ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition
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About
Our TV Competition has a history of getting writers signed, staffed, and sold. It’s one of our most successful competitions, period. Winners of this year’s competition receive cash prizes, exclusive workshops, and introductions to industry professionals.
We’re looking for pilots that push genre boundaries like Stranger Things, inspire change like Abbott Elementary and Grey’s Anatomy, transport us to other worlds like The Last of Us and Dark Matter, and entertain like The Bear, Girls5Eva and Beef.
All finalists are guaranteed a meeting with an industry professional and will be invited to an exclusive workshop on how you can best position yourself and your writing in Hollywood. Plus a Q&A session with Emmy-nominated writer and showrunner Kirk Ward (THE CONTINENTAL). This is your opportunity to get your script in front of the people who matter.
Benefits
THE PRIZES
Grand Prize Winner
The overall grand prize winner will be welcomed to the Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions with one or more top Hollywood literary manager(s), producers, or industry professionals who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.
ScreenCraft's TV-specific relationships include companies like Netflix, HBO Max, AMC, and over 150 other Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.
ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.
They'll receive:
- • Personal Introduction to top industry professionals
- • Accepted into the Writer Development Program
- • $1,000 cash award
- • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Category Winners (2)
Half-Hour & Hour Long
- • $500 cash award
- • Accepted into the Writer Development Program
- • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry
Finalists
- • Invitation to an exclusive virtual Q&A with VIP Grand Prize Mentor Kirk Ward.
- • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist only workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry.
VIP Grand Prize Mentor
Kirk Ward
Showrunner
Kirk Ward is an Emmy Nominated writer who most recently served as creator, executive producer, and showrunner for the John Wick TV show spin-off, "The Continental," for Peacock. His past projects include showrunning the breakout hit "WAYNE" for YouTube Premium, writing "First, Last and Security" for Disney, for Jack Black. Following that success, he embarked on another Disney venture titled "Park It Here.” Additionally, he crafted "The Last Ninja" for Cartoon Network and "Skyward" for Amazon.
Judges
Kyle Castellanet
Director of Development
Echo Lake Entertainment
After receiving his BFA in Film Production from Chapman University, Kyle started his career at Paradigm Talent Agency. Kyle joined Echo Lake in 2016 and has worked in both the talent and production departments. As the Director of Development and Production, Kyle manages the company's development and production efforts in both film and television. He also works directly with clients including Forbes Magazine and Spycraft Entertainment to help develop and produce projects. In 2022, Kyle was honored on Coverfly’s Industry Next List for his work to support emerging filmmakers.
Dan Kavanagh
Manager of TV Development
Vertigo Entertainment
Dan Kavanagh joined Vertigo Entertainment in 2019. Since then, he’s worked to identify projects that have sold to Charter, Sony and Village Roadshow among others, while contributing to the development of shows at every major streamer, including Warhammer at Amazon. Previously, he served as Development & Production Coordinator at AMC Networks’ Shudder and Sundance Now, where he helped launch their reboot of Stephen King and George Romero’s Creepshow, which is now in its fourth season.
Lameese Hassen
Junior Manager
Marathon Management
Born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Lameese came out to Los Angeles five years ago to pursue the entertainment industry. She began as an assistant to Jai Khanna, a former manager at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, under their finance-production company, Oakhurst Entertainment. Lameese is currently a Junior Manager and Executive Assistant to Robert Lazar at Marathon Management.
MJ Grogan
Director of Development
ACE Content
MJ is the Director of Development at Ace Content. ACE Content develops and produces premium original content for studios, distributors, media networks and brands including feature film, episodic television, such as THE WAY I SEE IT.
Sean Dubravac
Talent and Literary Manager
Entertainment Lab
Sean Dubravac is a Talent and Literary Manager and the Co-founder of Entertainment Lab. Entertainment Lab is a bicoastal Talent & Literary Management company, with locations in Beverly Hills, CA and Manhattan, NY. The company guides and develops careers of established actors, writers and directors in film, TV, theater, commercial, print and voice over work. The roster has included Academy Award, Emmy Award, WGA Award, SAG Awards, BAFTA, GLAAD, AFI, Sundance, SXSW, Kids’ Choice Award and other festival and award contenders, nominees and winners. Additionally, the company’s literary department collaborates with studios, networks, streamers and independent production companies on the packaging and development of film and TV projects.
Guaranteed Development Partner
Megan Yeargin
Producer
Megan Yeargin is an experienced creative producer, who most recently led development for showrunner Brad Falchuk's overall deal at Netflix, encompassing a wide range of genres and formats in film, scripted TV and, unscripted TV. Most recently she co-produced the upcoming Netflix series, THE BROTHERS SUN, starring Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh. Early in her career, Megan developed a strong foundation in film and tv production while working with prolific director, Shawn Levy, and producers Ben Karlin and Teddy Schwarzman, among others in Atlanta, GA. After moving to Los Angeles, she crafted a refined feature film sensibility under the guidance of leading executive Cassidy Lange during her tenure at MGM Studios. While there, she helped develop 7 projects ranging from $5-$100 million end to end, from development through distribution, enjoying work on a vast slate of material.
Writer Success
Announcements
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
Rules & Info:
Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.
Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
Entries may be any length -- the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages. Any script submission longer than 70 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 70 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.
There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s).
If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).
Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.
ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.
In the event a juror, partner organization, or prize partner is no longer able to serve in their specified capacity, ScreenCraft will make its best effort to secure a replacement. ScreenCraft is not responsible for the failed delivery of any prize package by a juror, sponsor, or partner organization.
ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
For a full list of rules and eligibility please visit ScreenCraft