This fall, Women’s Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) will give six to eight up and coming TV scribes the opportunity to pitch to studios, production companies, and producers. Applications are now open for WWFC’s inaugural pilot accelerator program.
To be held online in October, the pilot accelerator program is “designed both to help emerging writers advance their careers and to increase the representation of women and non-binary people in television,” a press release announced. “This program is geared toward writers with strong, completed pilot scripts who lack the industry connections to sell their series or break into the writers room.”
The accelerator will consist of a three-week intensive on pitching, where participants will work with industry figures such as public speaking coach Samara Bay, “Self Made” co-showrunner Elle Johnson, and entertainment lawyer Anuj Gupta. The program will culminate with a week of pitching to companies and individuals who are looking for new material and new writers, including HBO, HBO Max, Jax Media, Element Pictures, and Berlanti Productions.
Katrina Medoff and Tracy Sayre founded WWFC in 2017 to address the gender disparity on both sides of the camera. Its film challenge has produced 30 short films with over 700 female filmmakers and launched a virtual workshop series in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So many members of our community have pilot scripts ready to go but no one to pitch to,” Sayre said. “This gap became especially apparent over the last year as we’ve hosted weekly virtual workshops; far and away, the most popular events have centered around how to pitch and how to break into the writers room. This accelerator is a natural response to the career goals of our community.”
Medoff added, “We have seen firsthand how much talent is out there, but many underrepresented writers lack the opportunity to get their work in front of industry decision-makers. Without programs like our new pilot accelerator, audiences will continue to miss out on so many amazing stories and voices. That’s what WWFC is all about — breaking down the barriers to women and non-binary people progressing in the industry.”
Applications to the pilot accelerator are now being accepted via FilmFreeway. The regular deadline is July 1 and the late deadline is July 21. Head over to womensweekendfilmchallenge.com for more information.
