The North Fork TV Festival has announced that submissions for the inaugural Pitch Forum and the sixth annual Independent TV Pilot Competition, are officially open as of Tuesday, April 27, via FilmFreeway. Submissions for both will remain open through Thursday, May 27.
This year’s inaugural Pitch Forum will enhance the festival’s support of independent creators in their project development process. This new two-day event will provide curated project and pitch guidance for five emerging creators working on a new television or digital series. Each participating creator will attend the forum with a series concept, treatment and completed pilot screenplay.
The first full day will be focused on learning and mentorship, including one-on-ones with mentors, Q&As with experts and pitching training while the second day will center on a live pitch to a curated audience and panel of industry experts. Here creators will present a five-minute pitch of their series for the panel’s feedback. Immediately following, a Pitch Forum winner will be selected and honored by those in attendance.
In partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Pitch Forum will select two projects dedicated to exploring compelling and realistic portrayals of science, math, and technology.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the North Fork TV Festival to support emerging television series creators who wish to develop original series that depict scientific themes or characters, part of Sloan’s nationwide program to support episodic television,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “We look forward to supporting innovative and timely projects that use science and technology for rich storytelling that captivates wide audiences.”
In partnership with The Gersh Agency, the Pitch Forum will additionally select one project that exemplifies strong character development and great storytelling.
“As someone who has been involved with the festival for the past five years, it has been truly special to see the strong support of independent television creators,” said festival Co-Chair and Gersh Agency Partner Roy Ashton. “For this year’s pitch forum, we are looking to find new talent with an exceptional project and are excited to see this year’s submissions.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased to be partnering again with the wonderful Gersh Agency and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in this effort, as Doron Weber and his team have been wonderful collaborators over the years with the Science + Tech Script Competition,” said festival Founder Noah Doyle.
The sixth annual Independent Pilot Competition will continue the festival’s tradition of celebrating independent storytelling, this year in the following categories: Best TV Pilot (Drama), Best TV Pilot (Comedy) and Best Web Series Pilot. Winners will be publicly announced and honored at this year’s festival taking place on Wednesday, August 4 through Friday, August 6, in Greenport. Public screenings are not currently planned.
“The North Fork TV Festival prides itself on showcasing and premiering rising TV pilots and this year we are excited to continue this tradition,” said festival Co-Chair and Head of Talent at NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Haleigh Raff. “The Independent Pilot Competition is the cornerstone of our event and each year, our audience is introduced to new, talented voices who are the future of content creation. We encourage you to be one of those voices and look forward to watching your pilots!”
Stars and showrunners in attendance in past festivals include Kelsey Grammer, Chris Noth, Constance Wu, Aasif Mandvi, Bridget Moynahan, Jeremy Sisto, Chris McDonald, Abigail Hawk, Julie Klausner, Cat Greenleaf, Aida Turturro, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, Sarah Treem, and Janine Sherman Barrois.