MySpace, Fox and the Producers Guild of America have partnered to find new talent for original programming.
The companies are launching “The Storyteller Challenge” a program where participants can create an original 5-7 minute television pilot on MySpace starting September 4, 2007. Two winners will be selected and each one will receive $25,000 and a chance for a development deal with Fox.
“The Storyteller Challenge gives aspiring producers the potential opportunity to cut through Hollywood’s red-tape and get an audience with top brass in the television business, all while cutting their teeth with the MySpace community,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace.
“By tapping into MySpace’s community of millions of users worldwide, Fox and the Producers Guild will have a crack at discovering the best new ideas from the most promising aspiring talent.”
The two winners will be selected based on user rankings, a Panel from the Producers Guild of America, and Fox executives. MySpace users will be able to vote for their favorite videos, suggest plot lines and critique the work. Users votes will determine the finalists.
“One of the most exciting aspects of working in entertainment today is that you never know where the next great storyteller will come from. Companies like MySpace have given aspiring producers the essential tools to put their creations in front of a mass audience; as a result, the barrier to entry into this industry is lower than it’s ever been in our lifetimes,” said Marshall Herskovitz, President of the Producers Guild of America.
The top six finalists will be announced on January 6,2008 and will go to Hollywood to meet with the judges. Winners will be announced on January 25, 2008 and the winning videos may be featured on MySpace Film and MySpaceTV.
