Announcing the Winners
Overall Winner
LEGACY
Ben Samuels & Oliver Samuels
THE 100 meets SCANDAL
A failed North Korean nuclear missile strike reveals a long-held secret – the existence of a large ship meant to carry humans off the dying Earth.
DramaSci-FiThriller
Top Drama
BETWEEN THE EYES
Gregory Levy / Gabriel Berlind & Gregory Levy (Story)
DEADWOOD meets JANE GOT A GUN
The first female Pinkerton detective is hired to foil an assassination plot against President-elect Lincoln as he travels from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration.
ActionDramaPeriod
Top Comedy
YEARBOOK OF REVELATION, THE
Peter Sherer
THE GOOD PLACE meets ELECTION
In the midst of an ongoing apocalypse, one determined high schooler makes it her life’s mission to save the yearbook club in the face of the end of the world.
ComedyFantasyTeen
Artillery Creative Guaranteed Signing Winner
MARBLE TOMB, THE
Devi Gowni
GAME OF THRONES meets THE CROWN
The sons of Mughal emperor Jahangir fight to become his successor as war threatens the empire on all sides.
DramaEpicPeriodWar
Mentorship Program Winners
101 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON
Megan Bacharach
THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD meets INGRID GOES WEST
After the death of her mother, a sociopath moves to LA and strives to become a better person, with an internet checklist as her only guide.
ComedyDark Comedy
Mentorship Selection – Lauren Otero
AETERNUM
Heidi Nyburg
RESURRECTION meets ALTERED CARBON
A surgical resident, damaged by the role he played in his son’s death, betrays all he knows in an effort to bring his son back to life. Along the way, he becomes entrenched in the vendetta of an unusual family that holds the key to eternal life.
DramaSci-FiSupernatural
Mentorship Selection – Helen Leigh
COMMONS, THE
Laura E. Davis
SIX FEET UNDER meets ALTERED CARBON
After the eradication of all disease, the government puts a cap on life at age 65 in order to keep the population under control. A woman who works as a facilitator for the elderly to pass on finds her morals in question when she discovers her parents have evaded the system and joined an underground resistance.
DramaSci-Fi
Mentorship Selection – Zach Robbins
Announcing The Top 10
After months of reading, reviewing, debating, and finalist rounds, we have finally made it to the last round of finalists before our overall winners announced – The Top 10!
Evenly split between half-hour comedies and hour-long dramas, this years Top 10 comes to us from all four corners of the United States, and is made up of twelve writers (two writing teams), with four scripts appearing from female writers, and six from male writers, and two Launch Pad alums returning to the spotlight from previous years.
On the comedy side, our writers have taken us to worlds both painfully realistic and uniquely fantastical. We get to laugh at inept workers cleaning up disastrous experiments at a closed Jurassic Park-style theme park and attend a high school pushing forward as if nothing is wrong despite the apocalypse happening around them. We can grow up alongside teenagers embarrassed and enlivened by their immigrant parents and keep the secret of a fake marriage from oppressive parents, then turn the channel to see the employees of a failing home shopping network try to remain relevant in the internet age.
Looking to the past, our drama pilots will take us along for the ride as America’s first female detective attempts to prevent the assassination of President Lincoln, sell us snake oil as we see the birth of Herbalife in 1980s Los Angeles, bring us to the party as a black, female club owner stakes her place in 1920s Harlem, and immerse us in a clash between empires in 16th century India. In the future, we can look to the stars as humanity attempts to survive the impending apocalypse with a trip into deep space.
As our judges finalize their decisions and pick our winners, we continue to be thrilled with the diverse group of writers and stories that we got the chance to read and enjoy this year. We know that this will be our most successful collection of pilots ever!
And now, let us present to you the 2018 Launch Pad Pilots Competition Top 10.
BETWEEN THE EYES
Gregory Levy / Gabriel Berlind & Gregory Levy (Story)
DEADWOOD meets JANE GOT A GUN
The first female Pinkerton detective is hired to foil an assassination plot against President-elect Lincoln as he travels from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration.
ActionDramaPeriod
CLEANUP CREW, THE
Curtis Retherford
PARKS AND RECREATION meets JURASSIC PARK
A ragtag team of inept workers is tasked with dismantling an abandoned theme park filled with leftover, ill-advised genetic experiments.
ComedySci-Fi
CONCRETE JUNGLE
David Kushner
BOARDWALK EMPIRE meets JACKIE BROWN
In 1930s New York, the black jazz club owner known as the “The Queen of Harlem” must make a difficult decision when the Italian mob demands ownership of her business in exchange for protection.
CrimeDramaPeriod
FIRST GENERATION
Sophia Zolan
FRESH OFF THE BOAT meets MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Two first generation American teenagers struggle to fit in despite the wacky antics of their parents and the embarrassing cultural differences their families bombard them with.
ComedyTeen
LEGACY
Ben Samuels & Oliver Samuels
THE 100 meets SCANDAL
A failed North Korean nuclear missile strike reveals a long-held secret – the existence of a large ship meant to carry humans off the dying Earth.
DramaSci-FiThriller
MARBLE TOMB, THE
Devi Gowni
GAME OF THRONES meets THE CROWN
The sons of Mughal emperor Jahangir fight to become his successor as war threatens the empire on all sides.
DramaEpicPeriodWar
PG 30
Vidhya Iyer
MASTER OF NONE meets KNOCKED UP
In an effort to get their nagging parents off their back an Indian-American woman and her gay Indian-American best friend decide to enter into a fake marriage. It’s a plan that seems to be going perfectly… right up until she discovers she’s pregnant with her incredibly white ex-boyfriend.
ComedyDrama
PYRAMID
Sebastian Davis
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET meets BETTER CALL SAUL
A high-school drop out needs to make money for his mom’s medical expenses, but when he realizes the pyramid scheme he’s working for is a scam, he decides to create his own so that he can be on top.
DramaThriller
VALUE SHOPPING NETWORK, THE
Meg Favreau
30 ROCK meets SUPERSTORE
After accidentally setting her news studio on fire and becoming a viral sensation, a type-A journalist is forced to take a job hosting on a failing home shopping network.
Comedy
YEARBOOK OF REVELATION, THE
Peter Sherer
THE GOOD PLACE meets ELECTION
In the midst of an ongoing apocalypse, one determined high schooler makes it her life’s mission to save the yearbook club in the face of the end of the world.
ComedyFantasyTeen
Announcing The Top 25
We’ve entered the home stretch now. Our judges are completing their final reads and the winners are just around the corner. Alongside our exclusive competition partners Artillery Creative and Oil and Cattle Entertainment, we are thrilled to be bringing new, talented writers into our Launch Pad family!
This year’s Top 25 pilots center on an amazing collection of compelling characters, from the woman who was Queen of both England and France, to pop stars selling their souls in Faustian bargains, to outsiders fighting against the Hollywood blacklist. Our writers have made criminals sympathetic, cancer patients unlikable, and soap opera stars relatable, bringing the reader into worlds and experiences they’ve never seen before.
Knowing the bright futures ahead for all of them, we are thrilled to introduce you to the writers and projects of the 2018 Launch Pad Pilots 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.)
BETWEEN THE EYES
Gregory Levy / Gabriel Berlind & Gregory Levy (Story)
DEADWOOD meets JANE GOT A GUN
The first female Pinkerton detective is hired to foil an assassination plot against President-elect Lincoln as he travels from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration.
ActionDramaPeriod
BITCH
Gary Sewell
FEUD meets DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
A soap opera star in the 1980s discovers that her character is about to be killed off, so she channels the violent matriarch she plays in order to stay on top by any means necessary.
DramaPeriod
CANCER OF THE EVERYTHING
Adam Nadler
CATASTROPHE meets 50/50
After having the worst one-night stand ever, two cynical, lovelorn New Yorkers wake up to learn that one of them has cancer. But rather than cut their ties and go their separate ways, they make a deal: she will help him through cancer treatment, and he will find her a husband with a normal life expectancy.
ComedyDark ComedyDrama
CLEANUP CREW, THE
Curtis Retherford
PARKS AND RECREATION meets JURASSIC PARK
A ragtag team of inept workers is tasked with dismantling an abandoned theme park filled with leftover, ill-advised genetic experiments.
ComedySci-Fi
CONCRETE JUNGLE
David Kushner
BOARDWALK EMPIRE meets JACKIE BROWN
In 1930s New York, the black jazz club owner known as the “The Queen of Harlem” must make a difficult decision when the Italian mob demands ownership of her business in exchange for protection.
CrimeDramaPeriod
DEAL WITH JENNY SHIELDS, THE
Colton Lawrence & Shannon Van Dorn
NASHVILLE meets SUPERNATURAL
A young musician literally signs away her soul to a mysterious talent agency that promises to make her famous, but finds her new life more dangerous than she imagined.
DramaMusicSupernaturalTeen
EXPLORER’S GUILD, THE
Cody Pearce
INDIANA JONES meets MYSTERY TEAM
A group of adults who had an “explorers club” as children come together in search of a powerful artifact when their friend dies and leaves them all mysterious clues.
AdventureComedyDrama
FIRST GENERATION
Sophia Zolan
FRESH OFF THE BOAT meets MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Two first generation American teenagers struggle to fit in despite the wacky antics of their parents and the embarrassing cultural differences their families bombard them with.
ComedyTeen
HATCHET PLAINS
Angela Jorgensen
MAD MEN meets TRUMBO
At the height of McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist, three “unemployable” screenwriters team up to produce a politically charged television series under pseudonyms.
DramaPeriod
HIGH POCKETS
Chad Callaghan
ALIAS meets THE PACIFIC
Trapped in the Philippines under Japanese occupation during WWII and driven by a desire to revenge the death of her soldier husband, an American singer begins a spy ring out of her cabaret club in Manila. Based on a true story.
DramaPeriodThrillerWar
JACKRABBIT
David Schlow
FIREFLY meets BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
A man finds out that he is actually living on a fake Earth under the influence of a dangerous alien race, and that his absent father has secretly been part of a rebellion.
DramaSci-Fi
LEGACY
Ben Samuels & Oliver Samuels
THE 100 meets SCANDAL
A failed North Korean nuclear missile strike reveals a long-held secret – the existence of a large ship meant to carry humans off the dying Earth.
DramaSci-FiThriller
LIONHEARTS
Tobin Addington
THE TUDORS meets VICTORIA
The true story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most notorious queen of the Middle Ages, struggles to maintain independence from her husband, the King of France.
DramaPeriodTrue
MARBLE TOMB, THE
Devi Gowni
GAME OF THRONES meets THE CROWN
The sons of Mughal emperor Jahangir fight to become his successor as war threatens the empire on all sides.
DramaEpicPeriodWar
PALM SPRINGS
Paul Ditty
DALLAS meets REVENGE
A wealthy and powerful family of real estate moguls embark upon a new development in Palm Springs, but their personal demons and secret pasts threaten to ruin everything.
Drama
PARTNERS
Alan W. Porter
SPLITTING UP TOGETHER meets CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND
Fifteen years after a rough breakup, former law school sweethearts reunite to start a law firm together.
Comedy
PG 30
Vidhya Iyer
MASTER OF NONE meets KNOCKED UP
In an effort to get their nagging parents off their back an Indian-American woman and her gay Indian-American best friend decide to enter into a fake marriage. It’s a plan that seems to be going perfectly… right up until she discovers she’s pregnant with her incredibly white ex-boyfriend.
ComedyDrama
PREMATURE EVANGELIZATION
Mark Kosin
MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN meets BIG MOUTH
After Jesus ascends to heaven, his disciples realize just how inept and lost they are without him.
Comedy
PRODIGAL SON
Ezra W. Nachman
THE SOPRANOS meets DISOBEDIENCE
When their estranged son returns after ten years away, an influential Orthodox Jewish family involved in diamond and drug smuggling is forced into an internal power struggle. All the while, little do they know, but their son is undercover for the FBI.
DramaThriller
PYRAMID
Sebastian Davis
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET meets BETTER CALL SAUL
A high-school drop out needs to make money for his mom’s medical expenses, but when he realizes the pyramid scheme he’s working for is a scam, he decides to create his own so that he can be on top.
DramaThriller
RESURRECTIONIST, THE
Josh Katz & Josh Thorud
THE TERROR meets THE RETURNED
Eight years after his brother went missing on an expedition to the arctic, a provocative columnist in Providence discovers that his brother’s ship has made it home, but with nobody on board.
DramaHorrorSupernatural
SATELLITE
David Williams
DYNASTY meets BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
The daughter of one of the three wealthy families who rule over the moon as oligarchs returns home after surviving a terrorist attack that could mark the start of a populist rebellion.
DramaSci-FiThriller
SPIN CYCLE: THE DOCUMENTARY
Meredith Hambrock
THE OFFICE meets DODGEBALL
After losing her hand in a freak accident, a spin instructor decides to open her own independent studio, right next to the big chain studio she used to work at.
Comedy
VALUE SHOPPING NETWORK, THE
Meg Favreau
30 ROCK meets SUPERSTORE
After accidentally setting her news studio on fire and becoming a viral sensation, a type-A journalist is forced to take a job hosting on a failing home shopping network.
Comedy
YEARBOOK OF REVELATION, THE
Peter Sherer
THE GOOD PLACE meets ELECTION
In the midst of an ongoing apocalypse, one determined high schooler makes it her life’s mission to save the yearbook club in the face of the end of the world.
ComedyFantasyTeen
Announcing The Top 50
As we continue to narrow down this year’s crop of fantastic pilots alongside our accomplished collection of judges and exclusive competition partners Artillery Creative and Oil & Cattle Entertainment, we are impressed again and again with the sheer depth of talent on display in this year’s competition.
Whether it be laughing out loud at the exploits of inept spin instructors and television personalities, biting our nails as we wait for the results of houseboat heists and murder trials, or holding our breaths during sweeping battle scenes in Roman Spain and car chases through the red mud of Georgia – it has been a delight to explore the skills and creativity of our Top 50 pilots.
Knowing the bright futures ahead for all of them, we are thrilled to introduce you to the writers and projects of the 2018 Launch Pad Pilots 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 |
|---|---|
| 101 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON | Megan Bacharach |
| AETERNUM | Heidi Nyburg |
| BETWEEN THE EYES | Gregory Levy / Gabriel Berlind & Gregory Levy (Story) |
| BITCH | Gary Sewell |
| BOARD, THE | Sarah K. Moss |
| CANCER OF THE EVERYTHING | Adam Nadler |
| CLEANUP CREW, THE | Curtis Retherford |
| COMMONS, THE | Bobby Hankinson |
| CONCRETE JUNGLE | David Kushner |
| CRIMINALS | Joey Siara |
| DEAL WITH JENNY SHIELDS, THE | Colton Lawrence & Shannon Van Dorn |
| DESERT 10 | Zachary Tomlinson |
| EXPLORER’S GUILD, THE | Cody Pearce |
| FIRST GENERATION | Sophia Zolan |
| FUN CENTER | Anna Menta & Sarah Soderquist |
| HANNIBAL AT THE GATES | Adam Korenman & Sam Khushal |
| HATCHET PLAINS | Angela Jorgensen |
| HER MAJESTY’S SPYMISTRESS | Marcus Goodwin |
| HIGH POCKETS | Chad Callaghan |
| HIGHWIRE | Gareth Smith |
| INFLUENCE | Melissa Cassera |
| INSIDE OCEANSIDE | Tate Elizabeth Hanyok |
| JACKRABBIT | David Schlow |
| LEGACY | Ben Samuels & Oliver Samuels |
| LIFERS ANONYMOUS | Sean Collins-Smith |
| LIONHEARTS | Tobin Addington |
| LOST EDEN CANYON | Alan R. Baxter |
| LOVE SCENES, LLC | Lira Kellerman |
| LOW ACHIEVING CHILDREN | Ben Kawaller |
| MARBLE TOMB, THE | Devi Gowni |
| NOTTINGHAM | Callie C. Miller |
| PALM SPRINGS | Paul Ditty |
| PANTHERS | Eric Glover |
| PARTNERS | Alan W. Porter |
| PEARL | Kimberly Rose Ka’iulani Wolter |
| PG 30 | Vidhya Iyer |
| PREMATURE EVANGELIZATION | Mark Kosin |
| PRODIGAL SON | Ezra W. Nachman |
| PROGRESSIVE, OHIO | Aaron Smith |
| PYRAMID | Sebastian Davis |
| RED DIRT | David Sullivan |
| RELATIVE | Michael Apgar |
| RESURRECTIONIST, THE | Josh Katz & Josh Thorud |
| SATELLITE | David Williams |
| SPIN CYCLE: THE DOCUMENTARY | Meredith Hambrock |
| TOWPATH, THE | C.J. Wells |
| UNPROHIBITED | Jordyn Giddens |
| VALUE SHOPPING NETWORK, THE | Meg Favreau |
| VINEYARD, THE | Teresa Huang |
| YEARBOOK OF REVELATION, THE | Peter Sherer |
Announcing The Top 75
As our judges, partners and mentors begin their deep dive into this years finalists, we, alongside our exclusive partners Artillery Creative and Oil and Cattle Entertainment are thrilled to announce the next round of finalists in this years competition, as we present our Top 75.
And even as we narrow our list from 100 to 75, this years finalists continue to include something for everyone. With stories of America’s first female detectives and those of history’s greatest generals, with a truly ‘universal’ sci-fi twist on Robin Hood in space, to the intricately comedic worlds of home shopping networks, from the baseball diamonds of little leagues to the app obsessed dating worlds of adulthood and the oh so fun balance of love, marriage, parenthood, and the exploration of all the things that make us who we are today.
So, once again, without further ado, let us introduce you to the Top 75 finalists of the 2018 Launch Pad Pilot Competition!
(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 |
|---|---|
| 101 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON | Megan Bacharach |
| A TRAIN, THE | Julie Sayres |
| AETERNUM | Heidi Nyburg |
| AGENDER | Dale Winton |
| AMERICAN MOTOR | Sam Tofsted |
| AN OUTSIDER’S GUIDE TO RICH PEOPLE | James Mulholland & Jennifer Krueger |
| ARCANUM | Gabriel Lichstein & Jennie Chamberlain |
| BAD THINGS | Jon Bachmann & Katherine Griffin |
| BETWEEN THE EYES | Gregory Levy / Gabriel Berlind & Gregory Levy (Story) |
| BITCH | Gary Sewell |
| BOARD, THE | Sarah K. Moss |
| CANCER OF THE EVERYTHING | Adam Nadler |
| CLEANUP CREW, THE | Curtis Retherford |
| COMMONS, THE | Laura E. Davis |
| COMMONS, THE | Bobby Hankinson |
| CONCRETE JUNGLE | David Kushner |
| CRIMINALS | Joey Siara |
| DARK EMBASSY | Sloane Korach |
| DARK FORCES | Jonathan A. Mooney |
| DEAL WITH JENNY SHIELDS, THE | Colton Lawrence & Shannon Van Dorn |
| DESERT 10 | Zachary Tomlinson |
| DO RIGHT WOMAN | Catherine Coyne |
| EXPLORER’S GUILD, THE | Cody Pearce |
| FIRST GENERATION | Sophia Zolan |
| FLUNKIES | Micah Leslie |
| FOUNDERS | Molly Miller |
| FUN CENTER | Anna Menta & Sarah Soderquist |
| G.I. VOGUE | Alyson Weaver Nicholas |
| HANNIBAL AT THE GATES | Adam Korenman & Sam Khushal |
| HATCHET PLAINS | Angela Jorgensen |
| HER MAJESTY’S SPYMISTRESS | Marcus Goodwin |
| HIGH POCKETS | Chad Callaghan |
| HIGHWIRE | Gareth Smith |
| HOLLYWOODLAND | Lisa Bao |
| INFLUENCE | Melissa Cassera |
| INSIDE OCEANSIDE | Tate Elizabeth Hanyok |
| JACKRABBIT | David Schlow |
| JOSH AND EMMA ARE NOT DATING | Zach Heltzel |
| LEGACY | Ben Samuels & Oliver Samuels |
| LIFERS ANONYMOUS | Sean Collins-Smith |
| LIONHEARTS | Tobin Addington |
| LITTLE LEAGUE | Jake Bernstein & Tyler Eaton |
| LOST EDEN CANYON | Alan R. Baxter |
| LOVE SCENES, LLC | Lira Kellerman |
| LOW ACHIEVING CHILDREN | Ben Kawaller |
| MARBLE TOMB, THE | Devi Gowni |
| NOTTINGHAM | Callie C. Miller |
| OUT OF THE STONE AGE | Joe Gold |
| PALM SPRINGS | Paul Ditty |
| PANTHERS | Eric Glover |
| PARTNERS | Alan W. Porter |
| PEARL | Kimberly Rose Ka’iulani Wolter |
| PG 30 | Vidhya Iyer |
| PLASTICS | Deborah Tarica |
| POINT ROBERTS | Jeff Patneaude |
| PREMATURE EVANGELIZATION | Mark Kosin |
| PRODIGAL SON | Ezra W. Nachman |
| PROGRESSIVE, OHIO | Aaron Smith |
| PULP | Raphael Loucadellis |
| PYRAMID | Sebastian Davis |
| RED DIRT | David Sullivan |
| RELATED | Ben Agron & Brandon Feldman |
| RELATIVE | Michael Apgar |
| RESURRECTIONIST, THE | Josh Katz & Josh Thorud |
| RESURRECTIONISTS, THE | Travis Opgenorth |
| SATELLITE | David Williams |
| SHITSTORM | David H. Luz |
| SPIN CYCLE: THE DOCUMENTARY | Meredith Hambrock |
| TOWPATH, THE | C.J. Wells |
| UNPROHIBITED | Jordyn Giddens |
| VALUE SHOPPING NETWORK, THE | Meg Favreau |
| VINEYARD, THE | Teresa Huang |
| WEFEED | Frank Spiro |
| WHISTLE-BLOWER, THE | Bill Taub & Scott Ritter |
| YEARBOOK OF REVELATION, THE | Peter Sherer |
The Launch Pad Pilots Competition is back for 2018! We are now accepting submissions, so if you dream of writing for TV, submit your pilot today.
Here at Launch Pad we’ve spent the last 5 years working tirelessly to help writers launch their careers. Our partners and judges represent some of the top agents, managers, producers, and executives in the industry. This type of unprecedented access is unique to us and has resulted in 254 writers finding representation, 81 projects getting set up, and 48 writers getting staffed on a show.
This competition is truly a golden opportunity to get your work in the hands of the people that matter. So polish off your pilots and submit your script today.
WHAT DO I NEED?
One (or more) original television pilot no more than 70 pages.
WHAT CAN I WIN?
3 Grand Prize Winners will receive flights to Los Angeles for a meet and greet with some of the biggest agents, managers, and execs in the industry. Guaranteed Option Add-On: Our partner will option at least one pilot from the competition. Guaranteed Signing Add-On: Your chance to get a rep. Our partner will sign at least one writer from the competition. Mentorship Prizes Add-On: Our three mentors will each select a writer to advise and support through their journey in the industry.
OTHER BENEFITS
Feedback Notes Add-On: Our readers are standing by, ready to give you a professional analysis of your work and constructive feedback on how to take it to the next level Every entrant will also receive the once in a lifetime opportunity to get their work in front of the top reps, producers, and execs in the industry, at companies such as Verve, 3 Arts, Anonymous Content, APA, Energy Entertainment, Bellevue, Imagine Entertainment, Chernin Entertainment and many more.
POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS
One crucial reason we have been so successful in helping launch careers is our relationships with our wonderful partners. For five years now, we’ve partnered with some of the top writers, producers, execs, agents, and managers to expand opportunities for up and coming scribes.
Our partnerships manifest in three exciting add-on prizes: The Guaranteed Option, Guaranteed Signing, and the Mentorships. Each writer who purchases the add-on will be considered by our partners, regardless of their performance in the overall competition.
For the Option Prize, our partner will select at least one work to option. The Guaranteed Signing is very similar, except instead of an option, our partner agrees to represent at least one writer from the competition. The Mentorship Prize will see three partners each select a writer to advise during their career. Past partners for these prizes have included Scott Free, Bellevue, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. writer Dan Doyle.
GUARANTEED SIGNING PRIZE
Step one, write your script. For many, step two is landing great representation who will share you and your work with Hollywood decision makers. For this year’s competition, we’ve partnered with Thomas Carter and his management company Artillery Creative. A respected veteran in the business, Thomas has served as both literary manager and producer. His clients have written for networks like NBC, HBO, TNT, USA, CBS, FreeForm, and on shows that include TIMELESS and CHICAGO PD.
On the producing front, he has the upcoming adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s Hugo and Nebula Award winning book DAWN with Ava DuVernay attached to produce. He’s also producing the adaptation of true crime thriller BURN for Anonymous Content with Mahershala Ali set to star and client Frederick Kotto set to write. This is a rare opportunity to earn representation from a veteran who brings invaluable knowledge of both the management and producing world.
For our guaranteed signing prize, Artillery Creative will select at least one writer for representation.
GUARANTEED OPTION PRIZE
We are pleased to announce our Guaranteed Option Prize partnership with development acquisition financier and production company, Oil & Cattle. Currently, Oil & Cattle is set to produce Octavia E. Butler’s Nebula and Hugo Award-winning sci-fi classic Dawn, alongside A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay, and former WME partner Charles D. King’s Macro. Oil & Cattle has optioned the rights of several other high profile books and articles from companies that include HarperCollins, GQ, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone. Oil & Cattle prides themselves on discovering commercially viable projects rooted in humanized storytelling.
By partnering with the Launch Pad, Oil & Cattle will option at least one project which has selected the Guaranteed Option add-on.
THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
With 2018 Pilot Competition mentors Lauren Otero, Helen Leigh & Zachary Robbins
There’s no need to go it alone. Working closely with experienced writers who have walked the walk can be an invaluable experience. That’s why we offer exclusive mentorship opportunities for writers to learn from those making moves in the industry today.
We’re incredibly excited to announce our newest mentor, Lauren Otero. Lauren has staffed on cable and network TV shows, including HAPPY ENDINGS, HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, and GIRL MEETS WORLD. In the digital space, she has written for go90’s MR. STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, has served as a co-producer on go90’s VERSUS, and has sold projects to AwesomenessTV and Mitú. Currently, Lauren is developing a dark musical comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen’s production company.
Also joining our mentor program this year is writer, Helen Leigh. Helen is known for her genre writing prowess. She served as writer’s assistant on Cinemax’s OUTCAST, coming off of writing and producing her first episode. She also previously worked for literary management and production company Circle of Confusion and Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment. Helen most recently participated in the creative conference for developing the mobile game THE WALKING DEAD S4 with Telltale Games.
Last but not least, writer Zach Robbins is our third mentor this competition. Staffed on HBO’s BALLERS, Zach has also written for IFC’s MARON and FX’s RESCUE ME, as well as served as script coordinator for Showtime’s HOUSE OF LIES.
Our mentors bring real world experience and diverse paths on how to break into the industry as a television writer, insight into navigating the writers’ room, and valuable tips on how to sell original material. Our mentor program will also focus on getting your script ready, and strategies for pitching and choosing your next project. This is an incredible opportunity that you don’t want to miss. Stay tuned as we prepare to announce our next two mentors!
FREE BONUS WITH YOUR ENTRY
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 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.
