Lifetime, NYTVF unite for unscripted development pipeline

April 25, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

Lifetime NYTVF

Lifetime and the New York Television Festival are launching an initiative to give indie producers and prodcos the chance to develop unscripted programming, much like Lifetime’s sister network A&E did in 2011.

The Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline is modeled on A&E’s pipeline, which returned this year with a second installment that recently closed its submission period.

For this new Lifetime pipeline, submitted projects will be whittled down by NYTVF judges to 25 semi-finalists who will then have their submissions reviewed by Lifetime executives, and invited to participate in the 2012 NYTVF held on October 22 to 27.

Five finalists will then receive development funding from Lifetime to produce additional tape, before one winner is named and awarded with US$10,000 and the opportunity to participate in the production of a pilot based on their concept.

Participants are encouraged to submit concepts that are “multi-demographic, relevant and contemporary,” and all genres are welcomed, with a particular emphasis on docu-series, social experiments, closed-ended competition and game show formats.

More information on submissions can be found here.

“Unscripted series often originate from the most surprising sources and this partnership’s goal is to use the strong NYTVF platform to identify that next potential hit,” said Rob Sharenow, Lifetime Networks’ executive VP of programming.

“Lifetime is one of the original cable pioneers and the network has been rewriting the rules ever since its launch over 25 years ago,” added NYTVF founder Terence Gray. “Their willingness to look to indie storytellers makes them an ideal partner for the NYTVF and we’re grateful for the chance to bring this terrific opportunity to our creative community.

“Nancy Dubuc and Rob Sharenow were some of the earliest supporters of the TV festival and we look forward to seeing what our creators will deliver for them and the network.”

Tags: Lifetime, Lifetime Networks, Lifetime Unscripted Development Pipeline, New York Television Festival, NYTVF