The New York Film Academy’s Final Draft Fellowship came to a close on May 12, launching the Final Draft Fellows into their careers with a Pitch Event that introduced them to potential managers and industry executives.
Final Draft’s Big Break Competition is a major opportunity for writers, and among the prizes for finalists and winners is a twelve-week Fellowship at the New York Film Academy. This Fellowship offered intensive screenwriting classes on Feature writing, Television writing, Rewriting, which involved a complete table-read by working actors, Business and Pitching classes, and a series of “Life In” panels by working writers in the industry: Life in Feature Films, Life in Television, and Life in Transmedia.
Recently, this year’s winners put that Fellowship to good use, developing not just new story ideas and scripts, but also pitches for those new ideas and their contest-winning material. And they took those pitches to NYFA’s Final Draft Fellowship Pitch Event on Thursday, May 12th.
Hosted at the Academy by Associate Chair of Screenwriting, Adam Finer, the Pitch Event was a chance for Fellows to get meetings with representation and industry figures. Each fellow met with the industry guests for half hour meetings that centered on their pitches but then continued as a way for the Fellows to make new contacts that will benefit their career. Among those in attendance were representatives from Cartel, Super Vision, and Haven Entertainment. In addition the Fellows were put in touch with Radmin Entertainment.
The classes on preparing to pitch gave the Fellows confidence in their material, and they impressed the execs with their ideas and delivery. Many scripts were requested and several important relationships were started. Final Draft and NYFA congratulate our hard-working Fellows and we look forward to the success we are sure awaits them.