Launch Pad prioritizes exclusive partnerships including a Grand Prize Partnership with Gran Via Productions, Development opportunities and a Mentorship program.
The Launch Pad Feature competition prioritizes exclusive partnerships and opportunities including a Grand Prize Partnership with Gran Via Productions (The Holdovers, The Notebook, Galaxy Quest), Development opportunities and a Mentorship program. We aim to provide our writers with as many avenues towards success as possible.
Designed to set you up for success, we’ll guarantee a meeting with a jury member for every Top Ten finalist plus a virtual pitching workshop. Including vetted industry professionals from Artists First, Brillstein Entertainment, MarVista and more.
We’re looking for the next great voices in feature film writing. Our tradition of writer success, includes projects sold to Netflix, Paramount, and more.
with Gran Via Productions
The Grand Prize winner will meet with the Head of Film Development from Gran Via to talk about their project.
Gran Via is the film and television production company founded by producer Mark Johnson. Gran Via’s credits include the Oscar-nominated The Holdovers, The Little Things (starring Denzel Washington and Jared Leto), Downsizing, The Notebook, and Galaxy Quest among others. In television, Gran Via executive produced the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning drama Breaking Bad for AMC, Better Call Saul, Halt and Catch Fire, Mayfair Witches and more.
Here's how our competitions and industry connections have helped Launch Pad writers take their careers to the next level, in their own words.
After placing in the Top 50 of Launch Pad's 2021 Feature Competition, the Launch Pad team checked in with me to discuss my goals for my screenwriting career. They helped me construct a compelling query letter, which ultimately caught the attention of my manager at Tobias Management.
Signed with a literary manager
Whether you write for TV, film, novels or short stories you owe it to yourself to enter a Launch Pad competition. I've never experienced a team so dedicated to promoting you and your work.
Prose Competition
What’s great about the Launch Pad writing contest, is that you don’t have to win to come out a winner. My script Happy Little Accidents made it into the top 100 but didn’t advance further, and yet I was chosen for their mentorship program. They truly take all scripts and screenwriters into consideration and are looking for writers that are passionate and ready for the next step in their career.
Signed with a literary manager
Launch Pad has been an invaluable resource for reaching my career screenwriting goals.They not only provided a platform through the contest, but put me in touch with industry players, answered any questions I had, and aided my writing career with a personally-focused approach. A must-enter contest for aspiring screenwriters.
Signed with a literary manager
I really wasn't expecting for Launch Pad to follow through after the competition, but they've gone above and beyond to help us aspiring-writers with our careers! Plus they're just so nice!
Prose Competition
In addition to being a fun contest, the meetings Launch Pad set up for winners were helpful and terrifically organized.
Feature Competition
Launch Pad has been incredibly supportive of their winning writers, and really goes the extra mile to help make connections with industry players.
Feature Competition
The Launch Pad Pilot Competition and its diligent team helped “Angels of War” to gain visibility and traction. I am grateful for the opportunities provided to competition winners to meet with various industry reps and producers.
Signed with a literary manager
The Launch Pad did everything I could ask for...there's not too much else the competition could have done for me.
Signed with a literary manager
I've submitted to a variety of writing competitions that promise exposure from contest placements, but the first time I'd actually seen proof of that was when I placed in Launch Pad's Prose Writing Competition. Their development executives communicated with me at each placement milestone and gave detailed updates as to how they were marketing I and the other authors' work. Within a month of the contest ending, I actually saw results where agencies expressed interest in my work...
Prose Competition
With partner American High
American High will pick one project and take at least one meeting with the writer for development purposes.
Specializing in high-concept, R-rated, high-school comedies, American High is a production company with an overall deal at Hulu behind such features as The Binge, Plan B, I Love My Dad, and the Sundance Award-winning Big Time Adolescence. The company is helmed by writer/director Jeremy Garelick of major box office features like The Hangover, The Break Up, and The Wedding Ringer.
Requires Add-On or Top 10 placement
Alex Pelham
831 Entertainment | Literary Manager
Alex Pelham is a manager at 831 Entertainment, a talent and literary management company whose clients have written for major tentpole franchises such as Taken, Jarhead, The Scorpion King, and Tremors.
Amy Roach
Brillstein Entertainment Partners | Producer / Manager's Assistant
Amy is a Producer / Manager's Assistant at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, a talent and literary management firm and production company with credits on THE SOPRANOS, HAPPY GILMORE and GHOSTBUSTERS.
Brandon Gale
Speck + Gordon | Coordinator
Brandon works in development for Speck + Gordon, the production company of Will Speck + Josh Gordon, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker duo behind Blades of Glory, Office Christmas Party, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.
Brittany Pratt
Davis Entertainment | Development Assistant
Brittany Pratt works in development at Davis Entertainment, a major production company behind such projects as Jungle Cruise, Game Night, Dolemite is My Night, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Camila Rios
18Hz | Executive Assistant to producer Walter Hamada
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Camila began her career as a Development Assistant to Carlos Aguirre, the VP of Development at Paramount Television Studios. At PTVS, she worked on several shows including “Spiderwick Chronicles” which is now streaming on Roku. Camila is now at 18Hz, a new horror-focused production company led by veteran film executive Walter Hamada (THE CONJURING, IT). Camila works directly under Walter to produce feature films within the horror genre for Paramount Pictures.
Dan Vallancourt
MarVista | Coordinator, Development
Dan Vallancourt is a development professional at the Fox-owned MarVista Entertainment, a production company responsible for producing or distributing over a hundred films since 2010.
Ella Wahlestedt
Quarterlife Pictures | Producer, CEO
Ella Wahlestedt is the founder of Quarterlife Pictures, a Los Angeles-based independent entertainment development and production company. While at Buffalo 8, she released 150+ titles and directly established outputs with VOD platforms, streamers, and exhibitors.
Megan Morey
Black Box Management | Manager
Megan is a literary manager at Black Box Management, a management company whose clients have written and directed award-winning indie features such as Emily the Criminal and The Runner.
Nicholas Bogner
Affirmative Entertainment | Literary Manager
Nicholas Bogner is a Literary Manager + Producer with Affirmative Entertainment. He has sold features and pilots to the likes of Paramount, Amblin, Sony, Blumhouse, Intrepid, Walden Media and pilots to ABC, FX, USA, MTV, CW, E!, Fox Studios, Fox 21, TWC, Relativity, Sy-Fy, Eone and NBC.
Tina Ziobro
Artists First | Coordinator
Tina is the coordinator in the office of Tucker Voorhees at Artist First. She primarily works with Features in the comedy and action space. They currently have blackish, The Last O.G., grownish, The Gong Show and Hot Date on the air and have produced features Including Central Intelligence, A Futile & Stupid Gesture, Keanu, Bullethead and others.
We are committed to helping writers take meaningful steps in their career, and there is nothing more important in developing your craft than thorough, in-depth notes from a trusted source. We are proud to offer our Feedback Notes program, providing 1-2 pages of in-depth notes on your competition entry, with insight into the story, characters, and writing of your project.
Enter with FeedbackEverything the Category Winners receive, plus…
Everything the Top 10 receive, plus…
Everything the Top 50 receive, plus…
Everything the Top 100 receive, plus…
This year’s Signing partner is manager Anders Lykke of Locus Entertainment, who will select a minimum of one (1) writer from the competition to sign as a client.
Anders is the founder and CEO of Locus Entertainment, aimed at nurturing and promoting emerging screenwriters with a global perspective. He founded the Casino Theatre in 2019. This innovative platform is dedicated to showcasing the finest unproduced screenplays, brought to life by skilled actors before a select audience of industry professionals.
Requires Add-On or Top 10 placement
If you select any add-ons at the time of entry, regardless of where you place in the competition, you will still be in the running for those add-on features.
Requires Add-On or Top 10 placement
The best way to learn is by working with experienced writers who have already navigated that path to success. The Launch Pad mentorship program is tailored for each individual relationship and will include a call or meeting with your mentor to provide career advice.
Jeff Wadlow is a DGA Award-nominated writer and director behind major projects such as Kick-Ass 2, Truth or Dare, The Curse of Bridge Hollow, and the recently-released Blumhouse horror, Imaginary. He has also written and produced on major TV series Bates Motel and The Strain.
Michael Brandt is the screenwriter behind the newly released film Arthur the King, in addition to the films 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Catch That Kid. He is also the co-creator of NBC’s Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice, serving as showrunner on Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. for multiple seasons.
The winners will be chosen based on the following criteria: (i) The originality and commerciality of the premise; (ii) The effectiveness of the plot and structure in serving that premise; (iii) The professional quality and creative use of the writing, formatting and presentation; (iv) The use of dialogue to advance the character, story and entertainment value of the project; (v) The originality, believability and emotional investment in the characters and their impact on the overarching story and themes.
Initial reads will be completed by professional industry readers, after which the top scored scripts will be named to a Second Round and then narrowed down to a list of 100 finalists. Our internal team of readers will read all remaining submissions to allow for extensive internal discussions over the relative merits and weaknesses of each project. At this point, writers may be asked to submit supplemental information (a brief bio, a bible for their tv pilot, etc.) to assist in the decision making process.
Further rounds of internal reading and discussion, as well as consultations with our signing and development prize partners, narrows the finalists down to 10, at which point our panel of industry judges read the scripts and determine our winners.
Any entrant may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of Launch Pad. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.