WeScreenplay TV Pilot Lab
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WeScreenplay
WeScreenplay TV Pilot Lab
2023
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2016
Winners will take part in an interactive 3 day virtual lab with hands-on workshops and mentorship meetings with industry professionals!
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About
WeScreenplay's TV Pilot Lab delivers a one-of-a-kind virtual writing lab hosted by top managers, agents, writers, and more. Winners take part in an interactive 4 day virtual lab with hands-on workshops, industry meetings, and will learn from working TV writers.
At least 4 winners will be selected to participate in this career-changing lab.
Free Feedback: All entrants will receive a page of written feedback on their script from their first round’s judge.
Past TV Pilot Lab winners and finalists have signed with representation at companies like Zero Gravity, Heroes and Villains, Echo Lake Entertainment, and have landed script deals with companies like Party Over Here, CBS Studios and more.
We want to find the best undiscovered TV writers out there, submit today!
Benefits
TV WRITING LAB
The top 4 winning scripts will be invited to WeScreenplay’s Virtual TV Writing Lab! This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to network, get exposure for your writing, and learn from working TV writers.
Winners will take meetings with development executives, TV writers, and learn how to make the most of a client/rep relationship from managers and agents. It’s an exciting schedule of events that will help you further your career — all from the comfort of your own home.
Additionally, our top scripts are read by our incredible industry jury and the winners get access to ongoing mentorship from WeScreenplay including an initial phone call, guidance for drafting query letters, research methods for finding the right representation, prep before big meetings, and strategic planning for next steps in their careers — all based on the writer’s specific goals.
JURY
JASON HAFFORD
Agent, Global Television, CAA
Jason Hafford is an Agent in the Television department at leading entertainment and sports agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Hafford is based in the Los Angeles office, where he represents writers, directors, showrunners, producers, and actors from around the globe, with a focus on India, the Middle, East, Africa, and the UK. In addition, Hafford works on identifying new business opportunities for the agency and its clients with an emphasis on the international marketplace. Hafford began his career at IMG. He joined CAA in 2012. Hafford graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Digital & Broadcast Journalism.
SYDNEY BLANKE
Literary Manager, Fourth Wall Management
Sydney Blanke is a Literary Manager at Fourth Wall Management. A Texas native, Blanke represents writers and directors and one very talented comedian – Robin Tran. Blanke’s focus has been on championing women and underrepresented artists in comedy, YA and genre. She has sold projects to Amazon, Amblin, Disney, Freeform, Hulu, Netflix and Universal; and has clients working on a variety of shows including Acapulco, Bad Crimes, BMF, Cruel Summer, The Equalizer, Halo, Heels, iCarly, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Single Drunk Female, Velma, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Warrior Nun, and The Wonder Years.
AE JONES
Literary Manager, Stagecoach Entertainment
AE Jones (they/them) is a television literary manager at Stagecoach Entertainment, where they keep the shifting television market in constant perspective for clients. Their experience spans representation, production, as well as business & creative development with companies such as Kaplan Stahler, Paradigm, NBCUniversal, Red Bull Media House, and Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, LLC. AE uses these experiences to advise their writing clients on how to develop creative and business opportunities to grow their careers in pragmatic, equitable, and inclusive ways. In addition to their work as a manager, Jones is a volunteer mentor for #StartWith8Hollywood and Boston University’s Career Advisory Network.
LUCY LUNA
TV Writer (ALL RISE, TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORY)
Lucy Luna is a Mexican writer living in Los Angeles. Lucy’s multi award-winning feature script, Sophie & Valentina, has led her to the beginning of her professional journey, having won the 2019 HBOAccess Writing Fellowship, the ScreenCraft Fellowship, and placing on the Young & Hungry List. She penned a horror feature script for Mexican producer Gerardo Gática, wrote on CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories, and is currently writing on CBS’ All Rise. Lucy continues to develop feature and television projects, focusing primarily on the horror, thriller, and drama genres.
REBECCA WINDSOR
VP, Current Programming & Head of WB TV Workshop
Rebecca Windsor is the Vice President of Current Programming and Head of the Warner Bros. Television Workshop, the premier writing and directing program for artists looking to launch their television careers. As an extension of her role developing new talent, Rebecca helped launch Warner Bros. digital brand Stage13, overseeing the critically acclaimed Snatchers, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW, and Special, which premiered on Netflix and garnered four Emmy nominations. Previously, she was the Creative Producing Initiative Manager of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, playing a key role in coordinating the Screenwriters and Directors Labs, Episodic Story Lab, and Creative Producing Lab and Summit. Prior to Sundance, Rebecca was Manager of Development at Samuel L. Jackson’s television company, UppiTV, and at Mandeville Films. She started her career as an assistant at the Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann Agency and ICM.
MIKE GRIFFIN
Manager/Producer, Make Good Content
Mike Griffin is a talent manager and producer at MAKE GOOD Content. Mike works in artist management and creative development where his specific focus is TV/film production in both animation and live action along with representing actors, comedians, and screenwriters. His clients include TV & film stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Byron Bowers, Justin Hires, and Calum Worthy as well as top tier, comedic writing talent such as the Emmy winning, SNL head writer Dennis McNicholas, Aunty Donna's Mark Samual Bonanno, and rising stars Sierra Katow and Sahana Srinivasan.
Mike works alongside Paul Young, the Emmy-winning producer of KEY AND PEELE, who founded and ran Principato-Young Entertainment for 17 years. MAKE GOOD also has turnkey production services compatibilities across many forms of entertainment including animation, live-action, documentaries, and podcasting. Paul and Mike have produced dozens of movies and television shows, including RENO 911 for Comedy Central, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE and KEANU for WB/New Line, WOMAN IN THE BOOK for Crypt TV & Facebook Watch, and the hit docuseries, THE COMEDY STORE for Showtime which chronicled the epic history of the World Famous Comedy Store on Sunset.
MAKE GOOD is partnered with Starburns Industries, the animation studio behind RICK AND MORTY and the Oscar-nominated ANOMALISA, and its affiliated podcast network, Starburns Audio.
NEIL THOMAS
Executive Director, TV Development, MRC Entertainment
Neil Thomas, is a TV Executive for MRC Studios. In his role, Thomas sources new content, including both intellectual property and original material. During his career he has helped develop shows including HBO's The Outsider, and Apple TV's The Terminal List, and The Shrink Next Door.
BRANDY RIVERS
Literary Manager, Industry Entertainment
Brandy Rivers is a literary manager at Industry Entertainment. Previously she was an agent with The Gersh Agency, selling books to film & television. Her clients have set up manager projects with companies like MRC, Universal, and have been attached a-list stars and directors like Matt Damon and George Clooney. She previously worked at Jerry Bruckheimer Television where she worked on over 400 hours of television.
Writer Success
Announcements
Nov 1st
Quarterfinalists
Nov 21st
Semifinalists
Jan 5th
Finalists
Feb 1st
Winners
Rules
At the program's request, Coverfly will automatically remove your title page for you if you include one when submitting to this program.
- Screenplays entered must:
- Be screenplays that are a minimum of 18 pages. (scripts under 18 pages will be accepted, read, and considered through the finalist round – but cannot win one of the top 4 prizes).
- Be submitted in PDF form and must fit all standard screenplay format guidelines. Personal formatting conventions will be accepted but must not intentionally or accidentally alter the page count of the project as determined by the judges.
- Be owned solely by the writer or writing team listed. It may be an adaptation or reimagining of true events or fictional stories. Spec scripts of existing shows are NOT accepted.
- Be written in English. However, scripts from anywhere in the world will be accepted.
- Be under 70 pages - Anything over 70 pages will be charged an extra $1 per page.
- NOTE: WeScreenplay automatically removes the cover page before assigning scripts to readers, so writers may include any typical information on their cover page. Scripts are accepted with or without cover pages.
- Writer must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the winner’s announcement.
- By entering this screenplay into the competition, you must have full permission from all co-writers and any attachments to the project.
- WeScreenplay claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remain with the original rights holder(s).
- Screenplays entered may be in any genre or combination of genres. All will be treated equally and read by an unbiased panel of readers and jury members.
- The following formats will be accepted: Original TV pilot screenplay
- Entrant’s total earnings for screenwriting for either film or tv, produced or unproduced, must not exceed $50,000 in the previous 18 months from submission or $250,000 lifetime earnings. This excludes any prize money from competitions or fellowships and only applies to funds or money transferred in exchange for an option or sale of a script, treatment, idea, intellectual property, or other writing for filming. Money earned from acting, directing, producing, or any other film work outside of writing is not included.
- Screenplays submitted must not have been previously sold or produced unless said sale or production was completed with no financial gain to the writer.
- Purchasing Additional feedback throughout the competition will in no way impact your standing or odds of advancement.
- For a submission to be valid it must be accompanied with the appropriate payment based on the submission deadlines.
- All deadlines are at 11:59pm PST on the date listed. Any deadline alteration or promotion of any kind does not make any entry valid for a refund of any kind.
- RESUBMISSIONS will be accepted. Alterations can be re-uploaded via our submissions management platform at coverfly.com for $6. New drafts of an entry will be accepted at any time during the contest.
- There are no refunds for any submitted screenplay. Coupons may not be applied to previously submitted scripts. Coupons deemed for WeScreenplay coverage may not be used for submission to the contest or addition of coverage to any submission unless explicitly stated or exempted on the coupon or by a WeScreenplay representative via e-mail communication only.
- There is no limit on the number of scripts a writer or writing team may submit.
- Prizes are awarded per script and teams of writers are expected to divide prizes on their own accord. WeScreenplay will send prizes to the writer who submits the project and will in no way be responsible for how the prizes are distributed among the writing teams.
- 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.
- Scorecards can be accessed on the writer’s dashboard. Feedback will be delivered before the next announcement but usually sooner. Feedback for each round of the competition, whether it’s the 1 Page or 3 Page option, will be returned before the next competition announcement.
- WeScreenplay reserves the right to delay announcements for any reason. While we never anticipate any delays, such delays will not alter the standing of any screenplay entry and will not qualify an entry for a refund under any circumstance.
- By entering a WeScreenplay competition every entrant is agreeing to all WeScreenplay Terms of Service listed on the website and additional terms agreed upon at checkout. If you disagree with any terms you may not submit to the contest.
- By submitting to the contest you are releasing your script (but not it’s underlying rights) to WeScreenplay and holding harmless WeScreenplay or any affiliates from any claims, expenses, and liabilities, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, copyright, libel, trademark infringement, slander, personal property infringement, etc.
- Any prize winners will be required to sign an affidavit validating their entry into the contest.
- Any writer winning a cash prize of over $599 will be required to file the appropriate tax and legal documentation before the cash prize is distributed.
- All prizes provided by sponsors or mentors are subject to said sponsor or mentor providing the prize. WeScreenplay will do everything in its power to collect the prize packages promised, but is not responsible for a sponsor’s failed delivery.
- Former Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize Winners of the contest may enter so long as it is NOT the same script that won in a previous year. Any other placement in former years does not disqualify the script from being entered this year.
- By entering the competition, entrants are acknowledging their eligibility for the competition. 99.9 % of entrants enter in good faith, and validating everyone at that stage would be inefficient and take away from efforts reading and finding the best scripts. We do check eligibility at the finalist stage before picking winners or distributing any prizes. We also advance a few additional scripts to ensure no one is missed by someone entering who is not eligible. We check all finalists and on a case by case basis in earlier rounds if something seems like it may not be eligible.
- Void where prohibited.
- Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to WeScreenplay and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of a entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
- BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless WeScreenplay, Red Ampersand, Inc., Industry Arts, LLC., WeScreenplay.com, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the WeScreenplay.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of WeScreenplay and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility.