NYTVF Comedy Script Contest and Other Happenings

Hey folks, I've been pretty busy with some new developments. I've been going around looking for contests for "Behind Suburbia" .... thus far I've entered it into Shriekfest and Red Inkworks with plans to put it into Final Draft Big Break, Screamfest, Script Savvy, and Slamdance. I want to get it out there as much as possible... quite unfortunate how quickly these add up though. Anyone want to sponsor me? I'll split my imagined winnings :p

At any rate, I found a really cool contest a few weeks ago, the NYTVF Comedy Script Contest ... Fox Broadcasting is sponsoring a contest wherein the winner receives $25,000 and a development deal. Hello! It's even free to enter, the only catch is that they're only accepting 1500 entries, so you can be sure I'll be clicking madly when entries finally DO open.

I'm already on the third draft of my spec pilot, an animated series. I actually came up with this idea a few years ago and wrote the majority of the first season, it was something I worked on in my spare time between feature length scripts, helping me to keep my writing fresh while working on the prep work for the features. The show has slowly evolved into what it is now, thanks to the development ideas of Shawn and Sean (I wish they spelled it the same way, then I could say "The 2 Shawns" ... maybe I can just say "The 2 S's") and it's really come a long way.

The pilot itself has had several versions, the latest incorporating all of the things I've learned in the past year. I was able to take a few of the ideas from the previous pilot and upgrade them, so to speak, really making a strong, funny story. In my opinion anyway.

Bearing in mind my chronic cynicism we're actually going to be ever so slowly working on creating the pilot ourselves. I would love to get it into a festival or two and have it noticed, I mean, that's how Seth MacFarlane got started, isn't it? Even so, I think this show would be better compared to a "Friends plus Seinfeld with the weirdness that animation allows" than the current animated shows on television. I've been trying to make the show more intelligent (so to speak) while still allowing for the anything can happen feel of an animated series.

I don't expect to see the pilot anytime soon but forward progress never hurt. In the meantime I'm also still working on my outlines for my sci-fi and comedy spec features. Hopefully "Behind Suburbia" will do decently in the contests, just so long as it does BETTER than "perfect ending" I'll know I've made progress as a writer, and that's what counts. I think.