CASTING SEARCH
Winner Announced
The NYTVF and Lifetime are proud to announce that the winner of the second annual Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline is Sisters of the Game, Created by Bill Herndon and Brett Gay (New York, NY and Baltimore, MD).
Finalists Announced
Finalists in the second-annual Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline (winner to be announced at a later date):
- Jake Greene for JR – Style by Fire (Los Angeles, CA)
- Sue Mowris for LumberJill (Madison, WI)
- Harold Abrams for Miss Vivian – the Funeral Lady (Virginia Beach, VA)
- Bill Herndon and Brett Gay for Sisters of the Game (New York, NY and Baltimore, MD)
- Soreyrith Um for Wrestling Hollywood (Nashville, TN)
Semi-finalists Announced
The NYTVF is pleased to announce the following selections have been named semi-finalists in the second annual Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline and will advance to the network for consideration. Five finalists will be identified in the coming months and one winner will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to participate in the production of a pilot based on their concept. Additionally, all fifteen semi-finalists will be invited to the 9th Annual New York Television Festival.
Congratulations to the semi-finalists and sincerest thanks to all who entered!
2013 NYTVF Lifetime Unscripted Pipeline
- Absolutely Adelaide: Diva of the Dunes
Created by: Terry Spencer Hesser and Rana Segal – Chicago, IL - Fashion Belles
Created by: Jake Greene – St. Simons, GA - George Whipple
Created by: George Whipple, Adam Elend, and Jeff Marks – New York, NY - JR – Style by Fire
Created by: Jake Greene – Los Angeles, CA - Living Abeeya Loca
Created by: Donna Butler and Abbie DeVera – Zachary, LA - LumberJill
Created by: Sue Mowris and Andy Garcia – Madison, WI - Ms. Pink
Created by: Jenn Dlugos and Andrea Henry – Boston, MA - Ms. Vivian – The Funeral Lady
Created by: Harold Abrams – Virginia Beach, VA - Mrs. Dolittle
Created by: Jeffrey Till – Detroit, MI - Pittsburgh Passion
Created by: JJ Williams – Pittsburgh, PA - Room for Improvement
Created by: Elaine Williams and Chip Ambrogio – Bloomfield, NJ - Seattle Social
Created by: Nicole Dunn and Melinda Knight – Seattle, Washington - Selling Miami: Golden Style
Created by: Anre Garrett – Miami, FL - Sisters of the Game
Created by: Bill Herndon and Brett Gay – New York, NY and Baltimore, MD - Wrestling Hollywood
Created by: Soreyrith Um – Nashville, TN
Submission Info
Lifetime and the NYTVF have teamed for the second annual Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline to challenge independent producers to find the next big Lifetime star. If you have an exceptional eye for talent and a passion for non-scripted TV, this is the competition for you. See below for more from Lifetime.
Fifteen semi-finalists will be reviewed by the network with five finalists receiving development funding to produce additional tape. Finally, one winner will receive $10,000 and an opportunity to work with Lifetime Programming to produce a pilot presentation of their winning submission.
Lifetime Creative Brief
From the cut-throat world of junior dance competitions to the hallowed halls of fashion’s elite, real world characters dominate the television landscape and we’re looking for the next big thing. Help us find the next reality star or cast. Preferably a woman, but men are welcome! It all depends on what they are and what they DO!
What we’re looking for:
- Casting tapes (between 2-4 minutes in length) that highlight unique, larger-than-life individual or individuals with a specific business or skill or a unique set of circumstances that makes them unforgettable.
- Funny, REAL, and Unexpected.
- Characters like Abby Lee (from Dance Moms) are loud and fun to watch; we are looking for characters that are outrageous but still relatable.
- We are looking for characters that appeal to a broad, middle-class audience. Characters that offer a fun escape. (Characters who seem too out of reach or lack layers don’t make for hit series.)
What should I include on my "casting tape"?
- Your casting reel should showcase your lead character and any supporting cast and include a clear, concise description of what they do and why people will want to come back week after week to watch them. We are looking for worlds and characters that can sustain a series, not simply a “one off”.
- Technical and production savvy is helpful by not required – the most important element is capturing the “wow” factor in your subject(s) – even if it’s by Skype chat
PLEASE! NO “HOSTS”. NO LAW ENFORCEMENT. NO TOUCHY-FEELY SPIRITUAL HEALERS. NO BURLSEQUE. NO “FRINGE” SIDE SHOW CHARACTERS. NO “WOMEN IN MAN’S WORLD”. NO BIKERS. NO GHOST HUNTERS.
NO WEDDING. NO DANCING. NO LIFE COACHES. NO THERAPISTS. NO DO-GOODERS. *Good people are fine… if they also happen to be funny and doing something entertaining.
We aren’t looking for “causey” shows or daytime content. If a particular pitch centers around the crowded landscape of home improvement, please take great care to show how your character and what he or she does is a MUST SEE, fresher than the HUNDREDS already out there. EG: Avoid this space.
About Lifetime Unscripted:
Lifetime is and broad entertainment channel with one of the largest slates of original programming on television. From a critically acclaimed portfolio of scripted movies and hit scripted to best in class reality series.
The network, one of television’s most widely distributed outlets, is currently seen in 98 million households.
Leading Lifetime’s unscripted slate is cable’s number one competition series, “Project Runway,” along the hit docu-series “Dance Moms”, “Double Diva’s” and “Preachers’ Daughters”. For more information on our company and programming visit Mylifetime.com.
A screening committee of NYTVF judges will narrow the pool of entrants down to fifteen semi-finalists. These semi-finalists will be presented to Lifetime development executives, who will select five finalists, each of whom will receive notes on their projects and $2,500 to shoot short presentations, exploring their subject, under the guidance of a Lifetime approved production partner. One winner, selected by Lifetime, will be awarded $10,000 and he/she will have the opportunity to participate in the possible production of a pilot.
This competition is FREE to enter.
Click here to download the official rules and submission form
Questions? Ask the NYTVF.
Use the links below to explore the various aspects of submitting to the Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline.
Need music for your submission?
NYTVF partner Audio Network is offering FREE and UNLIMITED access to their music library of over 60,000 tracks for any artist submitting to the 2013 NYTVF.
Simply set up an account by contacting Audio Network at [email protected] with your name, contact details and project title.
Important Dates
- Wednesday, July 24, 2013…………….Submission Period Begins
- Monday, September 23, 2013 (noon)…………….Submission Deadline
- Friday, October 4, 2013…………….Semi-finalists Announced
- Saturday, October 26, 2013…………….Finalists Announced
Eligibility
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia
- Formats must be:
- Completely the original work of the entrant
- Not created or funded by broadcast networks, cable networks or major production studios
- Not copied from any other source or previously broadcast or otherwise distributed or disseminated on television (except for previous broadcast on locally distributed campus or public access television or limited Internet broadcast)
- Not in the public domain
- Not in violation of or conflict with the trademark, copyright, rights of privacy, rights of publicity or any other rights, of any kind or nature, of any other person or entity
- Programs must be received by NOON Eastern on September 23, 2013.
Entry Requirements
- Five (5) copies of the video with label of Producer, Director and/or Production Company and contact information
- One (1) to two (2) page treatment describing the unscripted series, which must be submitted as both a hardcopy and as a PDF file type on a CD-ROM
- Subject video must be submitted on playable DVDs formatted for multi-zone or Zone 1 (North America)
- All videos must have a total running time of between 2 and 4 minutes
- Signed Application Form
- There is no fee to enter
Address
All submissions, accompanied by a signed Application Form, must be sent to:
Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline c/o New York Television Festival
121 W 27th St., Suite 901
New York, NY 10001
