READY FOR THE 2014 COMPETITION?

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS! 

This is the only competition that in just 1 year has seen 34 of our 62 writers signed, 14 projects set up, 18 writers land on the Young & Hungry List, 10 writers land on The Hit List, and 2 writers land on The Black List.

——————————————————————————–

ALL 2013 WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP PICKS

THE TOP 10 FINALISTS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
CLICK HERE TO SEE WHO MADE THE CUT

TAKE A PEEK AT THE TOP 25 SEMIFINALISTS!

KEEP TRACK OF THE TOP 25 AS THEY SIGN, SELL & BEGIN THEIR CAREERS

We are very pleased to announce the next step in the evolution of the Screenwriting competition.

After a very successful run launching several young careers via our very own TB Recommends program, we have spent the past few months seeking out ways to expand on the idea of what most writers seek in a screenwriting competition – a chance to launch a career and succeed at what they love.  And, after several months of conversations with the agents, managers, producers and executives that make up our community and judges panel, we believe we’ve found an excellent expansion to what we set out to do here at TB.  We’ve designed a new contest that will not only allow our finalists and winners to be read by the top-tier reps, producers and execs in town, but that will also create a new platform to promote and launch their careers.

SO, YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING HOW IT WILL WORK?

Beginning November 20th, 2012 our contest will open to all writers of all walks of life. Whether you’re just starting out, seasoned, or somewhere in between, this contest is open to you.

All writers are allowed to submit, however must only submit feature length scripts at this time.  All scripts must be under 130 pages, and must be the sole property of the writers.  Scripts can have been optioned prior, but at the time of submission, and for the duration of the contest, must remain the writers property.  The only scripts not allowed to be entered are those which have already sold, or have previously earned our “TB Recommends” honors. Scripts with multiple writers are allowed (but entry fees must be paid under one account).  All scripts will remain the property of the writer throughout the contest (at no point will anyone from the judges panel, or TB ever attach themselves to your work without your consent).

Through and through, this contest is set to be the new standard for what writers should expect via a screenwriting competition.

All scripts will be read by our professional TB readers (current readers for agencies such as CAA, WME, UTA, APA, management companies such as The Firm, Anonymous Content, Brillstein Entertainment, studios such as Warner Brothers, Sony, Universal, and independent readers we use for our TB Recommends program as well).  All scripts will be read at last twice to ensure the best judgement of your work.  All scripts will also be read blind, with no names, or title pages allowed.  We choose this option so that each script is judged by the work, and the words alone.

Writers may submit as many scripts as they like, however each script may only be entered one time. Once a script has been submitted, there are absolutely no substitutions of pages, drafts, or scripts overall. All submissions are final.

NOW YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING WHO EXACTLY ARE OUR FINAL JUDGES?

First, let us begin by stating that the final judges list will continue to grow throughout the competition.  However, to kick off the competition, we reached out to the top 25 representatives across Hollywood, who are not only some of the most well-known and renowned reps in the business, but who also currently rep some of the biggest names in the Hollywood game.  Just how big are they? Collectively our final representative judges represent 236 writers who have graced the Hit List, Black List, and Blood List just from 2010, 2011 & 2012 alone.  That’s 236 writers, out of 491 total.  That’s almost 50% of all of the writers on the annual “Best of” lists.  So, when we tell you, these 25 judges are at the top of the game, we truly mean just that.

LETS TAKE A LOOK AT OUR 25 FINAL REPRESENTATIVE JUDGES:

• Brooklyn Weaver – Energy Entertainment
• Adam Kolbrenner – Madhouse Entertainment
• Emerson Davis – UTA
• Ken Freimann – Circle of Confusion
• Adam Marshall – Caliber Media Co.
• Aaron Kaplan – Kaplan/Perrone
• Tom Carter – Station3
• Jake Wagner – Benderspink
• Sandra Lucchesi – Gersh
• Ryan Saul – APA
• Chris Fenton – DMG Entertainment
• Greg Pedicin – Gersh
• Jessica L. Jordan – Wirehouse Entertainment
• JC Spink – Benderspink
• Cliff Roberts – WME
• Kailey Marsh – Station3
• Langley Perer – Mosaic
• Will Rowbotham – Prolific
• Missy Malkin – Brillstein Entertainment
• Michelle Knudsen – MXN
• Lawrence Mattis – Circle of Confusion
• Stuart Manashil – CAA
• Jon Huddle – UTA
• Jeremy Platt – Generate
• Ava Jamshidi – Industry Entertainment

All of these judges will read the final round of finalists to determine one winner.

As we’ve said since the launch of TB – our main goal is to provide a community for those in the industry and seeking to enter the industry to gather on a level playing field.  With this in mind, we’ve not only become the premiere tracking board for both groups, but we’ve also gone to great lengths to ensure our members are always given the opportunities to succeed.  But don’t just take our word for it.

HERE ARE A FEW TESTIMONIALS:

“The Tracking Board is the most popular tracking site for reps and producers throughout Hollywood and beyond… It is the premiere source for spec news across the market and their news coverage is a must read for anyone looking to stay on top of the industry…”
Brooklyn Weaver – Energy Entertainment

“Every writer who takes their craft seriously has a set of trusted eyes they show their work to for honest feedback. But, you still need a set of professional eyes that have no connection to you or your feelings. The Tracking Board served that need for me. Even though their coverage of MARROW was glowing, their constructive feedback helped me make it even better, and the script making their ‘Tracking Board Recommends’ list was instrumental in signing new representation and making MARROW my most widely read and well received spec ever. I simply can not say enough about how valuable a tool The Tracking Board has become.”
Erik W. Van Der Wolf – Writer of “Marrow”

“I joined Tracking Board initially just to the latest insider news, but it wasn’t long before I discovered there existed a great community of writers from all different stages of their careers to boot. But of course, the most impressive aspect of Tracking Board (as I found out, in a bit of a whirlwind process), was its ability to provide an “in” for outsiders like myself. What I mean is – not everyone lives in L.A., not everyone “knows someone” in the business. But I have always believed that great writing is great writing, and no matter where you’re from, or what your background is – if you want it bad enough, and work hard enough, it will show and good things will happen eventually. TB is the perfect example of a team that not only understands this, but has the resources, screenwriting understanding, and connections to make it happen for literally ANY writer, provided they can bring the goods. My script was Recommended on a Friday, and within a matter of hours, I had a half dozen parties from Hollywood wanting to talk to me. The next e-mail I got – was a list of no less than 40 different managers, agents, and production companies (all from the very top tiers) interested in my TB Recommended script. Trust me when I say these guys can and will gladly be the ambassadors to your screenwriting dreams.”
Dan Dollar – Writer of “The Boy and His Tiger”

“To quantify how much Tracking-board.com has helped my writing career this year would be immeasurable. Without the “TB Recommend” honors from TB, I wouldn’t have connected with so many industry professionals who became fans of my work. Now, I am truly in the game, collaborating on viable projects for 2013 and beyond. Not only has TB helped put me on the map, they have also provided my writing the “street cred” and guidance needed to be taken seriously in Hollywood. When TB believes in you and your material, they will fight for you to the end. Whether it comes to finding representation or promoting your work, you can totally count on them to be in your corner every step of the way. I still can’t believe how many people recognize my name now thanks to TB. That kind of passion and enthusiasm is something you don’t see often here in Tinseltown”
Michael Perri – Writer of “Nexxus”

“I cannot recommend TB more highly. Thanks to their TB Recommends program, my work was exposed to producers and representation in LA, Europe, and South-East Asia. Not too shabby for a writer currently based out of New Zealand. The peace of mind of getting independent eyes on your material before sending it out to your professional network is invaluable, and the feedback provided was thoughtful, constructive, and most importantly, written from an industry/market perspective.”
Mukilan Thangamani – Writer of “Divorce Party”

In the short span our “TB Recommends” program has existed we have discovered and launched the careers of several new writers. In 2012 alone we landed 5 of 6 with representation, 4 of 6 with their first ever sales, and 6 of 6 with new careers doing what they love.

With the premiere of THE LAUNCH PAD, we are setting our sites on creating the premiere competition for writers, offering an opportunity to expand your audience, ignite your career, and get your work in front of the eyes of those that matter!  The idea of expanding our own TB Recommends platform into this competition also means that every entrant, at every single point of this competition will maintain total and complete ownership of their screenplays. At no point will anyone ever be obligated to sign with, sell, option, or otherwise give up any ownership of their work.  And, at no point will TB ever make any claims to your work.  At the end of the day, this is your work, your words, and your career… you deserve to make the decisions about it.

HOW MANY FINALISTS AND WINNERS WILL THERE BE IN THE END?

This competition will narrow our entries down to a top 25 semi-finalists, which will be broadcast here on the site, as well as several partnering sites, and will be mailed to our exclusive mailing list of over 15,000 people, our industry insider list of over 5,500 people, and will be sent individually to agents, managers, executives and producers.

From there, our finalist readers will narrow the field down to a top 10, and finally a top 5 which our final judges in every category (agents, managers, execs, producers) will all vote on, and select 1 winner.

THE GRAND PRIZE

Our grand prize winner will be broadcast across the industry, the site, our partnering sites, and will be mailed to our exclusive mailing list of over 15,000 people, our industry insider list of over 5,500 people, and will be sent individually to agents, managers, executives and producers well beyond our judges panel. TB will do everything in the power to promote you, your work, and your career.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.

Aside from winning the ultimate prize, we are very proud to announce two more additions to this competition.  For an additional $25, each entrant will have the option to select the “Station3” or “Dark Factory” competition prize, or for the discounted rate of $40, they can select both.  This is not a requirement, but instead, another opportunity. Writers may also choose to enter both additional competitions.

THE STATION3 PRIZE

For an additional $25, your script will automatically be read, and you the writer, automatically considered for representation at the very hot up-and-coming management firm Station3. At the end of the contest, Station3 will announce one winner, who they will then guarantee representation.  Keep in mind, aside from being the management/production company with the most writers on the 2012 “Young & Hungry List”, Station3 just doubled in size, and now represents some of the biggest names in film & television. Most recently their clients have set up shows at Fremantle, FTVS, UCP, Relativity, Showtime, Vuguru, and are now developing shows with the likes of Mike Tollin, Dan Harmon, and Shonda Rhimes.

THE DARK FACTORY PRIZE

For an additional $25, your script will automatically be read by the executive staff at the hot new genre-oriented production company Dark Factory, and one screenplay will be selected for an option or purchase to be made into a feature length film. In order to win this prize the screenplay MUST fit into the thriller, action-thriller, or horror category, with a budget under $30 million dollars. At least one winning script will be selected and Dark Factory will negotiate a deal with the writer to buy or option the screenplay, with the minimum of a 1-year – $5,000 option. Dark Factory executives are currently in production on several different films, including the “Young & Hungry List” writer Zak Olkewicz’s upcoming “Storage”, the Mexican breakout hit “Malaventura”, the Morbido Fest award-winning film “Untitled Horror Project”, the sequel to “Kilometer 31”, and an upcoming slate of 5 films with Original Entertainment.

NOW ON TO THE TIMELINE:

• Beginning November 20th, entries will begin being accepted.
• From November 20th to December 21st, entries are $65 per script. Members will receive 10% off.
• From December 22nd to January 31st, 2013 entries are $75 per script. Members will receive 10% off.
• From February 1st to February 28th entries are $85 per script. Members will receive 10% off.
• From March 1st to March 31st entries are $95 per script. Members will receive 10% off.
• April 2013 semi-finalists and finalists will all be announced.
• May 2013, the winner will be announced.

Every entrant who enters two or more scripts at the same time will receive a free 1-year membership to The Tracking Board. This option is only available to new members. All members using the discount rate must be active, and their accounts must match their current Paypal account on file with TB.

HOW TO ENTER:

• Please select from the appropriate category below to enter your screenplay into The Launch Pad Feature Screenwriting Competition.
• All scripts must be sent as a PDF (no other formats will be accepted) and if including a title page, must not include any writer names or identifying marks.
• All scripts must be e-mailed (alongside your Paypal transaction #) to [email protected]. No hard copies will be accepted.
• All entrants must sign up via Paypal. If you do not have a Paypal account, a link to sign up with a credit card can be provided by request.

To access all member prices you must sign in, and pay with an account that is linked (and verified) with your member account.

A key part of why we here at The Tracking Board do what we do is to find new talent, give them opportunities and offer them a shot at making a career out of what they love. With this contest, we hope to further reinforce those efforts, while expanding the reach of new talent even beyond our wildest dreams.

TB, along with any judges or readers participating in the contest, will not post information about or regarding the winning script or author without the writer’s express permission. Similarly, the winning script remains the sole property of the writer, who is under no obligation to sell their work or otherwise attach themselves to representation in any form from either TB, or any of the judges or readers taking part in the contest.

Entrants may be contacted as a result of the contest by members of TB, or the judging panel in regards to representation, production, or sale and or option of the entered work.

TB, as well as any judges or readers, will judge all scripts fairly using whatever methods or means they deem appropriate towards deciding a winner.

Entrants will not receive any feedback on their script, nor be provided details on how it, or others, were judged.

By entering this contest, the entrant acknowledges and agrees to all of the terms above.

All submissions are final and no refunds will be granted.

QUICK LINKS

• Script Coverage Overview
• TB Recommends