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. Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos spoke to the importance of fine-tuning your pitch during his SeriesFest: Season 5 Innovation Talk:
“I love that you have pitch sessions here because that is the one thing they don’t teach you in film school, they don’t teach you in college and it turns out to be probably the most important function of creating a show and getting it on the air is this 30 to 60 minute meeting that you’ll have with a programmer that you will be able to passionately sell. And it’s a real sales job and you either close or you don’t in the room mostly.”
Ted Sarandos, Netflix CCO
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. Have questions? Check out our Submission FAQs or email us at info@seriesfest.com.
WORKSHOP
In the weeks leading up to SeriesFest, creators selected for the Pitch-A-Thon will participate in a two-part virtual workshop to hone their pitch skills. Creators will be paired with an industry mentor as well as participate in an exclusive in-person workshop at the festival led by Working Artists Group.
WINNERS & PRIZES
Official selections for the Pitch-A-Thon will also be eligible to be selected for a Writers Room with Unreal Media. One pitch will be selected to participate in a three-day workshop and month-long follow-up led by Unreal Media with the goal of producing pitch-ready scripted episodic content.
KEY DATES & FEES
NOV 17, 2022 | JAN 06, 2023 | Final Deadline FEB 15, 2023 | |
| Standard | $50 | ||
| FilmFreeway Gold Member | $45 | ||
| Student | $40 |
ENTRY MATERIALS
Pilot Script
Pitch Video
3-5 minute video submission of Creator(s) pitching their project
Series Format Deck
The Series Format Deck is a 2-15 page document that includes a logline, series regular recurring character descriptions, and a Season One story arch or future episode descriptions.
Series Format Deck should be uploaded to the application page under “Files & Attachments.”
Previous Winners
AMY JANES
HONKERS
In a small country town comedy, Twyla, our uber-manicured, totally spoiled suburban house-wife, struggles to maintain her flawless status while reviving her recently deceased husband’s dilapidated auto shop and building a family of woman-chanics that becomes the heartbeat of a community she once rejected.
HAROLD ABRAMS
GRAVE AFFAIRS
A disgraced funeral planner returns home to redeem her tarnished reputation and reclaim her dominance in the serious and sometimes funny death business.
Season 8 Jury
Jon Vandergriff
Writer, Producer
Lu Law
Founder, Dilettante Productions
Aaliyah Williams
Founder & Producer, Just A Rebel Productions
Sponsored by Dilettante Productions
Dilettante Productions has produced independent projects for film and television since 2008, including Love In The Time Of Cholera, starring Javier Bardem, and most recently Apartment 212. Projects in development include an episodic series about the groundbreaking science of Edwin Hubble, a reality show starting young Capitol Hill staffers and a world travelogue of musical genres. Dilettante’s features have all earned a theatrical release and continue to be available across all platforms.
Sponsored by Working Artists Group
Working Artist Group (or WAG), was created in 2014 by expert industry insider, Krista Gano, as an umbrella brand that encompasses all elements necessary for a professional career in the entertainment industry. Offering Business of Acting classes, coaching services, and specialized workshops, it is a one-stop shop for the needs of the working artist and a trusted seal among casting directors, producers, directors and agencies. Krista has spent a career working and advising within every aspect of the industry and has a keen understanding of how the business works.
Need more information? Questions?
