pitch, please!
Pitch, Please! is an artist-driven launch pad that offers additional funding and resources to #OTVFellows with stories primed for the next stage of development. In partnership with internationally acclaimed film festivals and artist development organizations, participants get a chance to pitch their projects to a panel of Creative Advisors across the entertainment industry to secure cash funding, feedback and marketing opportunities aimed at pushing their project forward on their own terms.
To celebrate five years of the platform’s annual fellowship program OTV is piloting Pitch, Please! — an artist-driven launch pad for #OTVFellows seeking additional funding and resources to take their projects to the next level. Brought to a screen near you, select participants from the 2023 #OTVFellows cohort will have the opportunity to pitch their series, short-films and video art concepts to a panel of Creative Advisors and #OTVcommunity members for a chance to secure up to $30,000 in resources, prizes and more. Pitch, Please! stars the following #OTVFellows and projects from the 2023 Cohort:
Robert Cunningham
Project Title: Laurels (Pilot)
Logline: A washed-up former child star uses his con artist younger cousin and a ragtag group of Chicago community college performers to help reignite his career.
Roni Niu
Project Title: STOP (Short Film)
Logline: A suicidal young man finds himself stuck between life and death after a failed suicide attempt and tries to find his way to death before life takes him back.
Danielle Young
Project Title: Apples and Apples (Anthology Series)
Logline: A depressed 70 year old butch lesbian, mourning the loss of a 30 year long relationship, attends an open mic where she meets a mysterious stranger that changes her life in more ways than one.
Pitch, Please Creative Advisors:
Boots Riley is a multi-talented artist known for his work as a poet, rapper, songwriter, producer, screenwriter, director, community organizer, and public speaker. His directorial debut, "Sorry to Bother You, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Christine Davila is the former Head of Development and Production at Ojalá, known for curating and programming feature-length fiction and documentary films, particularly those specializing in Latine created and Spanish language content.
Zackary Drucker is an independent artist and trans woman dedicated to challenging societal norms around gender and sexuality. She co-directed the 2023 documentary 'The Stroll,' illuminating the lives of trans sex workers in New York's Meatpacking District during the 1980s and '90s.
Chad Charlie is a writer and actor known for his work on "Reservation Dogs" and a filmmaker who spotlights Indigenous and Black representation.
Read the press release: Open Television (OTV) Awards Over $30,000 to Inaugural Winners of the Pitch, Please! Program and Sets Sights on Activating Greenlight Fund for the Next Generation of Intersectional Storytellers