TBS & TNT Join Forces with The Black List to Find New TV Writers

I was a little busy last week, so we're a bit behind on this announcement. In case you missed it, on Feb. 3, Time Warner announced a partnership with The Black List to find new writers for TNT and TBS in an effort to increase diversity. Considering The Black List already has a diversity initiative partnership with Warner Bros. for new feature film screenwriters, this announcement is a natural progression in the relationship between The Black List and Time Warner. The agreement should also draw attention to The Black List's recent expansion into hosting original television pilots. Got a spec pilot script? Find out how you can opt into this new opportunity on The Black List.

Here are two excerpts from Time Warner's press release that highlight the goals of this new partnership between The Black List and TNT & TBS:

The networks will be looking for writers from diverse backgrounds for possible blind script deals and staffing consideration on TBS and TNT series, with the goal of signing script deals with particularly strong writers in the half-hour comedy and hour-long drama genres....

As part of its program with TNT and TBS, the Black List will solicit teleplays to be evaluated via the Black List website by its community of industry professionals and readers. The Black List will then provide TNT and TBS with a short list of five finalists in each genre. The finalists will be chosen based on criteria the networks provide and on the evaluations received. The networks will then have the option to offer blind script deals. The list of finalists may also be shared with TBS and TNT's current showrunners, who will have the option to offer staff positions.

More specifically, Time Warner is looking for one new drama writer for TNT and one new comedy writer for TBS for possible two-step blind script deals during the initial submission period with The Black List. The Black List recommends that writers submit television scripts for this program, but that is not a requirement. Writers may submit theatrical or other media scripts as long as they are either dramas or comedies. Television scripts must be original spec pilots. No spec scripts of existing television shows should be submitted to The Black List.

Writers who submit to this program may not have earned more than $250,000 in aggregate for screenwriting work in television or film in the past ten years prior to the submission period.

Like The Black List's previous partnership with Warner Bros., this new partnership with TNT and TBS is an opt-in program for writers with existing scripts on the service or for writers submitting new scripts. This announcement should certainly help The Black List increase the amount of original TV spec pilots in its database.

For more specifics on this partnership, including legalese, be sure to check out the links at the end of the post.

What do you think about The Black List's new partnership with TNT and TBS to add diverse, new writers to these networks? Will this announcement encourage you to submit your TV spec pilot to The Black List? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Links:

• TNT & TBS Partner with The Black List to Tap Talented Writers -- Time Warner press release
• TNT & TBS Script Submission Call -- The Black List
• Submission Requirements
• Submission Agreement
• Comedy Blind Agreement
• Drama Blind Agreement

[via Variety]