Submission Info - DEADLINE HAS PASSED
The New York Television Festival provides unprecedented access for emerging television artists looking to showcase new and innovative ideas for television programming. Click here to download the official rules for the 2012 IPC and an official submission form or Click to submit, Withoutabox beginning in February.
Use the links below to explore the various aspects of submitting to the IPC.
For more details, check out the Submissions F.A.Q. here or Ask the NYTVF.
Need music for your submission?
NYTVF partner Audio Network is offering FREE and UNLIMITED access to their music library of over 40,000 tracks for any artist submitting to the 2012 NYTVF.
Simply set up an account by contacting Audio Network at nyoffice@audionetwork.com with your name, contact details and project title.
Guaranteed Development Deals
The following networks and studios are guaranteeing deals to artists within the 2012 IPC:
Award: $25,000 development deal based on the winning pilot concept or other concept at IFC's discretion
Genre: Alternative Scripted Comedy*
NOTES FROM IFC:
IFC TV is partnering with the New York Television Festival to discover the next generation of original alternative comedy programming. From Portlandia to The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and the upcoming Bullet in the Face, Comedy Bang! Bang! and Bunk (discovered at the 2010 NYTVF), IFC champions brilliant out-of-the-box originals, and your pilot could be our next hit show.
A few things you should know: our audience skews male, but cool ladies watch us too.
Our viewers are smart and creative, and they're obsessive fans of all things fresh, funny, and indie: think fanboy, not frat boy. To appeal to them, our shows must be authentic, clever, unconventional and not superficial.
When we say alternative comedy, we mean comedy that’s literally an alternative to what’s in the mainstream: the kind of shows you wouldn’t see anywhere else. We’re not looking for programs that take place inside entertainment or media, or anything about celebrity culture – we don’t keep up with the Kardashians.
Our viewers expect the unexpected from IFC, and they're comfortable with programming that defies categorization, as long as it's really fun to watch. This year we’re focused primarily on scripted narrative projects, but we’re open to sketch, animation and other formats if they feel right for our audience.
ABOUT IFC
IFC creates and champions authentic, original content that is “Always On. Slightly Off.” Since 1994, IFC has cultivated television programming that challenges the conventions of storytelling. Today, IFC continues to embrace content with an indie perspective. Original series - headlined by brand-defining scripted and sketch comedy - air alongside an extraordinary collection of films and cult TV shows. Long and short-form original content inspired by music, web, gaming, animation, news, and culture is available on multiple platforms. IFC provides viewers access to must-see festivals and events around the country, like the Film Independent’s Spirit Awards and SXSW.
*NOTE TO NYTVF PRODUCERS: We are not looking for comedic non-fiction at all this year. Scripted narrative half-hours are our holy grail but we’re open to other scripted formats as well.
Award: $10,000
Genre: Comedy
NOTES FROM MTV:
MTV has returned as an NYTVF development partner for the third consecutive year to offer a development deal for comedic submissions to the 2012 NYTVF Independent Pilot Competition. The award, valued at $10,000, will be presented to an outstanding scripted or non-scripted, live-action or animated comedy project submitted to the Festival's main competition. MTV is looking for fun points of view that fit into the MTV brand of comedy - quirky, fresh, and opinionated. MTV has a history of bringing original and innovative entertainment programming and is looking for deep, original, convergent content that showcases both comedy and the world of popular culture, be it TV, music, or film. For more information and to see MTV's current line-up, which includes the breakout comedy "Awkward." and the return of animated favorite "Beavis and Butt-head," visit MTV.com.
Award: $5,000
Genre: Scripted and unscripted pilots that include science fiction, adventure and/or fantasy elements
NOTES FROM SYFY:
Syfy, returning for the second consecutive year as a development partner, will present the Syfy Digital Studio “Imagine Greater” Award to an outstanding submission that best exhibits elements of Syfy's brand of new ideas and limitless possibilities that brought viewers hit shows like Battlestar Galactica, Warehouse 13, Alphas and Face Off. Syfy is specifically looking for scripted and unscripted pilots that include science fiction, adventure and/or fantasy elements.
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site and a portfolio of adjacent business, Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
Syfy Digital Studio launched in 2009 with Riese: Kingdom Falling, which quickly generated over a million video streams on Syfy.com. The Mercury Men premiered on Syfy.com in 2011 and has generated over a million streams across Syfy's online, mobile, VOD and internet-connected TV platforms.
Award: $5,000 to further develop project and an invitation to participate in an upcoming VH1 Creative Lab session as a paid freelancer
Genre: Unscripted pilots, including competition, docu-series, social experiment, dating, sketch or talk show formats
NOTES FROM VH1 CREATIVE LAB:
Hello Festival Participants!
We are very excited to see you all and hear your ideas. Having been in the trenches for the past six months with our research and marketing team just talking about TV with our core audience, it is clear to us that viewers become loyal and passionate about shows they love, and oftentimes don’t even know which network airs their favorite shows. As a network developer, rather than be terrified by this prospect, we find it oddly creatively liberating! We simply need to make shows people love, are excited about and can’t wait to talk about. This is exactly why we created the VH1 Creative Lab.
For us, the Creative Lab is really about unleashing a volcano of creativity. We want to make awesome, powerful, unexpected, wild and exciting television. Our goal is to unleash our creative thinkers – you – to think of “seeds” of ideas that feel truly unique, but broadly appealing. Easy, I know. ☺ But our hope is that if we can just focus on hooks of ideas and talent that feel really breakout in their potential, we can further develop the formats and the talent based on those great hooks. As they say, it all begins with an idea. So for the next big thing, we are looking for your awesome instant creative ideas. Here are some guidelines to get you started:
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter most to them with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. At VH1, we want to make adulthood fun and cool! We think of our audience as “adultsters”: funny, cool, hip, unpretentious. We stay current, on top of what’s happening in pop culture, music and more. We believe in celebrating talented people and personalities who will inspire our creativity. We believe that you can be smart and act silly. Going forward VH1 is smart (in a street smart kind of way, not a “let me teach you” kind of way), funny, savvy, original, brave, irreverent, opinionated, inspired, relatable, self-deprecating and authentic. VH1 IS NOT: Trashy, dumbed-down, pretentious, derivative or predictable, sensationalist or loud just for the sake of it, degrading or stereotypical, pandering or facile.
This isn’t a literal checklist for every project. A hit is a hit is a HIT… and it can come from anywhere. Think of this more as a VH1 “style guide” of a sensibility or an attitude moving forward. A great idea doesn’t have to fit every one of these filters, but it should hit at least a couple. We continue to focus on authentic storytelling, pop culture, music, nostalgia (90’s and later people!) and relationships. Our audience focus remains women 24-34, but we also love shows that feel inclusive for the guys watching with the women.
Nothing would make us happier than for each of you to have a few ideas that really pop so that we can further develop into hit shows. Bottom line, if you bring the creative hooks, we will make an investment in YOU to make an investment in US. Or at least we will have a blast trying! We know there are a lot of places you can take your ideas, your talents and your creativity. Our hope is that we can make VH1 your most fun, interesting, bold and nimble choice when pitching networks.
View VH1 Network Info
CHANNEL OVERVIEW:
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter most to them with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. At VH1, we want to make adulthood fun and cool! We think of our audience as “adultsters”: funny, cool, hip, unpretentious. We stay current, on top of what’s happening in pop culture, music and more. We believe in celebrating talented people and personalities who will inspire our creativity. We believe that you can be smart and act silly. Going forward VH1 is smart (in a street smart kind of way, not a “let me teach you” kind of way), funny, savvy, original, brave, irreverent, opinionated, inspired, relatable, self-deprecating and authentic. VH1 IS NOT: Trashy, dumbed-down, pretentious, derivative or predictable, sensationalist or loud just for the sake of it, degrading or stereotypical, pandering or facile. We continue to focus on authentic storytelling, pop culture, music, nostalgia (90’s and later people!) and relationships. Our audience focus remains women 24-34, but we also love shows that feel inclusive for the guys watching with the women. We are looking for unscripted hour or half-hour series in the competition, docu-series, social experiment, dating, sketch or talk show formats.
VH1 SHOWS
PREMIERING SPRING 2012 - Couples Therapy, House of Consignment, Mama Drama, Stevie TV, Styled by June
CURRENTLY AIRING - Baseball Wives, Basketball Wives, Behind the Music, Critics Choice Awards, Don’t Forget The Lyrics, Excused, Hip Hop Honors, La La’s Full Court Life, Love & Hip Hop, Metal Evolution, Mob Wives, Pop Up Video, Rock Docs, Single Ladies, T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle, The T.O. Show, Top 20 Countdown, Tough Love, VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live, VH1 Storytellers, Why Am I Still Single?
SOME OLDIES BUT GOODIES - Best Week Ever, Brandy and Ray J, Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Rehab, Charm School, Fantasia, Rock of Love, Tool Academy, You’re Cut Off
In addition to the four development partners guaranteeing deals inside the 2012 Independent Pilot Competition, all Official Selections are shared with the NYTVF's industry partners in the weeks prior to the 2012 Festival, including the recently announced NYTVF Pitch Partners. No matter what you're producing – scripted, non-scripted, comedy, drama, animation or children's programming – there is a home for you and your work at the NYTVF.
2012 NYTVF Pitch Partners
NYTVF Pitch is a closed initiative hosted on-site at the 2012 New York Television Festival that is open ONLY to Official Festival Artists. Each Pitch Partner is offering a guaranteed deal for an outstanding pitch, but you can ONLY participate if you are named an Official Selection in the 2012 Independent Pilot Competition or a semi-finalist or finalist in one of the NYTVF's stand-alone partnered development initiatives.
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For more information about NYTVF Pitch, click here.
For additional information about the NYTVF Artist Experience, click here.
Important Dates
- 11:59 PM Friday, May 11, 2012…………….Early Submission Deadline (passed)
- 11:59 PM, Friday, June 15, 2012…………….Regular Submission Deadline (passed)
- 11:59 PM, Friday, June 29, 2012…………….Procrastinator Deadline (passed)
Required Running Times
- All pilots must have a total running time of between 4 and 22 minutes.
Fees
- Pilots received before the Early Submission Deadline (before 11:59 PM, May 11, 2012) ..... $30
- Pilots received between the Early Submission Deadline and the Final Submission Deadline (May 11th—11:59 PM, June 15th, 2012) ..... $50
- Student pilots, accompanied by a photocopy of a current, valid student ID received before the Final Submission Deadline (May 11th—11:59 PM, June 15th, 2012) ..... $25
- ALL Pilots received between the Final Submission Deadline and the Procrastinator Deadline (June 15th—11:59 PM, June 29th, 2012) ..... $100
- Check and money orders made payable to the “New York Television Festival” or “NYTVF” are acceptable forms of payment.
Eligibility
- Programs created or funded by broadcast networks, cable networks or major production studios are ineligible to compete in the Independent Pilot Competition but may be submitted to the NYTVF for consideration as a specialty screening.
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. If under the age of 18, entries must include written parental consent.
- Programs for the Independent Pilot Competition must not have been publicly broadcast on television (except for previous broadcast on college campus television) prior to the Festival.
- Programs may not contain any copyrighted music, images or brand names without proper clearance. For more info on US copyright law visit: http://www.copyright.gov/
- Foreign language programs must have English subtitles or be dubbed in English.
- Programs must be received by 11:59 PM on June 29, 2012.
Independent Pilot Competition Acceptance Guidelines
The New York Television Festival “Independent Pilot Competition” accepts entries beginning on February 15, 2012 and ending June 29th. Artists are permitted to submit multiple entries to the competition. All entries must be received by the NYTVF no later than 11:59 PM on June 29, 2012. This is not a postmark date. Final notification for all Official Selections to the Independent Pilot Competition will be made on or around August 15th.
Entry Packet
(DOWNLOAD)
- Pilots must be submitted on playable DVDs; International submissions must be submitted on DVD formatted for multi-zone or Zone 1 (North America)
- Five (5) copies of the Pilot Program with label of Producer, Director and/or Production Company and contact information
- One-minute pilot Trailer for promotional purposes
- One-minute “Artist Commentary” (This should consist of brief introductory footage with the creators, producers, cast, and/or crew of the pilot, discussing any interesting production anecdotes or other points about the making of the pilot that viewers might find interesting. This is for promotional use only and WILL NOT be used to evaluate your pilot submission)
- Trailer and commentary may be placed on the same data DVD or separate data DVDs. Both ways are acceptable. While five copies of the pilot are required, only one copy of the trailer and commentary are required.
- Trailer and commentary should each be separate compressed file burned to a data DVD.
- Two black-and-white or color screen capture images or digital stills from the pilot program on CD or DVD and any available press kit material
- Signed Application Form and Entry Fee
Address
All submissions, accompanied by a signed Application Form and Entry Fee, must be sent to:
New York Television Festival, Attn: IPC Entries '12
121 W 27th St., Suite 901
New York, NY 10001