2017 NYTVF SCRIPTS AWARDS
2017 Best Comedy Script (tie):
Blurs
Written by Jonterri Gadson (Bloomfield, NJ)
Maternal Instinct
Written by Elizabeth Stamp (Brooklyn, NY)
2017 Best Drama Script:
Fragile State
Written by Andrea "AJ" Janakas (Los Angeles, CA)
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Comedy
Area 51
Written by Josh Smooha - Los Angeles, CA
A secret force of government agents assigned to investigate alien happenings adjust to their new and overly emotional teammate: a super A.I. in a hunky new human body.
Blurs
Written by Jonterri Gadson - Bloomfield, NJ
A women's studies professor and her free-spirited, dysfunctional black family face the challenges of living in the type of town where all 80s/90s films with no black people could take place.
Cop Show
Written by David Pasquesi and Tracy Letts - Chicago, IL
A half-hour, single-camera, off-beat comedy…that looks suspiciously like a cop drama.
Crime Boys
Written by Bill DiPiero and Zach Goldbaum - New York, NY
Three hapless, small time crooks dream of being notorious criminals, but first, they’ll need to prove to the world that they’re capable of pulling off even the simplest of crimes.
Doobie Jones: Latchkey Kid
Written by Chris Hauser - Chicago, IL
13-year-old Doobie lives with his mom, but as she's always working, he is locked out of his home each day after school. Doobie must forage for food and friendship in a neighborhood filled with agenda-laden characters from all walks of life.
Everything's Fine
Written by Hannah Klein - Brooklyn, NY
Gemma learns that she's bipolar during her senior year of college and annoyingly, it doesn't manifest itself in the cute, "manic pixie dream girl" way that it's supposed to...but whatever, it's fine.
The Hack
Written by Daniel Furlong and Zach Posner - Los Angeles, CA
A quarter of the US population has just had every text, email and picture hacked and leaked online. How does a newly-married couple keep life normal when the wife's been hacked and the husband hasn't?
Judge Jury & The Executioners
Written by Burke Scurfield and Adam Lederer - Toronto, Ontario, CA
When the ultra violent “hero” Judge Jury attempts to stop an armed robbery, his ass-backwards attempts to impress his socially conscious teenage daughter end up pushing her into the arms of his enemy.
Maternal Instinct
Written by Elizabeth Stamp - Brooklyn, NY
A serial killer turned suburban stay-at-home mom balances “family first” and “murder in the first” in this dark comedy.
One Small Step
Written by Joe Rumrill and Lucas Gardner - New York, NY
A well-meaning idiot gets fired from his low-level NASA job and starts his own ramshackle space administration across the street, hoping to beat them to Mars as revenge.
Side Chick
Written by Matt McConkey - Los Angeles, CA
When an ex-stripper is outed as the "side chick" to a famous married couple, she finds herself at the center of a media firestorm. A comedy about slut-shaming, cyber-bullying, and the rise of an unlikely feminist hero.
Sliding Dorks
Written by Stephanie Bencin - New York, NY
After a drunken mishap, best friends Meg and Jackie have to jump from parallel universe to parallel universe as they attempt to get home, meeting different versions of themselves along the way.
sMOTHER
Written by Jamie Dennig - Los Angeles, CA
MJ Walsh is a mother who is entirely too involved in her adult-children's lives. While she has a handle on her kids' physical whereabouts, she fails to notice the intimate secrets they are keeping from her.
Drama
American Bastards
Written by Patrick Whistler - Toronto, Ontario, CA
This fast-paced anthology series tells the true story of the Lincoln County War, a bloody opera of power and politics that left dozens dead and created the most enduring icon of the American West...Billy the Kid.
Fragile State
Written by Andrea Janakas - Los Angeles, CA
When a border patrol agent is recruited to work as a spy to help overthrow a country, he doesn’t realize that the country he enters is a parallel America on the verge of collapse.
Left Back
Written by Tijuana Ricks - Brooklyn, NY
When a failing, predominantly African-American elementary school in Brooklyn loses its principal, a younger, white man steps in as her replacement. Regarded as the epitome of gentrification, he has just two years to turn the school around before it’s permanently closed.
The Masters of Business
Written by Homa Mojtabai - Boston, MA / Los Angeles, CA
A young woman from a humble background is unprepared for the rigor and cutthroat nature of the Wharton MBA program and must learn to adapt to the rules of this uncertain new world.
Sea Change
Written by Anya Meksin and William Gerrard - New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA
Story by Anya Meksin, William Gerrard, Rammy Park, and Rogin Kim
Set in an immediate future, this grounded sci-fi series dramatizes humanity’s imminent encounter with catastrophic climate change. All must rise to the challenge of forging a new civilization or be swept away by the sea.
Swimming Uptown
Written by Cheryl L. Davis - New York, NY
An educated and affluent African-American woman must take in her ghetto-raised niece when her sister is put in jail.
Thorns
Written by Todd VanDerWerff and Libby Hill - Los Angeles, CA
A fundamentalist Christian teenager wrestles with her racial and sexual identities in 1990s South Dakota.
NOTABLE WRITERS
A small selection of writers (21 writers representing 15 projects) have been designated as NYTVF Scripts Notable Writers. These writers will be invited to attend the 2017 Festival and are eligible to participate in Festival Development Chats, Networking Happy Hours, and the 2017 Writers’ Workshop.
(From Left to Right) Shaan Baig ∙ Damon Colquhoun ∙ Danielle Evenson & Heather Huntington ∙ Becky Feldman ∙ Jeruvia & Daria Hardeman ∙ Peter S. Kim & Eric Lewis-Baker ∙ Adrienne Kisson ∙ Sophia Matano ∙ Will Miles & Giulia Rozzi ∙ Adam Rodin ∙ Michael Rodrick ∙ Alyssa Ross ∙ Jana Schmieding ∙ Zackery Alexzander Stephens & Paula Skaggs ∙ Erica Tachoir & Corinne Caputo
Congratulations to all Official Selections and Notable Writers!
Over the last decade, the NYTVF has distinguished itself as an industry leader in the cultivation and fostering of independent artists across episodic storytelling platforms while engaging a wide swath of decision-makers, buyers, agents, and managers as a trusted curator of new voices. With NYTVF SCRIPTS, that opportunity is extended to emerging writers by offering a Festival experience designed to provide maximum exposure, access, and opportunity.
In its second year, NYTVF Scripts is accepting original, half-hour comedy series as well as hour-long drama series scripts for consideration by broadcast, cable, and digital platform buyers. A select number of both drama and comedy scripts will be chosen as Official Selections and the writers will be invited to participate in the Festival as Official Artists. To enter, writers must submit a series pilot script (length requirements below), an original series overview (up to 4 pages), and a current C.V.
Want to get your script in front of decision-makers across the television and digital landscape, culminating in a week-long Festival that provides a crash course in the TV Industry? Submit to NYTVF Scripts and join the indie television movement.
The 2017 NYTVF Scripts competition is now closed for submissions. Thank you to everyone who entered.
Submission Info
Use the links below to explore the various aspects of submitting to the NYTVF Scripts.
For more details, check out the Submissions F.A.Q. here and download the Official Rules here.
AWARDS, BENEFITS, AND WRITERS WORKSHOP
The writers/writing teams of NYTVF Scripts Official Selections will receive designation as Official Artists and be invited to the New York Television Festival, held in NYC in October 2017. This includes an invitation to participate in the 2017 NYTVF Writers Workshop, a day-long series of panels and workshops specifically tailored to TV writers, taking place during the 2017 New York Television Festival.
All scripts designated as Official Selections will be available for pre-Festival review via NYTVF Connect by participating industry representatives, development partners, and jury members. In 2016, over 75 companies took part in NYTVF Connect, yielding over 500 meetings with Festival artists.
2016 Industry Participants, Development Partners, and Jury Members included executives from the following companies:
- 3Arts
- Abominable Pictures
- Amazon Studios
- AMC
- Anonymous Content
- Bays/Thomas
- Bento Box
- Big Beach
- Broadway Video
- CAA
- Comedy Central
- Denver & Delilah
- DiGa
- FOX
- Funny or Die
- Fusion
- Gersh
- HBO
- ICM
- IFC
- IFP
- JAX Media
- Just for Laughs: Comedy Pro
- Left/Right
- Mad Rabbit
- Red Arrow
- Lifetime
- Lionsgate Television
- Mosaic
- MTV
- OneX/Interactive One
- Participant Media
- Pop
- Rothman Brecher Agency
- Seeso
- Sony Pictures Television
- Starz
- STX Entertainment
- SundanceTV
- Super Deluxe
- Time Warner
- TNT
- truTV
- WeTV
- WME
One comedy and one drama script will be recognized as the 2017 NYTVF Scripts Best of the Fest during the Awards presentation of the 2017 New York Television Festival on October 28, 2017.
NYTVF SCRIPTS NOTABLE WRITERS
In addition to the Official Selections, a small selection of writers will be designated as NYTVF Scripts Notable Writers. While their scripts will not receive designation as Official Selections, they will be invited to attend the 2017 Festival, and they will be eligible to participate in Festival Development Chats, Networking Happy Hours, and the 2017 Writers Workshop free of charge. Notable Writers will NOT be eligible to participate in NYTVF Pitch or Executive Access.
IMPORTANT DATES
- 12:00pm (noon) EST on April 11, 2017…………….Submission Period Begins
- 11:59am (noon) EST on May 16, 2017…………….Submission Period Ends
FEES
- $50 per entry
- All fees are in U.S. dollars. Fees are submitted online.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Comedy Scripts (Half Hour):
- Pilot Episode Script (20 - 40 Pages for single-cam OR 40 - 60 pages for multi-cam, PDF)
- Series Overview (Up to 4 Pages, PDF)
- Writer C.V. (PDF)
Drama Scripts (Hour):
- Pilot Episode Script (40 - 60 Pages, PDF)
- Series Overview (Up to 4 Pages, PDF)
- Writer C.V. (PDF)
REQUIRED LENGTH AND FORMAT
- All scripts must be uploaded to the NYTVF website as a PDF document.
- Single-Cam Comedy scripts must be 20 to 40 (letter-sized) pages. Multi-Cam Comedy scripts must be 40 to 60 (letter-sized) pages. Drama scripts must be 40 to 60 (letter-sized) pages. Title Page not included in length requirements.
- Scripts can be written for broadcast, cable, premium cable, and/or digital platforms.
- Proper formatting of scripts is advised, including proper indenting of character names and dialogue. All elements may be single or double-spaced, provided that the script falls within the length guidelines. There are many acceptable ways to format script entries, and many online resources offer templates and helpful tips on how to format a script correctly. For a rough sample script template, click here.
ELIGIBILITY
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
- International entrants are eligible.
- Entries must be submitted in English.
- A maximum team of two (2) co-writers are permitted per entry.
- The same script may not be submitted by multiple entrants.
- Entries must be:
- Completely the original work of the entrant(s).
- Not created or funded by broadcast networks, cable networks, or major production studios.
- Not copied from any other source, previously broadcast, or otherwise distributed or disseminated on television.
- Not in the public domain.
- Not in violation of or conflict with the trademark, copyright, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, or any other rights, of any kind or nature, of any other person or entity.
- All files must be uploaded as PDF documents.
- Submissions must be uploaded on this page by 11:59am (noon) EST on May 16, 2017.
NYTVF SCRIPTS ACCEPTANCE GUIDELINES
The NYTVF Scripts competition accepts entries beginning on April 11, 2017 and ending May 16, 2017 or until 2,000 comedy scripts and 1,500 drama scripts are submitted, whichever comes first. Writers are permitted to submit multiple entries to the competition. All entries must be received by the NYTVF no later than 11:59am (noon) EST on May 16, 2017. Final notification for all Official Selections to the NYTVF Scripts Competition will be made around mid-August 2017.
Have questions? Check out the submissions F.A.Q. page or email us at scripts@NYTVF.com. GOOD LUCK!
