PITCH, PLEASE! (2024)
On Friday, November 22nd, Pitch, Please! returned for another season of storytelling and this time, OTV teamed up with SeriesFest to take the program to new heights! Pitch, Please! is an artist-driven launch pad for #OTVFellows seeking additional funding and resources to take their projects to the next level.
2024 #OTVFellows Céline Tshika, Dante Ureta, and Laya Pellerin-Tate had 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.
MEET THE PITCHING #OTVFELLOWS!
Céline Tshika (she / her) @celinetshika
BIO: éline Tshika (shey/her) is a DRC-born, Johannesburg-raised actor, writer, and comedian based in Cape Town. Creator of the award-winning web series Jess Goes West, she is known for viral sketches like Stank Like a Man. She has appeared in BBC’s Comic Relief, the film Hammarskjold, and Netflix’s Supa Team 4.
PROJECT TITLE: Surprise!
PROJECT FORMAT: Limited Series
LOGLINE: When Congolese immigrant Jenni accidentally kills the guests at her surprise party, she must convince her shell-shocked fiancé to go on the run with her.
Céline tshika’s post-win reflections:
Dante Ureta (he / they) @uretadante
BIO: Dante Ureta (he/they) is a Mexican artist whose work spans visual art, performance, and writing. He challenges capitalism and patriarchal structures from an anti-patriarchal, anticolonial perspective, envisioning transformative futures through his multidisciplinary creations.
PROJECT TITLE: El Camino De Alex
PROJECT FORMAT: Short Film/Auto-Fiction
LOGLINE: Alex, a trans boy, confronts the rigid expectations of masculinity in Sinaloa, México.
dante ureta’s post-win reflections:
NAME: Laya Pellerin-Tate (she / they)
HANDLE: @laya.mov
BIO: Laya Pellerin-Tate (she/they) is a trans, bakla Filipina-American writer & filmmaker from Chicago, living on unceded land of the Anishinaabe peoples. Her work seeks to center women of color and poses questions about family, labor, identity, and belonging.
PROJECT TITLE: Not Like Other Vampires
PROJECT FORMAT: Short Film
LOGLINE: Two queer/trans Filipina-American vampires are forced to reunite with their human relatives and struggle to maintain their secret as newly- turned creatures of the night, as they masquerade as well-behaved daughters for their Catholic immigrant mothers.
laya pellerin-tate’s post-win reflections:
Meet the creative advisors
Chervine Naamani is a Manager-Producer at ColorCreative the management and production company co-founded by Issa Rae, Deniese Davis, and Talitha Watkins. Naamani spent four and a half years at management company Rain building a diverse, multicultural list of next generation filmmakers and writers. The son of political refugees from Iran, Naamani was born and raised in Paris, France, where he graduated from the Assas Law School. He started in management at Thruline before joining Buchwald and is fluent in English, French and Farsi.
Jennifer Loren (Cherokee Nation) is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker and Senior Director of Cherokee Film. She oversees Cherokee Film Productions, Studios, Commission, and Institute, leading over 30 content creators to protect and share authentic Cherokee culture. Recognized as an inaugural Obama Leader in 2023, Jennifer is a global advocate for Native American representation in media. With a background in broadcast television and investigative journalism, she hosts three tribally focused TV shows and serves on various boards, including the Oklahoma Motion Picture Alliance, where she is Chair. Jennifer is also a wife and mother.
Kiana Chambers is a Creative Executive at Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Pictures, where she leverages her background in film, television, and a marketing degree from Howard University to champion radical, culturally nuanced stories that center women, LGBTQIA+, and people of color. Previously, she assisted director Melina Matsoukas on Queen & Slimand HBO's Insecure, and served as Executive Assistant to the Head of Content at HBO Max, advocating for diverse storytellers. Kiana is passionate about bold storytelling that blends sci-fi, mystery, and thrillers, with a focus on amplifying Black, Brown, and queer voices in film.
