K-12 Education Initiatives

Rachel · November 14, 2022 ·

SeriesFest’s Education Initiatives serve students from 5th–12th grade with programs specifically designed to inspire and celebrate the unique voice inside every young creative. These programs include our year-round Mobile Cinema Lab which works with public and private schools, as well as community centers, to bring film-based education to local students; our Summer Camps which enrich teens interested in deepening their skills both in front of and behind the camera; and the national Young Storytellers program which guides fifth-graders through the art of short film screenwriting.

Mobile Cinema Lab

SeriesFest Mobile Cinema Lab is a traveling program that brings video production and storytelling education into schools and community centers throughout Colorado and across the country. The program features current filmmaking equipment, instruction by professional filmmakers, and a fully developed curriculum that guides students through writing, production, and post-production.

Summer Camps

SeriesFest’s popular summer camps include our three-week TV Pilot Camp (formerly TV Pilot Academy) and our two-week Short Film Camp. Teens can grow their visual storytelling skills on both sides of the camera with fully immersive workshops designed to teach all elements of filmmaking and TV production. Both camps conclude with a red-carpet screening for family and friends.

Young Storytellers

SeriesFest brings the award-winning Young Storytellers Script To Stage program to Denver. This free program for Denver-area elementary schools focuses on engaging fifth-grade students through the art of storytelling using timeless techniques of mentoring, collaboration, and performance. We provide public school students with an opportunity to write stories and see them brought to life.

Meet the Jury For SeriesFest: Season 8

Rachel · November 11, 2022 ·

We’re thrilled to reveal our Jury for this year’s Independent Pilot Competitions! Our talented Jurors are tasked with judging brand-new work from an international array of creative voices. These esteemed professionals hail from all sectors of the entertainment industry and include award-winning actors, producers, and production executives.

**INDEPENDENT PILOT COMPETITION: COMEDY**
**JIM O’HEIR** *(ACTOR)*

2022 SPOTLIGHT YOUR TOWN WINNER

Rachel · August 16, 2022 ·

Alongside logos for National Geographic Documentary Films, SeriesFest, and Visible [mobile] by Verizon, this image is in black and white with white text that reads SPOTLIGHT YOUR TOWN WINNER in blocky white text. The right half of the image is a black and white portrait of an Asian woman named A.K. Sandhu, holding a film photography camera and wearing a white and black floral dress with her hair pulled back.

In 2021, we partnered with National Geographic Documentary Films, known for showcasing timely, provocative, and impactful stories, and Visible [mobile] for our Spotlight Your Town Initiative to support an inclusive group of unscripted storytellers creating authentic, community-driven stories that embody the breadth and diversity of the people and places they represent.

AND THE WINNER IS…

The Spotlight Your Town Winner is We Beg Your Pardon, America, created by A.K. Sandhu, a docuseries that tackles America’s version of history about the Black Panther Party through poetic interrogation by womxn Panthers. A.K. Sandhu will receive a $20,000 grant to be applied to her production, an opportunity to pitch to National Geographic Documentary Films, and unscripted teams in one-on-one curated meetings, as well as receive a six-month mentorship with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, City So Real).

The left half of the image is a black and white portrait of an Asian woman named A.K. Sandhu, holding a film photography camera and wearing a white and black floral dress with her hair pulled back who is the 2022 Spotlight Your Town Winner. The right half is a colored image of an older white man with dark eyebrows and white hair named Steve James. He is standing on a SeriesFest step and repeat and wearing a blue button-up shirt. — **A.K. Sandhu** (left) and **Steve James** at a SeriesFest Event (right)

“I am thrilled for A.K. and excited to work with her as she brings We Beg Your Pardon, America to fruition,” said Steve. “It’s a vitally important series that will tell us about the essential – and too easily forgotten – contributions of these amazing women activists and revolutionaries in Oakland. And A.K.’s passion and determination is inspiring.”
Steve James, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker

A.K. Sandhu is the founder of Re–Present Partners, a womxn and BIPOC-owned, Oakland-based production company that embraces the expansion of how underrepresented communities are depicted in media. California Arts Council has awarded A.K. the 2021 Emerging Artist Award. She is currently a fellow in DOC NYC/VC’s 2021-2022 Storytelling Incubator, a global mentorship initiative, and was selected as part of the inaugural cohort for Represent Media’s Re-Take Oakland 2019-2021 film fellowship for emerging BIPOC filmmakers. A.K. has earned degrees from Columbia University and U.C. Berkeley and is an active member of A-Doc, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, CineFemme, and Collective of Documentary Women Cinematographers.

“I am honored to be in the company of such talented creators and thrilled to be chosen as the winner. To have my work be elevated at such a crucial juncture in my career feels incredibly special. I look forward to learning from my mentor, Steve James, and maximizing this opportunity to share important and untold stories of amazing people who remind us that each of us has the power to create positive change in our communities. Much gratitude to everyone at SeriesFest for creating this wonderful initiative.”
A.K. Sandhu

Additionally, SeriesFest will award a $10,000 grant sponsored by Visible [mobile] to the Oakland Theater Project.

“We are thrilled to be able to partner with the talented A.K. Sandhu and our longtime partners at Oakland School for the Arts to empower Oakland youth and explore the true history of the Black Panther Party. This project will help our students grow as artists and emerging leaders and will allow them to better understand their own journey as agents of change.”
Oakland Theater Project

ABOUT SERIESFEST

SeriesFest, a non-profit organization, champions and empowers artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling by providing year-round opportunities for creators and industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and share stories, which inspire and impact global audiences. Each June, SeriesFest culminates in a highly-curated and celebrated Denver-based festival and marketplace. Dedicated to showcasing innovative episodic content, the annual festival includes in-competition independent pilot screenings, panels, workshops, live reads, parties, and network television premieres. SeriesFest: Season Nine will take place from May 5–10, 2023 in Denver. Submissions are now open for all competitions.

Congratulations A.K. and the Oakland Theater Project. To learn more about our Spotlight Your Town Initiative, visit our website, and check out our current programs open for submission here.

Breaking In: A SeriesFest Podcast

seriesfest · October 19, 2021 ·

Breaking In is a podcast designed to enlighten emerging voices as they get their foot in the door, and inspire those already there.

Our founders and hosts, Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith will be joined by guests at the forefront of episodic storytelling to give you the inside scoop on how they got there, their career highlights, and some wild stories along the way.

Inspiring, educating, and advising listeners on how to combat what feels like a closed-door system, “Breaking In” is an extension of SeriesFest’s mission to champion and empower artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling. Guests include working professionals in television such as executives, producers, agents, directors, writers, actors, and independent content creators who share their insider knowledge.

If you’re new to Breaking In, you might start with episode four, with James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti, stars of One Tree Hill, and writers, producers, and stars of Everyone Is Doing Great. Maybe you’ll want to sit down and learn from Emil Pinnock; Director, Producer, and Writer mastermind at Unleashing Giants Studios? There’s also the live episode with Kaily and producer of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Austin Winsberg, where Austin gives the audience key insights on pitching, show running, and how he broke into the industry.

We’re now in our second season, so there are plenty of episodes for you to catch up on. Subscribe, download, and listen here, and check out the latest episode below.

Level Forward Impact Award

seriesfest · September 21, 2021 ·

View all festival funds and awards

The Level Forward Impact Award will be given to the episodic pilot and team who demonstrate—on top of their commitment to creative excellence—a thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate approach to using storytelling as a means of leveling the playing field for Women, Black, Indigenous, Latin, Asian, disabled, LGBTQIA+, as well as geographically, socioeconomically, or otherwise diverse voices which have historically been overlooked, ignored, or exploited.

The selected winner will work with Level Forward, an Abigail Disney company, to develop their series, pitch, and work together towards setting it up with a distributor. The award also includes a $5000 cash prize, supported by RBC, a speaking opportunity with Level Forward at SeriesFest, which includes a screening and travel stipend for all finalists.

By rewarding intentional art and process, the Impact Award incentivizes dual value creation—financial and social—as contemporary measures of success.

Pilots applying for the Independent Pilot—Comedy, Independent Pilot—Drama, Unscripted Series, Digital Short Series, and Late Night competitions have the opportunity to opt-in to be considered for the Level Forward Impact Award.

HOW IT WORKS

The Level Forward Impact Award, supported by the Royal Bank of Canada, is given to one filmmaker during the SeriesFest event.

All submissions will be evaluated by Level Forward. There is no additional application—simply opt-in when you submit your project.

*Award availability varies year-to-year based on available funding. For questions, email us at info@seriesfest.com.

Submissions will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

What story is being told? Why is this story important now, in this moment? How is it being told?
Who is telling this story? Why are you the best person/people to tell it? Are you telling a story about something that has personally impacted you or someone close to you?
How were you able to tell this story? What kind of support system did you have or lack? What non-financial resources did you use?

Who is the audience for this story and what is your connection to that audience? How do you believe you can reach that audience? How do you hope your audience will be impacted by this story being in the world? How might others be impacted by it?
What actions would you like to see taken by audiences because of your story? What partnerships have you made, or would like to make, to advance those actions?
How did you identify and build your team? Who is on that team and how do they represent the subject matter, and/or the intended audience? Is there gender and racial balance that reflects equitable access to the opportunity of working on your project?
How were the people on your team compensated? How were they compensated relative to one another?
How would you like to see this story distributed? How would you like to see it priced?
If you could control the profit allocation of your work, how would you allocate it?
Where did your financing come from?

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Importantly, there are no right answers. Not every question will apply to you; these are guideposts and ambitions. We know it takes extra time and money to be as thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate as we would like. Our logic is that by naming and rewarding these criteria, you will be further inspired to shape a more equitable and impactful industry while encouraging others to do the same.

Previous Winners

SEASON 10

Breakthrough

Jared A. Johnston, JaMar Jones, LaTonya Joyce

Witness how pressures to succeed and identity crisis plague athletes when removed from the sport. Watch the story of former NFL player, D’joun Smith. Learn More.

SEASON 9

THE BIG IDEA: LAST MILE

Sarah Klein & Tom Mason

What does it truly take to invent something that changes the world? When cryogenics expert Kitty Liao discovers that half of the world’s vaccines get spoiled during their last mile of delivery, she decides to dedicate her life to creating a solution. Liao embarks on her own arduous journey as she attempts to get her life-saving invention into the hands of the people who need it most. Read more.

SEASON 8

JORDAN

Ebony Blanding

When a tween mermaid enthusiast discovers an ailing water creature, she uses a magical wish to change the fate of their existence… and her own.

SEASON 7

PARKED IN AMERICA

Kayla Yumi Lewis

Jamie Park, a Korean teenager, moves in with her relatives in the midwest after a family tragedy strikes back at home in Seoul. There, she meets her cousin Eli, and together they navigate high school while struggling with identity, guilt, and grief.

Thank you to our sponsors

Level Forward

Abigail Disney’s Level Forward is an ecosystem of storytellers, business people, and social change organizers focused on expanding the opportunity and influence of creative excellence in pursuit of economic transformation.

Royal Bank of Canada Emerging Artists

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a longstanding supporter of the arts and film around the globe. Through its RBC Emerging Artists Project, RBC has supported over 24,000 alumni since 2015. To date, more than $90 million has been donated through the RBC Foundation to benefit thousands of arts organizations around the world.

“Through the RBC Emerging Artists Project, we strive to support organizations that will provide the best opportunities for artists to accelerate their career trajectory,” said Mark Beckles, Vice-President, Social Impact and Innovation, RBC. “Our partnership with SeriesFest will help to provide the much-needed opportunities that underrepresented artists require to take their next step — as we believe all artists deserve equal and equitable opportunity to meet their full potential. We look forward to watching their careers unfold in the years ahead and hearing the stories informed by their diverse perspectives.”

Questions?

VIEW SUBMISSION FAQS

Email info@seriesfest.com