Pitch-A-Thon Initiative Unites IFA Chicago, SeriesFest and The Second City Film School

The Independent Film Alliance Chicago, SeriesFest and The Second City Film School are excited to present the SeriesFest Pitch-A-Thon Chicago 2022 on March 31, an event giving comedic independent creators the opportunity to participate in an exclusive live pitch session with top television, new media and digital executives. The goal for creators is the unique opportunity to advance their unproduced episodic projects. The iconic Second City Film School joins as the third partner in this impressive trifecta with the pitch-a-thon taking place at The Second City Theater.

This original event will give writers the opportunity to submit their unproduced comedic episodic projects with 5-6 selected writers moving on to pitch to a live panel of industry experts. Once selected, Working Artist Group will provide writers with virtual coaching prior to the event as well as an in-person workshop on the day of the event. All writers will get to watch the pitches and feedback live, providing an enlightening and educational opportunity for everyone.

“This is a unique opportunity targeted to comedic, episodic creators,” IFA Chicago’s Natalia Salazar shared with SCREEN. “While there are many pitch programs in the city, we are excited to expand beyond city limits and partner with SeriesFest to launch Chicago-based storytellers into other parts of the country. SeriesFest has a strong track record of shepherding independent episodic creators towards success through mentorship, pitch meetings, and network/studio connections.”

The winning pitch will receive full access to SeriesFest Season 8, the annual international television festival taking place May 5-11, 2022 in Denver, Colorado, a one-on-one mentorship meeting with an industry professional to further project development and a $500 cash prize.

“This partnership speaks to our mission to provide the community and resources needed to build a diverse and sustainable industry of independent content creators. We believe in Chicago’s talented film community and this platform will support Chicagoans by taking their creative projects to the next level – right here in our city. We’re excited that this partnership will help continue to cultivate an evolving film community in the Chicagoland area,” said Angie Gaffney, Executive Director of IFA Chicago.

“The Second City Film School is thrilled to partner with SeriesFest, IFA, and Ed Toolis to bring the Pitch-A-Thon to Chicago. We aim to educate and empower the next evolution of showrunners, creators, and storytellers in comedy. With so many of the more recent diverse and engaging stories succeeding in the series format, the opportunity for our students and local creators to get their ideas in front of industry experts is monumental. We can’t wait to see what comes out of the Pitch-A-Thon,” said Patrick Wimp, Program Director for The Second City Film School.

“The pitch-a-thon has always been a signature component of our annual television festival,” comments Randi Kleiner, CEO and Co-Founder, SeriesFest. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Independent Film Alliance Chicago and Second City Film School to bring this opportunity directly to emerging storytellers in this creative market.”

Click here to submit and learn more about the initiative.