“Act 1: The ION Television Movie Contest
I rarely pimp writing competitions, but this one is unusual in a couple of regards and, therefore, worth noting. The New York Television Festival and the TV network ION are sponsoring this competition:
Call for Content: The NYTV Fest also launched a new writing contest offering drama screenwriters the chance to win a $40,000 development deal with ION Television. To enter, writers must submit a movie treatment (5–10 pages) and the first act of their screenplay (20–40 pages). The deadline for entry is November 30, 2009.
The comp is unusual because (A) it’s for television writing (my guess is ION plans to use the movie as a “backdoor pilot” for a possible TV series), (B) it’s a specific genre (The screenplay will ideally be in the genre of a ‘drama procedural’), and © it’s for a broadcast network that up until recently only aired acquisitions, repeats of preexisting TV shows that had aired on other networks including “Criminal Minds,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “NCIS,” and “Durham County,” “Reba,” and “MASH,” and movies. Tiny ratings so far. For example, here are the Nielsen ratings from last Friday night:
CBS: 5.5/10 Ghost Whisperer [p] 5.5/10, Medium [p] 5.7/10, Numb3rs [p] 5.3/10
NBC: 4.1/8 Law & Order [p] 4.2/8, Dateline 4.2/8, The Jay Leno Show 3.9/7
ABC: 3.5/6 Flash Forward [r] 2.8/5, Modern Family [r] 2.5/4, Cougar Town [r] 2.4/4, 20/20 5.1/9
UNIV: 2.0/4 En Nombre Del Amor 1.9/4, Manana Es Para Siempre 2.6/5, La Rosa De Guadalupe 1.5/3
MNT: 1.9/3 WWE Friday Night Smackdown 1.9/3
FOX: 1.6/3 Brothers [p] 1.7/3, Brothers 1.7/3, Dollhouse [p] 1.5/3
CW: 1.2/2 Smallville [p] 1.6/3, America’s Top Model [r] 0.8/2
TELE: 0.5/1 Mas Sabe El Diablo 0.6/1, Ninos Ricos 0.4/1, Victorinos 0.5/1
ION: 0.4/1 Criminal Minds (9p) [r] 0.4/1, Criminal Minds (10p) 0.5/1
As I said, tiny numbers. But evidently ION has enough juice to start developing original scripted series. Granted a $40K development deal is peanuts compared to deals at the major broadcast networks, but it’s still forty grand — and more importantly a potential entree into the business.
So as opposed to relocating to LA, writing spec scripts of “Criminal Minds” or “NCIS,” schlepping around town for meetings, hoping to break in with a freelance gig or two, workiing on staff for several years, and only then having enough experience and chops to write and pitch a TV pilot, with this competition, you can stay home and knock out a treatment and first act of a movie / backdoor pilot as you are.
Who knows? You might end up getting that lucky phone call.
The ION network website is here.
If you have any questions, you can ask them here.
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