Issa Rae Wants to Give You $25K for Your Comedy or Drama Pilot
The new ColorCreative Script to Screen Contest is looking to develop and produce scripts from underrepresented writers.
Issa Rae is a star on the rise, with her webseries Awkward Black Girl having launched into the HBO series Insecure, on which she is a creator, writer, and Golden-Globe-nominated actor. Now, she's already paying her success forward with her ColorCreative initiative which "aims to increase opportunities for women and minority TV writers to showcase and sell their work, both inside and outside the existing studio system." ColorCreative has teamed up with BET and the American Black Film Festival to find emerging screenwriting talent with a new Script to Screen Contest—and that talent might just be you.
What is the contest?
ColorCreative, BET, and the American Black Film Festival are looking for up-and-coming screenwriters with scripts on any topic, as long as they "explore an important and/or an untapped part of the Black experience." All you have to submit at this stage is a one-page pilot description, and then semi-finalists will be invited to submit a full script. Three finalists will then be awarded a trip to the 2018 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami from June 13-17th, where they will be given notes and a chance to submit a final, revised script. When the grand prize winner is chosen, their script will be purchased for $25,000 and be considered for production by ColorCreative for BET.
Who can enter?
In order to be eligible, you must be at least 21 years old, a legal resident of the United States (and eligible to work in the United States), and must not have previously received credit or been engaged as writer for a television series or feature film. Your submitted descriptions and pilot scripts must not have been previously optioned, sold, licensed or produced as a live stage production, theatrical motion picture, tv or online show.
How do you submit?
The initial submission is very manageable: all you need to send is a one-page pitch that includes a title and a short logline, a synopsis of the pilot script, and a series description. You'll also need to read and sign their submission form.
The one-page pitch is due Wednesday, May 2, so read the full guidelines and apply today.
Featured image of Issa Rae in 'Insecure'.
Source: American Black Film Festival
