FX, IFC & MTV On Board as NYTVF Development Partners

NEW YORK: The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) has signed up FX, IFC and MTV as development partners for the 2011 event, kicking off this year’s independent pilot competition.

The NYTVF pilot competition accepts submissions across all TV genres, including scripted and nonscripted projects, comedies and dramas, live action and animated. The requirement is that all pilots be independently financed. Submissions, accepted through June, can range from 4 minutes to 22 minutes in length.

FX is looking for comedy, primarily focused on scripted narrative that could be sustained for a 22-minute episode. The network, which targets men and women 18 to 34, will award $25,000 toward the development of an FX comedy with the FX & Apostle Present: FX "There is No Box" Comedy Award. Current comedy hits on FX include It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Archer, Louie and the new series Wilfred.

IFC is looking for alternative comedy and comedic non-fiction, contributing $25,000 with the IFC "Out of the Box" Award. The network is looking for new original programming to join a roster that includes Portlandia, Onion News Network and The Whitest Kids U Know.

MTV is returning as an NYTVF development partner to offer two development deals for comedic animated submissions. The awards for writer and animator are worth $5,000 each for the MTV "Voice and Vision" Animation Awards. Artists contributing to separate animated projects will be eligible for the individual prizes, while a creator that serves as both the animator and writer on a single entry may also be eligible for both awards.

NYTVF’s 2010 competition saw development deals granted from IFC and MTV. IFC announced late last year that its selected winner, Greg and Donny, was one of eight projects on its development slate for 2011.

“These commitments signal an ongoing willingness on the part of our industry partners to look to the Festival’s community of TV creators to cultivate talent and new ideas,” said Terence Gray, festival founder. “The primary goal of the NYTVF has always been to provide the platform for artists and industry to form new relationships. We have received tremendous support from our partners, and are thrilled that IFC and MTV are on board for another year, with FX teaming with us for the first time to bring opportunities to artists looking to advance their television careers.”