SERIESFEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE SEASON 4
INTERNATIONAL PILOT COMPETITION
Honors Awarded in Categories for ‘Digital Short Series,’
‘Independent Dramatic Pilot,’ ‘Independent Comedic Pilot’ and ‘Late Night’
International Television Festival in Partnership with Bustle Digital Group Reveals Recipients of the Inaugural ‘Best Emerging Female Creator’ Award
Denver, CO (June 27, 2018) – Today, SeriesFest, the award-winning international television festival and non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing the best and boldest emerging voices in television, revealed the winners of this year’s international pilot competition at a closing reception for the six-day festival in Denver, Colorado. Esteemed jurors screened 56 pilots from around the globe at the Sie FilmCenter, the year-round cinematic home of the Denver Film Society, and selected winners in various categories including “Independent Pilot Competition Audience Award” which was presented by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Two recipients were also awarded the inaugural award, “Best Emerging Female Creator” in partnership with Bustle Digital Group.
“The quality of content selected for this year’s International Pilot Competition was simply unmatched. We are encouraged by the diverse perspectives represented, and in awe of each and every creator who took part in our festival,” commented SeriesFest co-founders Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith-Westbrook.
As a trailblazer in independent development, the festival cultivates new voices and discovers original content. Close to a dozen independent projects that made their debut at SeriesFest have since landed on mainstream distribution platforms including Season Two Best Comedy Truth Slash Fiction, which was picked up by Lionsgate, Season Three Independent Pilot Selection Con Man, which was picked up by SyFy and Season Two winner of Best Writing in a Drama; Dr. Illegal was adapted into a new drama series by Gina Rodriguez and CBS; and the Season One Storytellers Initiative Winner has since landed a writing job with Jamie Foxx.
WINNERS - INDEPENDENT PILOT - DRAMA
Jury: Chris McDonald (Actor/Thelma & Louise, Happy Gilmore), Estelle (Grammy Award-winning musician) and Mark Rabinowitz (co-founder IndieWire)
Best Pilot: Halfway There
Creators: Nick Morton & Rick Rosenthal
Cast: Matthew Lillard, Blythe Danner, Esai Morales, Sarah Shahi
When recovering addict Jimmy Bishop finds his sober living facility teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, he is forced to take in his wealthy alcoholic mother as a client. Her arrival solves his immediate financial crisis but also unleashes every other problem he has struggled his whole life to contain. (USA, 36 mins).
Jury Statement: For addressing a global epidemic in an original, subtle and eminently relatable way, with a deft mix of drama and humor and with a well-rounded and human cast, the award for Best Dramatic Pilot goes to Halfway There.
Best Director: Niv Samban, Katharsis
Best Writer: Niv Samban, Katharsis
Best Actress: Shanice Williams, Manic
Best Actor: Nicholas Hope, Jade of Death
WINNERS - INDEPENDENT PILOT - COMEDY
Jury: Laura Fischer (CEO, Powderkeg), James Fauntleroy (Singer, Grammy Award-winning songwriter), and Tracy Shaffer (writer, actress)
Best Pilot: Greenport
Creators: Tony Spiridakis, Shannon Goldman
Cast: Rob Hancock, Dimitri Spiridakis
Set in Long Island, and featuring autistic actor Dimitri Spiridakis, Greenport is a heartfelt comedy about family, work-life balance, and one struggling filmmaker’s determination to show the world that an autistic kid can do anything. (USA, 27m).
Jury Statement: For its charm, complexity, and beautifully realized heart, the jury awards Greenport as Best Comedic Pilot.
Best Director: Gabriel Sunday, Dope State
Best Writer: James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti, Everyone Is Doing Great
Best Actress: Jenn Harris, New York is Dead
Best Actor: Gabriel Sunday, Dope State
Honorable Mention: Patrick Reilly, Danny the Manny
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER - INDEPENDENT PILOT (COMEDY, DRAMA, UNSCRIPTED)
Audience Award: Halfway There
Creators: Nick Morton & Rick Rosenthal
Cast: Matthew Lillard, Blythe Danner, Esai Morales, & Sarah Shahi
Jimmy Bishop is a former, investment banker who flamed out of his career in a blaze of crystal
meth and booze addiction. He now struggles to maintain the down-on-the-heels sober living facility he founded in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles. When it looks like the bank will foreclose on his property, Jimmy is forced to recruit the last client on earth he would ever want to treat— his mother, Jeanne Ross (Blythe Danner). An imperious matriarch, Jeanne is smart and funny and wise in her way, but she scorns her son’s career and can see nothing but wasted opportunity. What’s more, once she is ensconced in his sober living facility, she cannot stop herself from exercising her iron will over her son’s recovery and career. Desperate for her money and approval, Jimmy follows his mother’s advice, and the result is disastrous. As Jimmy struggles to balance his own recovery against the needs of his clientele, he must now also come face to face with the woman who he blames for his downfall.
WINNER - UNSCRIPTED (INDEPENDENT PILOT & DIGITAL SHORT SERIES)
Jury: Ajay Kishore (Founder of Stareable), David Person (Creative Executive in Original Programming, IFP), and Rebecca Agbe (VP, Programming & Acquisitions, Sony Crackle)
Best Digital Short Series & Independent Pilot/Unscripted: She’s The Ticket
Creator/Director: Nadia Hallgren
Five different women from around the country see Donald Trump get elected to the
presidency on November 8th, 2016 and decide to do something about it: Run for office.
Jury Statement: For it’s beautiful portrayal of what a New America can and should look like.
Honorable Mention Cinematography: Storybooked
Honorable Mention: Rainbow Ladies
WINNERS - DIGITAL SHORTS
Jury: Ajay Kishore (Founder of Stareable), David Person (Creative Executive in Original Programming, IFP), and Rebecca Agbe (VP, Programming & Acquisitions, Sony Crackle)
Best Digital Short/Scripted: Hug It Out
Creator/Writer: Kincaid Walker
Cast: Kincaid Walker, Parvesh Cheena, & Jeff Torres
The “snuggle is real” in Hug It Out, a digital comedy series following thirty-something Gwen, recently-divorced, broke AF and riddled with intimacy issues, who becomes an unlikely professional snuggler to make ends meet.
Jury Statement: For it’s warm comedy that wrapped around us and captivated us in every awkward cuddle.
Honorable Mention: First World Problems
Honorable Mention Best Actor: Punkie Johnson, Please Understand Me
Digital Short Series Audience Award: Please Understand Me
Creators/Writers: Ahamed Weinberg & Steven Feinartz
Cast: Punkie Johnson & Ahamed Weinberg
Purpose-fully mismatched comedians are placed into a counseling sessions with real therapists. The therapist tries to conduct a counseling session while the comedians describe the insanity of their pre-fabricated relationship right in front of their eyes.
WINNER - LATE NIGHT
Jury: Betsy Sodaro (Actor/comedian in Netflix's “Disjointed” and Funny or Die), Suki-Rose Simakis (Creative Executive, SpectreVision and Everything is Festival), and Chris Osborn (Creator of “D E E P”).
Best Series: The Passage
Creator: Philip Burgers
Cast: Philip Burgers, Chad Damiani, Krystel Roche, Juzo Yoshida
Phil, wide-eyed and mute, is on the run after escaping captivity. His childlike ineptitude keeps getting him into trouble, however, and agents who’ve been hired to recapture him are always one step behind. The result is a series of globe-trotting misadventures and surprising new friendships. (USA, 22 mins)
Jury Statement: Late Night, a can't-miss selection of strange, absurd, hilarious, and "what the hell?" offerings for an expectation-defying, not-safe-for-work viewing experience. What stood out about Kitao Sakurai's The Passage was the technical achievement of a post-verbal physical comedy, combined with the warmth and humanity it has while maintaining its edge.
WINNER - BUSTLE DIGITAL GROUP COMPETITION
Best Emerging Female Creator: Kincaid Walker, Hug It Out
Best Emerging Female Creator: Deja Harrell & C.J. Thomas, Seeds
WINNER - STORYTELLERS INITIATIVE
Best Script: Volunteer
Creator/Writer: Paige VanTassell
When the outspoken, independent, and slightly criminal Frankie Walker begins her mandatory
volunteer work at the local community center, she’ll find what she never expected – a family. To whom she’ll introduce the joyous benefits of lawbreaking.
WINNER - PITCH-A-THON
Jury: Gabriele Capolino (IFP), Tamir Muhammad (Time Warner), Rachel Osborne (High Noon), Evan Shapiro (Producer, eshapTV), Liz Kelly (Manager, Production & Development Labs - Film & TV, Global Inclusion at 21st Century Fox), Denise Hewett (Founder and CEO, Scriptd); Presented in partnership with 21st Century Fox Global Inclusion
Pitch-A-Thon Winner: Juciful
Creators: Will Carrington & Jake Goicoechea
When a group of outcast LGBTQ teens working summer jobs at a juice shop accidentally curse
their town, they must embark on a journey to undo the damage – and solve the mystery of the
magic’s origin – before it’s too late.
ABOUT PITCH-A-THON
SeriesFest and 21st Century Fox Global Inclusion are proud to present our second annual Pitch-A-Thon! As part of our Year of Impact, the Pitch-a-thon will focus on inclusion by highlighting creators with diverse backgrounds. Here’s how it works: Independent Content Creators will have the opportunity participate in an exclusive live pitch session with top television, new media and digital execs in hopes of moving their projects – and careers – forward. 10-14 projects will be grouped in threes according to genre (drama or comedy). Each Creator will have five minutes to pitch. An industry panel of experts seated on stage will then have 7 minutes to give their feedback to each group. The Best Pitch will be awarded a cash prize of $1,000!
ABOUT SERIESFEST
The award-winning international television festival SeriesFest (www.seriesfest.com) has become a must-attend destination event for entertainment industry leaders and fans alike since its launch in 2015. Season 4 of the Denver, Colorado-based festival took place June 22-27, 2018. A celebration of compelling and creative content, SeriesFest is a global marketplace and community for creators, industry professionals and audiences. At a time when television is expanding and evolving like never before, the festival provides an opportunity to showcase a diverse range of original programming. This year’s festival celebrated “The Year of Impact” with a musical performance and network premiere at the unique Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and six full days of in-competition screenings (categories include “Independent Pilot,” “Digital Short Series,” and “Late Night”), panels, workshops, as well as never-before-seen sneak peeks and television premieres.
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