Moonshot Pilot Accelerator
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About
In this highly competitive virtual accelerator program for TV writers, 6-8 fellows will receive three weeks of industry training before having the opportunity to pitch to major companies. Participating companies include HBO, Netflix, Starz, Amazon Studios/Prime Video, Berlanti, Broadway Video, Fifth Season, Element Pictures, Gersh, Irish Cowboy, Level Forward, BFD, Fusion Studios, Freevee, and more. (Check back on this page for more participating companies, to be announced.) The entire accelerator, including training and pitching, will occur online.
The goal of this program is to launch the careers of our fellows, which could take the form of selling their TV pilot; securing follow-up meetings with executives; getting hired as a freelance writer, staff writer or writing support staff on an existing series; and/or making valuable industry contacts. This program aims to increase the representation of women and non-binary people on screen and in writers' rooms.
To date, we've held two pilot accelerators, one in 2021 and the other in 2023, under the name "WWFC's Pilot Accelerator." Each of our fellows received 6 to 10 one-on-one meetings, and 85% of those meetings ended with a request to read the script. Since the accelerators, several of our fellows have gotten staffed; received representation; become mentees to showrunners; gotten work as writers' room support staff; won contests with their pitches prepped in our program; and more.
Semi-finalists' scripts will be read by a panel of prestigious judges — showrunners, TV series creators and co-EPs of major shows. In the past, multiple judges have requested meetings with a semi-finalist after reading their script.
Moonshot Pilot Accelerator is created by Moonshot Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works toward gender equity in film and television. Moonshot Initiative is formerly known as Women's Weekend Film Challenge.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applicants will submit their full script of their narrative, live-action pilots (half-hour or hour-long format) and answer a few brief questions. Moonshot will review all applications before selecting the quarter-finalists. Quarter-finalists will be notified at the beginning of May and will need to submit a 2-minute video to be eligible for further consideration. Instructions for the 2-minute video will be provided to all quarter-finalists upon notification.
Semi-finalists will be selected in mid-May. Their scripts will be read by our industry judges (including showrunners, TV series creators and co-EPs), and they'll be invited to an exclusive virtual networking event.
Of those semi-finalists, about half will move on to the finalist stage, in which they will be interviewed by Moonshot Initiative.
Of those finalists, we will select 6-8 fellows to attend a three-week virtual program meeting on June 18, 20, 25, 26, 27 and July 9, 10, 11. These sessions will cover pitch feedback with “Self Made” co-showrunner Elle Johnson and Fabel Entertainment development executive Jasmine Russ; speech coaching; legal information from an entertainment lawyer; a mock writers room; and other sessions to help strengthen the pilot and pitch.
During Pitch Week (July 15-19), fellows will pitch their pilots to executives and producers at major companies including HBO, Netflix, Starz, Amazon Studios/Prime Video, Berlanti, Broadway Video, Fifth Season, Element Pictures, Gersh, Irish Cowboy, Level Forward, BFD, Fusion Studios, Freevee, and more to be announced. Past participating companies have also included Showtime, Hulu, Warner Bros., Anonymous Content, Sid Gentle, Fabel Entertainment, Yes, Norman, Good Fear Content, Sutton Street Productions, Blumhouse Television, and Comedy Central.
This program would not be possible without the support of Western Digital, SanDisk, Final Draft, and Coverfly.
Benefits
The 6-8 chosen fellows will attend a free, three-week intensive training program on pitching and polishing their pilots. The fellows will then have the opportunity to pitch to major studios, production companies and producers.
DATES:
- Our three-week virtual program for fellows meets on June 18, 20, 25, 26, 27 and July 9, 10, 11
- Our Pitch Week is scheduled for July 15-19
All semi-finalists will have their work read by industry insiders — TV show creators, showrunners, EPs, and writers. Plus, they will receive access to a library of select virtual workshops from the Moonshot Initiative (formerly Women's Weekend Film Challenge) virtual workshop series, and they'll be invited to a virtual networking event for semi-finalists.
All fellows will receive the newest version of Final Draft.
Judges
Tracey Deer
Showrunner
Tracey Deer is a Mohawk filmmaker whose two decades of experience includes co-creating, directing, and co-showrunning five seasons of groundbreaking series Mohawk Girls. After co-executive producing on Netflix/CBC series Anne with an E, she filmed her semi-autobiographical debut feature, Beans, which premiered at TIFF 2020 to critical acclaim. A sought-after TV director, Tracey has directed on NBC’s Rutherford Falls, Amazon’s Three Pines, and Starz hit Outlander. She is currently set to direct Thorpe, a biopic of famed Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe.
Felischa Marye
Showrunner
Felischa Marye is a writer, producer, director and showrunner. A graduate of the MFA screenwriting program at UCLA, Felischa transitioned into the film industry after a successful career in public relations in Chicago, where she was born and raised. While still in film school, she sold her first comedy pilot script to HBO. After writing on two seasons of the Netflix hit drama series "13 Reasons Why," Felischa created the cult-favorite comedy series, "Bigger" for BET+, produced by Will Packer. Felischa has been in a deal with BET Studios.
Pam Davis
writer/producer
Pam Davis is an award-winning television writer/producer. She’s sold several pilots and written and produced on a number of critically acclaimed series (HOUSE, ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, SECRETS & LIES, EXTANT, etc.). She believes strongly in uplifting the community and has been a Sundance Lab Advisor, and a mentor for the WGA, The Writers Guild Foundation and the Canadian Film Centre. Currently, she’s in development with John Wells Productions and WB.
Anita Kapila
Executive Producer
Anita Kapila is one of Canada’s most experienced comedy writer/producers, with over 100 episodes of produced prime-time comedy under her belt. Anita has served as Executive Producer on a variety of popular sitcoms, including four seasons of CTV’s Children Ruin Everything, and two seasons of CBC’s Strays. She served as Co-Executive Producer on a number of CBC’s award winning series, including Kim’s Convenience, Son of a Critch and Mr. D. Winner of a Canadian Screen Award and a Writer’s Guild Award, Anita is passionate about writing character driven comedy, with a particular focus on female and BIPOC characters.
Shernold Edwards
Co-Executive Producer
SHERNOLD EDWARDS has written for a number of streaming, cable and network series including Sleepy Hollow, Anne with an E and Washington Black. She received an NAACP Image Award for her adaptation of the acclaimed novel A Day Late and A Dollar Short by Terry McMillan. Currently, she’s in development with AMC and is a Co-Ep on Station 19. Previously, Shernold was an exec at CTV Network (Canada) where she shepherded award-winning TV movies and series like Degrassi: TNG. She attended the Canadian Film Centre and has a Screenwriting MFA from Columbia University.
Nikita T. Hamilton
Writer
Nikita T. Hamilton came to Los Angeles to earn her PhD and discovered that she didn’t want to teach about television and film, she wanted to make them. Nikita worked as a Writers' Assistant for FX Networks and Marvel and as a Showrunner's Assistant for ABC Studios while completing her doctoral dissertation. In 2019, she staffed on Freeform’s The Bold Type and has since written on ABC’s A Million Little Things and worked on projects for HBO Max and Amazon.
Taylor Orci
Writer
Rachelle Williams-BenAry
writer/showrunner/executive producer
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Rachelle Williams-BenAry graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Film and Television. Rachelle first staffed on season 3 of the Starz comedy series Survivor's Remorse and continued on as a story editor for the show's fourth and final season. She (along with co-writer Lauren Houseman) won the 2017 Women's Image Network Award for Best Writing for her season 3 episode of Survivor's Remorse. Rachelle served as showrunner/executive producer for the 2nd season of the Starz's comedy Run The World and as co-showrunner/executive producer for season 2 of the critically acclaimed HBOmax original series Love Life. The latter of which, she was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for her writing."
Georgia Lee
WRITER / PRODUCER / DIRECTOR
Georgia Lee is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. She created Netflix’s “Partner Track”. Georgia is currently on Amazon’s upcoming “God of War”. Previously Georgia wrote on Amazon’s “The Expanse” as well as the CW’s “The 100”. Georgia’s first short film caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, and she became his on-set apprentice on “Gangs of New York”. Georgia then wrote and directed her first feature “Red Doors” which won numerous awards on the festival circuit including the Tribeca Film Festival Georgia holds a BA in Biochemistry from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is obsessed with figure skating."
Alessia S. Costantini
Writer/Producer
An experienced TV writer/producer known for her character-driven storytelling, Alessia just completed two seasons as Co-EP on Paramount+'s THE GAME. Previously, she was Number 2 on CBS' MACGYVER and critically-acclaimed Netflix dramedy GENTEFIED. After launching her career on SCRUBS, Alessia went on to serve as Co-EP/Head Writer on CMT’s STILL THE KING and Netflix's CLUB DE CUERVOS, nominated for an international Emmy. Alessia's background as an industrial engineer has allowed her to create a unique methodology for story breaking and develop pilots with multiple outlets. Alessia is an alum of Fox's extremely competitive Writers Lab, won a spot on the Young & Hungry List, and is a graduate of the WGA Showrunner Training Program.
Marissa Jo Cerar
Creator
Marissa Jo Cerar is an NAACP Image Award and Humanitas Prize winning Showrunner who has spent her career exploring the intersectionality of the human experience through female-forward stories, such as her ABC series WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT and her Hulu series BLACK CAKE. Her WOTM script won the NAACP Image Award, the Humanitas Prize, and the series received honors from the African American Film Critics Association and The Gracie Awards. BLACK CAKE was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, two NAACP Image Awards and was honored as “The Best in TV” by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE).
Announcements
Rules
You must be 18 or older to apply to Moonshot Pilot Accelerator (“Program”). You must have a completed pilot for a live-action, scripted series (“Screenplay”). No documentaries, animations, web series, or films will be accepted. All Screenplays must be in the English language. All material must be original and submitted by the owner. If your project is an adaptation, you must specify in the application whether or not you have the rights.
You must be available for all Program dates to participate in the Program if accepted into the Program as a fellow (“Fellow”). If you are unavailable for one or more Program dates, you will no longer be eligible for the Program. If you are part of a writing team, both partners must be available for the Program if accepted. We will not accept writing teams of more than two people.
All Screenplay loglines will be sent to each studio, production company and producer who is signed on to the Program to hear pitches (each, a “Judge”). Each individual who has agreed to hear pitches will choose a minimum of three pitches to hear. Fellows will not meet with every studio, production company and producer.
These rules are subject to change at any time. If there are any material changes, you will be notified through email.
SUBMISSION RELEASE WAIVER
I, the applicant submitting to Moonshot Pilot Accelerator (“Recipient”) on behalf of myself, agree as follows:
Recipient agrees to indemnify, defend, protect and hold harmless Moonshot Initiative INC its parent and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, representatives and employees (collectively, “MI”), from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, costs, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and punitive damages) arising out of or in connection with Recipient’s participation in the Program, any breach or alleged breach of the warranties and promises given by Recipient herein, and any screenplays, films, plots, characters, or ideas submitted during the Program or any screenplay, film, or material developed out of those screenplays, films, plots, characters, or ideas.
Recipient acknowledges that as part of the Program and other programs MI holds, MI receives many submissions of creative materials from third parties and that it is continually developing in-house ideas, stories, and creative materials; and that many such submissions and/or developments may be similar or identical to the Screenplay and/or any material provided, evaluated and/or presented for the Program. Recipient understands and agrees that MI’s use of materials or properties containing similar or identical elements to Recipient’s film, Screenplay and/or any other materials presented for the Program, and evaluated by any of the Judges and/or MI (collectively, the “Material”) shall not obligate the Judges and/or MI to Recipient in any manner whatsoever. Recipient agrees that, to the extent that ideas and concepts presented in Recipient’s Screenplay include material that is in the public domain or owned by a third party, Judges and MI will have the same rights in such material as any member of the general public. Recipient further understands that the Judges and MI would refuse to evaluate Recipient’s Material in the absence of Recipient’s acceptance of each and all of the provisions of this Release. Recipient acknowledges that no fiduciary or confidential relationship now exists between MI or Judges, on the one hand, and Recipient, on the other hand, and Recipient further acknowledges that no such relationships are established between MI or Judges, on the one hand, and Recipient, on the other hand, by reason of this Release.
Recipient agrees that Recipient will not assert against any Judges and/or MI any claim based on plagiarism, infringement, confidential relationship, implied contract, unfair competition or for any other reason whatsoever arising out of any alleged use by a Judge and/or MI of the Material. If, notwithstanding anything stated herein, Recipient should hereafter claim that a Judge and/or MI has used Recipient’s proprietary Material, or any portion thereof, without Recipient’s consent or authorization, Recipient specifically agrees and understands that Recipient will not sufferor make any claim for damages in excess of One Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$1,000), if any, and that such damages, if any, shall be Recipient’s sole and exclusive remedy and shall be payable only in the event of a court of competent jurisdiction’s finding that a Judge and/or MI has wrongfully appropriated such proprietary Material from Recipient. Accordingly, Recipient irrevocably waives its right to seek and/or obtain rescission and/or equitable and/or injunctive relief in connection with any such claim(s). Recipient understands and agrees that Judges and/or MI are not responsible for any loss or damage to the Material.
If any provision of this Release is deemed to be invalid, it shall be considered deleted herefrom and shall not invalidate the remaining provisions. To the extent the terms of this Release conflict with the Recipient’s grant of rights to Program, the terms and conditions of this Release govern with respect to the matters set forth herein between the parties hereto.
