I confess to watching Nickelodeon even though I don’t have children. I also watch music videos like I’m 12, but it’s only because I’m prepping for my future career as a film director. I study camera angles, so don’t judge me.
The deadline is rapidly approaching for submissions to Nickelodeon’s Writing Fellowship Program, one of the top writing competitions in the country. What is it, you ask?:
Developed to broaden Nickelodeon’s outreach efforts, the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship is designed to attract, develop and staff writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences on Nickelodeon Network productions.
Operating in a three-phased structure, the Fellowship provides a salaried position for up to one year and offers hands-on experience writing spec scripts and pitching story ideas in both live action and animation television.
This three-phased structure allows fellows an opportunity to nurture relationships with creators, network executives, line producers, head writers, showrunners and story editors.
As part of their script writing, each fellow will be assigned to an Executive in Charge of Production and have an opportunity to write a spec script for an on-air Nickelodeon show.
In a nutshell, you have to submit a spec script, but the details and submissions requirements are here. Follow them carefully. The Hollywood types are reportedly very picky about formatting so don’t cut corners. Poor formatting will get you tossed from the thousands of submissions that these programs receive.
If you haven’t invested in Final Draft (my favorite) or some other screenwriting software, do so now. And, read Robert McKee’s Story and a few other screenwriting development books, attend at least one writing workshop and a networking event (I can personally vouch for The Screenwriting Expo) and submit your best spec to next year’s competition.
But, if you’re ready to get your spec out this year, the submission period is January 2, 2010-February 28, 2010.
Another program to watch for is the Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship.
The program is designed to expose aspiring writers to key executives, producers and literary representatives – all essential in the pursuit of a writing career. Additionally, while in the program, fellows have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a current programming or development executive to create spec scripts of series from the current broadcast season. The ultimate goal is to prepare and nurture the fellows for a writing career.
Fellows become Disney/ABC employees for a year with salary (approx $50K) and benefits. The submission window is usually between May and June. More info is here on this program and Disney/ABC’s other entertainment programs.
Past fellows have gone on to write for other network shows or script movies, like Saladin K. Patterson (Psych, The Bernie Mac Show, Frasier), Malcolm Lee (“The Best Man”; “Undercover Brother”); Gary Hardwick (“The Brothers”; “Bring It On; “Deliver Us From Eva”) and Reggie “Rock” Bythewood (“Dancing In September”; “Biker Boyz”), whose wife, Gina Prince-Bythewood, wrote and directed the very awesome “Love and Basketball,” and also directed “Disappearing Acts” and “The Secret Life Of Bees.”
Wow. Maybe I need to apply . . . I kid, I kid. My authors would have my head.
TNH
Filed under: The Art of Storytelling | Tagged: ABC Disney Talent Development, ABC Talent, ABC Talent Development, Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship, Nick Writing Fellowship, Nick writing fellowship deadline, Nickelodeon Fellowship, Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship, Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship Deadline
