Announcing the Winners
Overall Winner
FRIEND OF THE SHOW
Brian T Arnold
MONEY MONSTER meets NIGHTCRAWLER
A far-right news commentator is kidnapped by a right-wing extremist group who want him to help lead their movement, not knowing that his television persona is a sham. When he discovers their plan to assassinate the president, he realizes he is the only one who can stop them.
DramaThriller
Top Comedy
CONFECTION CONNECTION, THE
Yuval Stein
THE MALTESE FALCON meets HARRIET THE SPY
After the book fair money he is entrusted with goes missing, a kid detective must investigate the seedy underbelly of his school to clear his name and earn back his reputation as the school’s best private investigator.
ComedyFamilyMystery
Top Drama
NOBLE WOMAN, THE
David Case
ELIZABETH meets THE REVENANT
After she and her lover are marooned on an island during an expedition to the New World, an independent French noblewoman must fight for her life in the harsh Canadian wilderness. Based on a true story.
AdventureDramaPeriodRomance
Prime Universe Guaranteed Option Winner
FRONTIERSMEN
Ben Feuer
THE GREY meets MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
After the death of their mother, an absent father takes his two sons to the family cabin on a remote Alaskan island, but when disaster strikes they are forced to survive months alone in the frigid wilderness.
AdventureThriller
Echo Lake Entertainment Guaranteed Signing Winner
I WANNA F*** ADOLF HITLER
Dylan Visvikis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS meets TRAINWRECK
After being diagnosed with syphilis and given only a year to live, a young woman takes it upon herself to sleep her way to the top of the Nazi hierarchy and assassinate Hitler by giving him the deadly STD.
ComedyPeriod
Mentorship Program Winners
HENCHMAN
Andrew Wood
BATMAN meets DEADPOOL
After an evil villain’s disillusioned henchman accidentally kills the city’s superhero, he decides to take over for the costumed crusader.
ActionComedy
Mentorship Selection – Jason Hellerman
OIL AND WATER
Alfred Thomas Catalfo and Morgan Webster Dudley
ERIN BROCKOVICH meets THE POST
A principled freshman state legislator stands up to billionaire shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis’s attempts to bankroll an oil refinery off the coast of New Hampshire during the height of the oil embargo.
BiopicDramaPeriod
Mentorship Selection – David Hoffman
PAIGE DARCY: FORMER TEEN DETECTIVE
Alice Moran
JESSICA JONES meets SCOOBY DOO
A former child detective who left the sleuthing business after a tragic loss is coaxed out of retirement to investigate the seedy criminal underbelly of her small town when a local drug dealer is killed.
CrimeComedyDrama
Mentorship Selection – Anthony Cipriano
Announcing The Top 10
As part of our exclusive partnership with Prime Universe Films and Echo Lake Entertainment, The Tracking Board is incredibly pleased to announce the TOP 10 for the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition!
These scripts explore storytelling from all new avenues, with characters that run the gamut from an elderly couple using magic mushrooms to precocious child detectives, to kids who must hunt down a very human monster, and even Jane Austen herself. They provide a range of worlds to get lost in, and they showcase the kind of writing that make us excited to leap into this competition year after year. These writers represent the next big thing, and these are the types of fresh voices we love to find.
Our judges, partners, and mentors are diving in now to get in their votes for who will walk away with the top prize, as well as the guaranteed options, signings, and mentorships. In the meantime, we are so proud to introduce you to the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition Top 10!
(As a reminder: If you selected one of our add-on prizes at time of entry, but did not advance to the Top 10, you are still in contention to win those prizes.)
AUSTENTATIOUS
Charmaine Colina
BECOMING JANE meets BACK TO THE FUTURE
An English professor obsessed with Jane Austen is transported back to Regency England, where she accidentally interferes in her heroine’s love life and has to decide whether to help Jane find true love or put her on the path to write her masterpieces.
ComedyFantasyRomancePeriod
BEAST
Aaron W. Sala
CAST AWAY meets PREDATOR
After her plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific, a woman on the run from her abusive husband finds herself marooned on an island with a bloodthirsty beast.
ActionSci-FiThriller
BIG FUTURE AHEAD
Rick Mashburn
NEBRASKA meets GRUMPY OLD MEN
A crotchety old woman unhappy with her subpar nursing home decides to take advantage of her status as the oldest woman in the state to become famous and improve her lifestyle.
ComedyDrama
CONFECTION CONNECTION, THE
Yuval Stein
THE MALTESE FALCON meets HARRIET THE SPY
After the book fair money he is entrusted with goes missing, a kid detective must investigate the seedy underbelly of his school to clear his name and earn back his reputation as the school’s best private investigator.
ComedyFamilyMystery
FRIEND OF THE SHOW
Brian T Arnold
MONEY MONSTER meets NIGHTCRAWLER
A far-right news commentator is kidnapped by a right-wing extremist group who want him to help lead their movement, not knowing that his television persona is a sham. When he discovers their plan to assassinate the president, he realizes he is the only one who can stop them.
DramaThriller
NOBLE WOMAN, THE
David Case
ELIZABETH meets THE REVENANT
After she and her lover are marooned on an island during an expedition to the New World, an independent French noblewoman must fight for her life in the harsh Canadian wilderness. Based on a true story.
AdventureDramaPeriodRomance
PARALLEL
Jonathan Flicker
THE CONJURING meets FREQUENCY
A family living in an isolated Massachusetts home finds themselves haunted by the echoes of the family who inhabited the structure over two centuries earlier.
HorrorPeriodSci-Fi
PETER AND THE WOLVES
Conor Kyle
STRANGER THINGS meets CITY OF THIEVES
Amidst widespread starvation and devastation in war-torn St. Petersburg, a group of children attempt to track down and kill the murderous cannibal who took their friend.
HorrorPeriodThrillerWar
POINT NEMO
Bradley Starr
CAST AWAY meets MISERY
When a shipwrecked man is rescued by a woman living on a boat in the middle of the ocean, he is initially relieved, but soon discovers she is hiding sinister secrets.
Thriller
TRIP, THE
Caroline Hoover
THE BIG SICK meets DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
When a strict former radiologist finds out her husband is dying of cancer she must use an experimental magic mushroom therapy to lessen his pain.
ComedyDrama
Announcing The Top 25
Alongside our exclusive partners Prime Universe Films and Echo Lake Entertainment, The Tracking Board is incredibly pleased to announce the TOP 25 for the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition!
Whether it’s biopics that explore the heroes we thought we knew, madcap comedies and sea-soaked adventures that carry us along for the ride, or chilling horrors that will make us sleep with the light on, this Top 25 spans an abundance of genres. They also explore storytelling from all new avenues, including characters that run the gamut from time-traveling teenagers to precocious child detectives, to families who must fight for survival and even Jane Austen herself. These scripts provide a range of worlds to get lost in, and showcase the kind of writing that makes these competitions a success.
So without further ado, we are so proud to introduce you to the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition Top 25!
(As a reminder: If you selected one of our add-on prizes at time of entry, but did not advance to the Top 25, you are still in contention to win those prizes.)
A GIANT NAMED ANDRE
John Halligan
THE WRESTLER meets BIG FISH
The larger than life journey of Andre the Giant who sacrificed personal health to entertain a world he never quite fit in to, as he rose from humble beginnings to become the most beloved wrestler of all time and a global icon.
BiopicDrama
A ROYAL COMPANION
Karolyn Szot
THE PRINCE AND ME meets PRETTY WOMAN
A struggling actress is hired to keep a Saudi prince company during his trip to Los Angeles, but she is challenged with the role of a lifetime, when she is tasked to keep him sober as they explore the glitz, glamour, and parties of Hollywood.
ComedyRomance
ADVENTURES OF FOX, THE
Nicholas Fox Robbins & Vincent Robbins
THE PATRIOT meets MASTER AND COMMANDER
Determined to protect his home and fight for his burgeoning country, a boy lies about his age to join the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War, growing up along the way in the harshest conditions imaginable.
ActionAdventurePeriodWar
AUSTENTATIOUS
Charmaine Colina
BECOMING JANE meets BACK TO THE FUTURE
An English professor obsessed with Jane Austen is transported back to Regency England, where she accidentally interferes in her heroine’s love life and has to decide whether to help Jane find true love or put her on the path to write her masterpieces.
ComedyFantasyRomancePeriod
BEAST
Aaron W. Sala
CAST AWAY meets PREDATOR
After her plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific, a woman on the run from her abusive husband finds herself marooned on an island with a bloodthirsty beast.
ActionSci-FiThriller
BIG FUTURE AHEAD
Rick Mashburn
NEBRASKA meets GRUMPY OLD MEN
A crotchety old woman unhappy with her subpar nursing home decides to take advantage of her status as the oldest woman in the state to become famous and improve her lifestyle.
ComedyDrama
CAREGIVER, THE
Joelle Luman
EX MACHINA meets OBSESSED
When his wife’s MS gets worse, a man is forced to hire a robotic caregiver to help out around the house, but in her attempts to make everything more comfortable for the family, the lifelike assistant begins usurping the wife’s role.
Sci-FiThriller
CONFECTION CONNECTION, THE
Yuval Stein
THE MALTESE FALCON meets HARRIET THE SPY
After the book fair money he is entrusted with goes missing, a kid detective must investigate the seedy underbelly of his school to clear his name and earn back his reputation as the school’s best private investigator.
ComedyFamilyMystery
DARK LOGISTICS
Benjamin Finkel
FIGHT CLUB meets THE BIG LEBOWSKI
In hyper-dystopian Chicago, a lowly IRS employee finds himself caught up in the web of several rival terrorist groups battling for control of the city.
ComedyDramaThriller
FINDING FLETCHER’S FINGERS
Shannon Mier
GET HIM TO THE GREEK meets THE HANGOVER
After losing his fingers in an accident in the back seat of a cab, an insurance salesman embarks on a wild quest across the city with the help of a caring nurse, a neglectful cabbie, and a pyrotechnics technician in order to recover the fingers and get them surgically reattached before time runs out.
Comedy
FRIEND OF THE SHOW
Brian T Arnold
MONEY MONSTER meets NIGHTCRAWLER
A far-right news commentator is kidnapped by a right-wing extremist group who want him to help lead their movement, not knowing that his television persona is a sham. When he discovers their plan to assassinate the president, he realizes he is the only one who can stop them.
DramaThriller
FRONTIERSMEN
Ben Feuer
THE GREY meets MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
After the death of their mother, an absent father takes his two sons to the family cabin on a remote Alaskan island, but when disaster strikes they are forced to survive months alone in the frigid wilderness.
AdventureThriller
HATCHLING, THE
John Wikstrom
SHORT TERM 12 meets PETE’S DRAGON
On the cusp of another adoption after several have fallen through, a Haitian orphan finds a mysterious egg in the jungle and tries to keep it safe with the help of an American volunteer until it can hatch.
AdventureFamilyFantasy
LIFE AT SANDY’S
Aleksandra Hansen
PLEASANTVILLE meets THE RING
After moving in with her overbearing aunt, a young woman finds herself drawn in by a set of VHS tapes of a 90s sitcom after the characters in the show begin reaching out to her, taking advantage of her dissatisfaction with her dull life to pull her into the increasingly sinister television world.
DramaHorrorThriller
MERCY
Geoff Bakken
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT meets JOHN WICK
A young Iranian woman who was disfigured in an acid attack seeks vengeance through vigilantism to protect herself and other women.
ActionDrama
MOON RUSH
Matt O’Reilly
MAD MAX meets AVATAR
A security contractor working for a diamond operation on the moon, which has turned into a violent Wild West free-for-all, goes on the run from guerillas and his own company after finding an enormous diamond.
ActionAdventureSci-FiWestern
NIX
Evan Muehlbauer & Jesse Keller
DON’T BREATHE meets FRANK
Four friends set out to find a legendary punk rocker 35 years after his disappearance, but following a series of unsettling events, they begin to suspect that his isolation has driven him crazy and they are in the clutches of a violent psychopath who schemes to take them out one by one.
HorrorThriller
NOBLE WOMAN, THE
David Case
ELIZABETH meets THE REVENANT
After she and her lover are marooned on an island during an expedition to the New World, an independent French noblewoman must fight for her life in the harsh Canadian wilderness. Based on a true story.
AdventureDramaPeriodRomance
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER
Emily Blake
JOHN WICK meets THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
A hitman with a perfect record fails to kill his target – an immortal man with a death wish. Looking to keep his streak alive, the hitman agrees to help the man reverse the curse that keeps him alive.
ActionFantasyThriller
PARALLEL
Jonathan Flicker
THE CONJURING meets FREQUENCY
A family living in an isolated Massachusetts home finds themselves haunted by the echoes of the family who inhabited the structure over two centuries earlier.
HorrorPeriodSci-Fi
PETER AND THE WOLVES
Conor Kyle
STRANGER THINGS meets CITY OF THIEVES
Amidst widespread starvation and devastation in war-torn St. Petersburg, a group of children attempt to track down and kill the murderous cannibal who took their friend.
HorrorPeriodThrillerWar
POINT NEMO
Bradley Starr
CAST AWAY meets MISERY
When a shipwrecked man is rescued by a woman living on a boat in the middle of the ocean, he is initially relieved, but soon discovers she is hiding sinister secrets.
Thriller
TIME FLIES
Max Rissman
SUPERBAD meets HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
A teenage is visited by his future-self to help him win over his high school crush.
ComedySci-Fi
TRIP, THE
Caroline Hoover
THE BIG SICK meets DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
When a strict former nurse finds out her husband is dying of cancer she must use an experimental magic mushroom therapy to lessen his pain.
ComedyDrama
WAGNERS AND THE WILDFLOWER, THE
Elias Markos
TRUE GRIT meets THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
An 18-year-old girl and her younger sister must brave the wilderness when they are taken captive by the sadistic man who killed their father and is hell bent on finding the mysterious treasure he left behind.
DramaPeriodWestern
Announcing The Top 50
The Tracking Board, in exclusive partnership with Prime Universe Films and Echo Lake Entertainment, are incredibly pleased to announce the TOP 50 for the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition!
With over 250 success stories, including seeing writers signed, writers staffed, and their projects set up, we are thrilled to see this next round of finalists going forward into the Top 50. This competition grows every year, allowing us to bring not only new, exciting voices into the fold, but to pursue even more exclusive partnerships to help shape those writers’ futures.
This competition’s Top 50 features have a bit of everything, and then some to spare. From insidious houses that are alive (and hungry) to stories that explore the heroes we thought we knew, bawdy collegiate comedies to adventures centering around mysterious eggs found in the jungle, and even characters ranging from cannibal killers, to rogues on the moon, to people who are forced to do the unthinkable to survive, there is something here for everyone. Spanning all genres, wildly different settings, vast swaths of time, and everything in-between, these scripts truly showcase the diversity of storytelling that makes this competition a success year after year.
As our 2017 LPFC producing partner Prime Universe Films begins the hunt for their next big hit, and our representation partner Echo Lake Entertainment searches for their newest star client, we’ll be hard at work getting the Top 50 into the hands of our judges at UTA, WME, Gersh, Energy Entertainment, Circle of Confusion, Di Novi Pictures, Bellevue Productions, and many more. We cannot express enough how incredibly excited we are for the weeks ahead, and to see this latest batch of Launch Pad writers thrive.
Without further ado, let us introduce you to the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition Top 50!
(As a reminder: If you selected one of our add-on prizes at time of entry, but did not advance to the Top 50, you are still in contention to win those prizes.)
| Project | Written By |
|---|---|
| A GIANT NAMED ANDRE | John Halligan |
| A ROYAL COMPANION | Karolyn Szot |
| ADVENTURES OF FOX, THE | Nicholas Fox Robbins & Vince Robbins |
| ASHES | Sarah Hulsman |
| AUSTENTATIOUS | Charmaine Colina |
| BASTARD OF ROBERT E. LEE, THE | Aaron Benjamin |
| BEAST | Aaron W. Sala |
| BIG FUTURE AHEAD | Rick Mashburn |
| BOAT, THE | Robert Wooldridge |
| CALIFORNIANAS | Eve Symington & Robin Zamora |
| CAREGIVER, THE | Joelle Luman |
| CHURCH OF PARTY, THE | Jon Pack |
| CONFECTION CONNECTION, THE | Yuval Stein |
| DAGON | David Quiroz Jr |
| DARK LOGISTICS | Benjamin Finkel |
| DRAGON AND THE LOTUS, THE | Elissa Huang |
| ESPERANZA | Bret Polish |
| FEED THE MONSTER | Rob Rex |
| FINDING FLETCHER’S FINGERS | Shannon Mier |
| FORSAKING ALL OTHERS | Alex Hardcastle & Vance Stringer |
| FRIEND OF THE SHOW | Brian T Arnold |
| FRONTIERSMEN | Ben Feuer |
| GETAWAY | Jamie Napoli & Joshua Paul Johnson |
| HATCHLING, THE | John Wikstrom |
| HENCHMAN | Andrew Wood |
| HI LINE | Migizi Pensoneau |
| I WANNA F*** ADOLF HITLER | Dylan Visvikis |
| JELLYFISH SUMMER | Sarah Jane Inwards |
| LIFE AT SANDY’S | Aleksandra Hansen |
| LOS NIÑOS SICARIOS | Joe Varkle & Robert Lambert |
| MERCY | Geoff Bakken |
| MOON RUSH | Matt O’Reilly |
| NIX | Evan Muehlbauer & Jesse Keller |
| NOBLE WOMAN, THE | David Case |
| NOBODY LIVES FOREVER | Emily Blake |
| OIL AND WATER | Alfred Thomas Catalfo & Morgan Webster Dudley |
| PARALLEL | Jonathan Flicker |
| PARIAH | David Lynch & Keith Lynch |
| PETER AND THE WOLVES | Conor Kyle |
| POINT NEMO | Bradley Starr |
| RE-ENTRY | Dave Mango |
| RELENTLESS | Jeffrey Durante |
| RUNNER, THE | Matthew Minson |
| TIME FLIES | Max Rissman |
| TO HARPO FROM WOOLLCOTT | Josh Aichenbaum |
| TRIP, THE | Caroline Hoover |
| TRUTH AGAINST THE WORLD | Denise Meyers |
| UNMAKING LOVE | Evan Laughlin |
| WAGNERS AND THE WILDFLOWER, THE | Elias Markos |
| WAY OUT IS THROUGH, THE | Tyler Theofilos |
Announcing The Top 75
The Tracking Board, in exclusive partnership with Prime Universe Films, and Echo Lake Entertainment, are incredibly pleased to announce the TOP 75 for the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition!
Now in its fifth year, the Feature Competition is the one that started it all way back in 2013. Since then, all of the Launch Pad Competitions have helped more than 250 writers get signed, 81 projects get set up, seen 48 writers hired as staff-writers, and sparked 4 studio bidding wars. We’ve had the privilege of seeing so many amazing writers get their career jumpstart right here, and we couldn’t be more proud of all our alums.
As in years passed, this competition’s Top 75 showcases a vast array of films from storytellers across the globe. These writers’ work represents everything from slow-burn horror to uplifting journeys of hope, gut-busting and unexpected comedies to breakneck thrillers, true historical adventures to magical animated fantasies. Their protagonists cope with loss, struggle with impossible odds, strive to find the humor in any situation, and even fight tooth and nail for their very survival. These 75 scripts are a true representation of the promise and excitement of why we began this competition five years ago, and why we’re thrilled to continue it year after year.
As our 2017 LPFC producing partner Prime Universe Films begins the hunt for their next big hit, and our representation partner Echo Lake Entertainment searches for their newest star client, we’ll be hard at work getting the Top 75 into the hands of our judges at UTA, WME, Gersh, Energy Entertainment, Circle of Confusion, Di Novi Pictures, Bellevue Productions, and many more. We cannot express enough how incredibly excited we are for the weeks ahead, and to see this latest batch of Launch Pad writers thrive.
Without further ado, let us introduce you to the 2017 Launch Pad Feature Competition Top 75!
(As a reminder: If you selected one of our add-on prizes at time of entry, but did not advance to the Top 75, you are still in contention to win those prizes.)
| Project | Written By |
|---|---|
| 405, THE | Patrick Byrne |
| A GIANT NAMED ANDRE | John Halligan |
| A ROYAL COMPANION | Karolyn Szot |
| ADVENTURES OF FOX, THE | Nicholas Fox Robbins & Vince Robbins |
| ASHES | Sarah Hulsman |
| AUSTENTATIOUS | Charmaine Colina |
| BADLANDS, THE | Andrew Ladd & Leif Lillehaugen |
| BAMBOOZLED | Randall Knox |
| BASTARD OF ROBERT E. LEE, THE | Aaron Benjamin |
| BEAST | Aaron W. Sala |
| BIG FUTURE AHEAD | Rick Mashburn |
| BOAT, THE | Robert Wooldridge |
| BOY BANDS TO MEN | David Ngo |
| CALIFORNIANAS | Eve Symington & Robin Zamora |
| CAREGIVER, THE | Joelle Luman |
| CHURCH OF PARTY, THE | Jon Pack |
| CONFECTION CONNECTION, THE | Yuval Stein |
| CONGRATULATIONS, IT’S AN ALIEN | Nathan Davis |
| DAGON | David Quiroz Jr |
| DARK LOGISTICS | Benjamin Finkel |
| DOBSON FIELD INITIATIVE, THE | Vince Bailey |
| DRAGON AND THE LOTUS, THE | Elissa Huang |
| ESPERANZA | Bret Polish |
| EVE | Josh Renfree |
| FALSE COMFORTS | Steven Mills |
| FEED THE MONSTER | Rob Rex |
| FINDING FLETCHER’S FINGERS | Shannon Mier |
| FORSAKING ALL OTHERS | Alex Hardcastle & Vance Stringer |
| FRIEND OF THE SHOW | Brian Arnold |
| FRONTIERSMEN | Ben Feuer |
| GETAWAY | Jamie Napoli & Joshua Paul Johnson |
| GOING FOR TWO | Kathleen Welch Markel |
| HATCHLING, THE | John Wikstrom |
| HENCHMAN | Andrew Wood |
| HI LINE | Migizi Pensoneau |
| HOLIDAY MAGIC | Rex Carter |
| I WANNA F*** ADOLF HITLER | Dylan Visvikis |
| IF I WERE YOU | Joseph Muszynski |
| IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT | Shane Weisfeld |
| INSTANT LOVE | Juanjo Moscardó & María Mínguez |
| JELLYFISH SUMMER | Sarah Jane Inwards |
| JENNIFER LAWRENCE’S EVIL DOPPELGANGER | Kelly Byrnes |
| LIFE AT SANDY’S | Aleksandra Hansen |
| LOS NIÑOS SICARIOS | Joe Varkle & Robert Lambert |
| LOVE & HOSTILITY | Michael Mirabella |
| MERCY | Geoff Bakken |
| MILWAUKEE ROULETTE | Glenn Rabney |
| MISSING ALICE | Chris Preyor |
| MOON RUSH | Matt O’Reilly |
| NIX | Evan Muehlbauer & Jesse Keller |
| NOBLE WOMAN, THE | David Case |
| NOBODY LIVES FOREVER | Emily Blake |
| OIL AND WATER | Alfred Thomas Catalfo & Morgan Webster Dudley |
| ONES LEFT BEHIND, THE | Ashley White |
| PARALLEL | Jonathan Flicker |
| PARIAH | David Lynch & Keith Lynch |
| PETER AND THE WOLVES | Conor Kyle |
| POINT NEMO | Bradley Starr |
| PURPLE HEART BATTALION, THE | Ken Miyamoto |
| RE-ENTRY | Dave Mango |
| REBELLION | Sergio Kopelev |
| RED DIVE | Alexander Gustaveson |
| RELENTLESS | Jeffrey Durante |
| RUNNER, THE | Matthew Minson |
| THIS IS ME LEAVING YOU | Ellie Bambach Morello |
| TIME FLIES | Max Rissman |
| TO HARPO FROM WOOLLCOTT | Josh Aichenbaum |
| TRAPLINE | Brett Treacy & Dan Woodward |
| TRIP, THE | Caroline Hoover |
| TRUTH AGAINST THE WORLD | Denise Meyers |
| TUNDRA KILL | Kevin Bachar |
| UNMAKING LOVE | Evan Laughlin |
| VINNY LUPTON | Adam Benic |
| WAGNERS AND THE WILDFLOWER, THE | Elias Markos |
| WAY OUT IS THROUGH, THE | Tyler Theofilos |
The competition that started it all… the Launch Pad Feature Competition is back for its 5th year. Since the launch of our very first writing competition, the Launch Pad has helped 254 writers get signed, 81 projects get set up, seen 48 writers hired as staff-writers, and sparked 4 studio bidding wars.
From the start, the competition has leveraged our deep relationships with Hollywood’s top agents, managers, producers, and executives and consistently assembled a “who’s who” panel of 25 judges for each and every competition. This year is no exception, with judges participating from Paradigm, APA, Energy Entertainment, Circle of Confusion, Di Novi Pictures, Bellevue, and many more.
At the Launch Pad, we go above and beyond to advocate for all of our finalists, from the Top 75 all the way to our winners. We work tirelessly to get your work into the hands of the biggest agencies, management companies, and production companies around to showcase you and your writing.
But that’s just where it begins. Our industry leading partnerships with companies like Michael De Luca Productions, Scott Free Productions, Vertigo Entertainment, Endgame Entertainment, Lee Stobby Entertainment, ESA, and Energy Entertainment, to name a few, give writers even more opportunities to take their writing careers to the next level.
GUARANTEED OPTION PRIZE
The Launch Pad is excited to announce our Guaranteed Option Prize partnership with producer Adrian Askarieh and his Prime Universe Films. Prime Universe is the production company behind the popular video game-based Hitman film franchise. They are currently in development on the feature film adaptation of Just Cause based on the best-selling Sqaure-Enix video game series, which has Aquaman star Jason Momoa set as the lead and San Andreas director Brad Peyton directing.
Prime Universe also recently signed a first-look deal for film and TV with production/distribution company Constantin Films (Resident Evil film franchise, The Fantastic Four film franchise, The Mortal Instruments franchise).
Hot off their new deal, Prime Universe is eager to discover and develop strong cinematic stories with unique characters that cater to the ever-expanding global marketplace. By partnering with the Launch Pad, they are not only onboard to serve as one of our judges for this year’s competition, but have also committed to option at least one project which has selected the Guaranteed Option add-on, with an eye toward discovering their next global hit.
GUARANTEED SIGNING PRIZE
At the Launch Pad we’re all about helping writers further their professional writing career and for a lot of you that means landing great representation. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our exclusive partnership with Echo Lake Entertainment, the powerhouse boutique management and production company that represents emerging actors, writers and directors across Film, Television and Digital. As a production company they’ve produced and/or financed more than 30 films and have received a number of awards including 8 Academy Award Nominations and one Academy Award win.
Their clients have written projects for every major studio and production company including Universal, Warner Bros., MGM, The Weinstein Company, FilmNation, Sony Pictures Classics, amongst others. In television their clients have worked on hit shows including The Handmaid’s Tale, American Gods, Daredevil, Timeless, The Blacklist, UnReal, Queen of the South, Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Star, American Horror Story and many more. This is an incredible opportunity to earn representation from a top company that can do it all!
For our guaranteed signing prize, Echo Lake Entertainment will select at least one writer for representation who has selected the Guaranteed Signing Prize.
ONE ON ONE LEARNING
We are incredibly excited to announce our 2017 Feature Competition Mentors, who bring with them a wealth of knowledge covering a wide array of the industry. From hitting the town with a new spec, to landing representation, to creating and writing for a cable network, to the ins and outs of seeing your film produced, each of our mentors tackle the industry from all different angles to make you a more versatile writer.
Anthony Cipriano / David Hoffman / Jason Hellerman
Our first mentor, Anthony Cipriano, began his career in features and shifted his focus to television. He developed the acclaimed television series Bates Motel for A&E;, based on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho, which went on to run for five seasons starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga. He currently has pilots in development at NBC with Jennifer Lopez producing and Starz with producer 50 Cent. Cipriano is now transitioning back into features, where he has multiple projects in development, including one he is eyeing as his directorial debut.
We’re proud to say that David Hoffman, our second mentor, got his start through our very own Launch Pad Competitions. Soon after his drama pilot Running Money won the 2015 Launch Pad Pilots Competition, he set it up with Romark Entertainment and Chernin Entertainment. After his first place finish in the competition, Hoffman was quickly signed by Paradigm and Artillery Creative. Last year, he hit the town with his hot feature spec The Great Debate about the Nixon/Kennedy presidential debates, which won the Enderby Entertainment Award at the Austin Film Festival and earned him a place on the 2015 Hit List and 2015 Young & Hungry List. All this buzz helped earn him a spot writing for the NBC series Timeless.
Last, but certainly not least, we are pleased to welcome Jason Hellerman to our mentor team this year. Hellman’s script Shovel Buddies appeared on the 2013 Hit List and 2013 Black List, and shortly after sold to Awesomeness TV. The film was released in 2016, starring Bella Thorne, and premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Hellerman also brings to the table years of industry experience having worked as a development executive for Cota Films and producer Michael Costigan.
Bringing years of combined experience our mentors are the perfect guides to help you take those crucial next steps. Our mentor program will focus on getting your script ready, tips and strategies on pitching and choosing your next project, and insight on how to navigate your newly minted Hollywood career.
LAUNCH YOUR CAREER TODAY
We’re pleased to be re-teaming with Roadmap Writers to offer all of our competition entrants a free seminar with the Roadmap Writers Program. Run by former development exec for Bold Films (Nightcrawler, Drive) Joey Tuccio, the exclusively curated seminar – geared toward writers of all experience levels – will give writers insight from working producers, executives, agents, and managers to help you build a better pitch, learn how to be good in a room, and how to be sure you’re putting your best work into the world.
REAL NOTES, REAL FEEDBACK
Continuing with the same educational ideas behind the origination of the mentorship program, and continually looking to identify new ways to give our writers even more of a leg up when entering the Launch Pad Competition, we’re thrilled to announce the return of our Feedback Notes Program. Rather than receiving a few vague disconnected sentences or paragraphs from other coverage services or competitions out there, we’ve struck a deal with our professional readers (reading for places such as 20th Century Fox, Sony, Paramount, Universal, UTA & more) to provide 1-2 pages of in-depth notes on your competition entry. With an emphasis on initial thoughts, opinions and analysis, get an inside look at what is usually a behind the curtain process, and get our readers’ perspectives on the story, characters, marketability, and ideas for where the story could go. Was it a page-turner? Did we want to see more of a character? Was the dialogue believable? Get the actionable notes and insight you deserve.
The Launch Pad is more than just a writing competition. We’re here to be the first step in starting your writing career.
Adam Perry
Adrian Askarieh
Andrew Childs
Brian Price
Brooklyn Weaver
Carmen Lewis
Charles Ferraro
Dan Finlay
Daniela Garcia-Brcek
Danny Sherman
Danny Toth
Dash Aiken
David Boxerbaum
Derrick Eppich
Hannah Davis
Jake Wagner
Jeff Belkin
Jeff Portnoy
Jeremy Hentschel
Kailey Marsh
Nick Hoagland
Rachel Reznick
Raquelle David
Sonia Gambaro
