The winner of #GreenlightHer, New York City’s inaugural women’s screenwriting competition, has been revealed: Patty Carey’s show “Half Life.” The comedy follows a woman juggling the demands of motherhood and her job as a location scout while trying to pursue her dream of being a writer. Launched to celebrate stories by and about women, #GreenlightHer is presented in partnership by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College.
The competition received over 300 submissions. Industry leaders helped narrow the field, and the final phase involved the two finalists’ pilot episodes premiering on NYC Life, the flagship channel of the City’s official broadcast network. Thousands of viewers voted for which project they wanted to win the contest and to be turned into a series with four more episodes. The runner-up was Robin Rose Singer’s “Maturity,” the story of a woman who moves from the Midwest to NYC and works at a Bronx nursing home.
“Carey will write an additional four episodes of ‘Half Life,’ which will be produced, filmed, and edited by Feirstein graduate students,” an announcement details. “The episodes will air on NYC Media, which reaches up to 18 million viewers in the greater metropolitan area.”
“As the shockwaves of the #MeToo movement continue to reverberate around the entertainment industry and the country as a whole, it is so important to celebrate and elevate women’s voices,” said MOME Commissioner Julie Menin. “#GreenlightHer has been an innovative and refreshing way to support the cause of gender equity and shine a light on women’s creative talent. I congratulate Patty and the entire cast and crew on this impressive achievement, and look forward to watching more episodes of ‘Half Life.’”
Carey added, “A story about a woman working in the film business being told by women working in the film business, ‘Half Life’ is incredibly timely.” She continued, “The news of the last five months shines a powerful light on the persistent gender inequity in the film industry, and has sparked a universal call to action. I am so grateful and excited to continue developing ‘Half Life’ and hope that this strong, female-driven perspective will continue to resonate with our audience.”
#GreenlightHer is one of five initiatives announced by MOME intended to target the underrepresentation of women in the film, TV, and theater industries.
