Are you a writer looking to break into the TV industry?
Building on the success of their MonologueSlam UK initiative for actors, WriterSlam UK is Triforce Creative Network‘s programme to help TV production companies and broadcasters access new and established writers from diverse backgrounds. These TV industry professionals then support the writers in their career development, providing tangible outcomes for participants.
They are looking for new voices for television, who come from all backgrounds. They champion diversity of experience with a philosophy that if you include everyone, you don’t need to exclude anyone.
For this new WriterSlam, they are partnering with drama business conference and festival Content London and the C21 WritersRoom initiative. The Content London International Drama Summit event, which takes place between November 26 and 30, sees 2000 of the world’s leading drama executives come into town to meet and plan their future scripted strategies.
Through the WriterSlam, Content London is looking to provide fresh, diverse talent an opportunity to share and develop their untold stories with help from industry experts. They’re looking for writers with exciting, original ideas for drama projects with an international appeal, across the breadth of the scripted drama genre, including thrillers, procedurals, one off dramas and comedy drama.
The winning writer will be selected by the C21 WritersRoom team, which includes showrunners responsible for series including Heroes, Spooks and Criminal Minds. Following their win, they will receive a £1500 option and work with the C21 WritersRoom team over 12 months to develop their idea into a full episode script, with the potential for further development into a series.
The five selected finalists will have extracts of their work performed at Content London’s International Drama Summit on Tuesday 27th November, when the winner will be selected by a panel of judges. The event will be attended by international TV execs as well as UK industry.
Submission Details:
- You must submit a short synopsis of your series idea (no more than 200 words). This should include what scripted drama genre your idea is (thriller, comedy drama etc…), whether you think it will be half hour or one hour episodes, and an outline of what would happen over the first series.
- Plus 10-15 pages of an episode of the drama series. This does not have to be the first episode, but it can be.
- There must be a maximum of 6 speaking characters in the script extract you submit. There can be further characters that appear in the episode or series later on.
- The five finalists must be available for a writers’ workshop on Saturday 17th November 2018
- You must be available to be at Content London from 27th to 30th November.
The last WriterSlam winner was Katrina Smith-Jackson, who won with her drama Tilbury Rush. She developed the script with Sky and TriForce Productions, culminating in an industry table read and has since signed with literary agency Casarotto Ramsey and Associates.
WriterSlam is open to everyone and is free to enter – you do not have to have an agent or have written anything before.
How to apply: visit the website to find out more and apply.
Deadline: 26 October 2018
Source: BBC Writersroom