2017 Independent Pilot Competition Awards
“Best of the Fest”: Giving Up |
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NYTVF Critics Award: Royally |
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Best Animated Project: Tiffany the Teenage Grim Reaper
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Best Comedy Project: New York is Dead |
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Best Drama/Dramedy Project: Manic |
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Best Short-Form Digital Project: Starving Artists |
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Best Unscripted/Alternative Project: Against All Odds |
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Best Actor in a Comedy: Jeff Galfer for Jeff's Place (Los Angeles, CA) |
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Best Actress in a Comedy: Rachel B. Joyce for Royally (New York, NY) |
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Best Actor in a Drama: Jeff Skowron for Max Riddle (New York, NY) |
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Best Actress in a Drama: Shanice Williams for Manic (Los Angeles, CA) |
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Best Direction: Dinh Thai for Monday (Los Angeles, CA) |
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Best Editing: Kent Lamm for Jeff's Place (Los Angeles, CA) |
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Best Writing: Kris Lefcoe for Giving Up (New York, NY) |
Descriptions and trailers for all 2017 IPC Official Selections can be found below.
2017 Official Selections
The New York Television Festival is proud to announce the following 52 Official Selections to the 2017 Independent Pilot Competition:
The pilots selected for this year’s IPC represent talented writers, producers, and actors from across the U.S., including: New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago, as well as international selections from the UK, Israel, South Africa, and Canada.
Festival organizers noted several communities and themes with strong showings in this year's selections, including a number of projects stemming from improv and sketch groups as well as projects with strong social messages and themes. The NYTVF is also proud to present a diverse slate this year, with 56% of selected pilots with persons of color above the line (and 23 projects with POC on the core creative teams). 71% of the projects have a woman in a core creative role. 50% of selected pilots have female creators, and 38% of projects have female directors, up from 25% in 2016 and the largest number in the Festival’s history. This is also a big year for animation, with a total of six animated projects among the 2017 official selections.
The Official Selections also feature a number of names, faces, and voices recognizable to TV fans, including projects created by Traci Johnson (Blues Clues), Jenn Harris & Matthew Wilkas (Gayby), Kyle Dunnigan (Inside Amy Schumer, Reno 911!), Emily Chang (The Bold Type), Jamie Kaler (My Boys), executive produced by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer), Felicia Day (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return), Randy Harrison (Queer as Folk), Daniel Kellison (Executive Producer - Jimmy Kimmel Live!), and starring/featuring the talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers, Frasier), Jemima Kirke (Girls), John Early (Search Party), Ian Roberts (UCB Comedy Originals), Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project), Dot-Marie Jones (Glee), Melonie Diaz (Fruitvale Station), Will Janowitz (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire), Cole Escola (Difficult People), Ana Gasteyer (SNL), Brandon J. Dirden (The Americans, The Get Down), Hannah Dunne (Mozart in the Jungle, Horace and Pete), Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha), Shanice Williams (The Wiz Live!), Maria Thayer (Those Who Can't), Betsy Sodaro (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Animal Practice), Jo Firestone (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), DuShon Monique Brown (Chicago Fire), Kamal Angelo Bolden (Chicago Fire, Rosewood), D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place), Hari Nef (Transparent), Ana Fabrega (Portlandia), Timm Sharp (Blunt Talk, Enlightened), Antoine McKay (Empire), Zandy Hartig (Children's Hospital), Jeff Hiller (Nightcap), Jaboukie Young-White (Rough Night), Gary Richardson (Don't Think Twice), Jon Rua (Hamilton, In the Heights), Paul Welsh (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and Madeline Walter (College Humor Originals).
To read the full press release, click HERE.
Individual pilots, including trailers where available, are below.

Eternity Fraternity | |
Horse Court | |
peopleWatching | |
Tiffany the Teenage Grim Reaper | |
Weird Creatures | |
Yummiloo |

Bad Dad | |
Bartlett | |
Basically Happy | |
Benefits with Friends | |
![]() | City of Angles |
The Company Men | |
Dark of the Night | |
Detective Detective | |
Flatbush Misdemeanors | |
Gentle Dan | |
Giving Up | |
Guilty | |
Jeff's Place | |
Let Me Die a Nun | |
Misery Loves Company | |
Nest | |
Network Zero | |
New York is Dead | |
Night Crew | |
Primos, Inc. | |
Projecting | |
Rap Skool | |
Royally | |
![]() | Shit Kids |
![]() | Sneakers |
Solving Leah | |
Splunch | |
Starving Artists | |
That Which Speaketh | |
Tuff Boys | |
What Ever Happened to the Birches |

After Oil | |
Caring | |
Drive Slow | |
From Jappan | |
Giving Me Life (In The Land of The Deadass) | |
The Green | |
Katharsis | |
Lost & Found | |
Manic | |
Max Riddle | |
Monday | |
People You May Know | |
Public Housing Unit |

Against All Odds | |
Put That in Your Skits |