2016 winner, Jenny Wynter pitching to a live audience and judging panel.
Pitch your web series idea to ABC iview at the Melbourne WebFest 2017 festival.
In 2016 we teamed up with ABC iview to introduce a live pitching comp to the festival program. After much success the pitching comp will be returning in 2017.
Pitch iview will be held at the State Library of Victoria on Saturday 1 July and we are now calling for submissions.
Pitch iview is a fast paced, interactive competition in which 20 entrants will have just two minutes to pitch an original idea for a web series based on this year’s theme ‘Everyone’s Invited’ to a panel of judges and the audience.
The winning pitch will earn its creator $5,000 towards script development. The cash prize is intended to cover travel and accommodation Marseille WebFest for one person to attend their screenwriting residency. The residency will take place from 16 – 21 October in conjunction with the 7th annual Marseille WebFest. The Pitch iview winner will also receive a free pass to the festival.
“The first ever Pitch iview event at Melbourne WebFest was one of the highlights of last year’s festival program, which is always bursting with creativity, lively discussion and a great sense of optimism and camaraderie,” said ABC iview Manager, Sally O’Donoghue.
“We’re delighted to be running Pitch iview again, working closely with Australia’s new breed of storytellers through MWF, developing original ideas and nurturing our incredible local talent.”
Pitches will be judged on script potential, creativity and audience reaction by a panel of judges, which will consist of Sally O’Donoghue (Manager, ABC iview), Brett Sleigh (Executive Producer ABC TV Fiction), Imogen Banks (Producer, Endemol Shine), Ross Hutchens (Head of Screen Industry Programs, Film Victoria) and Christopher Leone (LA based filmmaker). The event will be MC’ed by Maria Angelico (Footballer Wants a Wife, Movement).
Last year’s winner, Jenny Wynter, described the experience as “life-changing.”
“The opportunity to travel to Marseille – which in itself was a lifetime highlight – and meeting incredible web series creators from all around the world was inspiring, motivating and eye-opening. The residency allowed me to connect with passionate and talented creative folks and give feedback on each other’s ideas, as well as learn from guest mentors and speakers.”
“I returned home with a clearer idea of what my project can be, greater confidence and felt absolutely fired up to make Viking Mama a reality! I’m in talks with the ABC now to develop it as a series for iview, which is an incredible opportunity and connection that I would never have had without Melbourne WebFest.”
The winner of Pitch iview will be announced at Melbourne WebFest’s Gala Awards Night on Sunday 2 July.
Got a great idea for a web series? Here’s how Pitch iview works:
- Submissions are FREE, and you can post multiple entries.
- Post your video pitch (no longer than 30 seconds) based on the theme ‘Everyone’s Invited’ via Facebook tagging @MelbourneWebFest, and include the hashtag #MWFpitch.
- Submit your contact details and the link to your video pitch on the Melbourne WebFest website after posting your video pitch to Facebook: www.melbournewebfest.com/pitch-iview-2017.
- Please note that unless you provide your details on the website, your pitch will not be considered.
- Pitches should fit within fictional genres. Pitches for children’s and factual content are not eligible for the competition.
- Deadline for submissions is midnight AEST Friday 9 June.
- A shortlist of 15 submissions will be notified by Friday 23 June.
- The shortlisted submissions will have two minutes on stage during Pitch iview on 1 July to pitch their idea and impress the judges and the audience.
- Guests attending Melbourne WebFest will also have an opportunity to submit written wild card entries during the festival weekend, to a hashtag that will be announced at the festival. Five wild card entries will be invited to pitch with the shortlisted 15.
Read the full guidelines, terms and conditions, and register for Pitch iview at www.melbournewebfest.com/pitch-iview-2017.