Hunt Is On for Next Great Comedy Writer
It is believed that the ever-fascinating, endlessly changing American family has been the source of some of the best TV storytelling ever. Now the same group that helped bring Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris and Friday Night Lights to television is looking for the next great family script.
The Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Alliance for Family Entertainment, which has helped find, support and bring to air 20 hit TV shows and awarded more than 50 scholarships to young screenwriters at leading universities, is looking for the freshest take on what’s real—and really funny—about the modern family in the first annual Search for America’s Newest Comedy Writer.
It’s a coast-to-coast contest in which new writers submit their original, half-hour comedy format script for a chance to win $5,000. But there’s mentoring as well as money at stake.
The winner will also receive creative guidance and direct input from acclaimed producer/director/writer John Wells, executive producer of the television series ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Shameless and Southland.
“Marketers of family brands are often stymied in finding shows to support that offer smart, sophisticated takes on family life that everybody can watch and enjoy,” says Bob Liodice, president and CEO of the ANA. “So our determination to find and help fund the production of promising family scripts and encourage emerging young talent to write stories about modern family life is good for business.”
Search for America’s Newest Comedy Writer script submissions begin October 5 and continue until October 28. Judging will take place October 28 to November 11, and a winner will be announced on or about November 28.
For official rules and more information, visit http://www.comedywritercontest.com.
