate, and Kyra Sedgwick’s Big Swing Productions.

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TV Writing Workshop in Belize | Projects Announced

SeriesFest is proud to announce the 4 projects that will join us in Belize for our November writing workshop.

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SERIESFEST TO OPEN THEIR 11TH ANNUAL TELEVISION FESTIVAL WITH AN EXCLUSIVE STAND-UP SPECIAL EVENT STARRING AMY SCHUMER 

The Comedian, Actress, Writer and Producer Will Headline SeriesFest’s Opening Night at the Historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on April 29, 2025 

Festival Badges, Including the Opening Night Event, are Now Available

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The resurrection of ‘S.W.A.T.’ demonstrates how TV fans still hold sway

The ninth annual SeriesFest recently took place in Denver, Colorado, where I attended the event for the first time.

A celebration of episodic TV, the festival gathers creators and fans for several days of screenings, workshops and more.

I was there to moderate a discussion after the screening of the “Peak TV” episode of CNN’s new limited series, “The 2010s.”

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SeriesFest Season 9 Independent Pilot Competition Winners Include ‘Humanized,’ ‘Chanshi’ (Exclusive)

SeriesFest Season 9 unveiled its list of winners in the independent pilot competition at a ceremony in Denver on Wed, May 10. Jurors screened 55 pilots from creative voices around the globe at this year’s iteration of the television festival.

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Chelsea Handler Talks Weed, Tucker Carlson, and Politics Ahead of SeriesFest Headliner

The more some people say they are happy, the less likely you are to believe them. But when Chelsea Handler [is] happy, you can sense the genuine smile behind her voice. …Soon, she’ll headline SeriesFest at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. “I’ve never been to Red Rocks!” Handler says. “My first time will be there on stage. I can’t wait.”

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