Sixth Year of Program Yields over 2,400 Submissions; 14 Fellows, 9 New Television Pilots Selected for Lab and Customized Year-Round Support
Los Angeles, CA - Nine original independent pilots and their 14 creators, will benefit from holistic support and development at Sundance Institute's sixth annual Episodic Lab, taking place at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah October 10-15, 2019. With topics that span genres -- from provocative reimaginings of the American dream to visionary and epic supernatural dramas-- the scope of this year's projects, along with the diverse backgrounds of their creators, speaks to the Institute's broad and visionary support of the episodic format as the industry develops and grows; the Episodic Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round support program for emerging television writers.
Beginning with the Lab, Fellows will benefit from a full year of customized, ongoing support from Feature Film Program staff, Creative Advisors and Industry Mentors, led by Founding Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, Michelle Satter and Director of the Episodic Program, Jennifer Goyne Blake. Our Fellows will develop their pilot scripts and series through a rigorous and curated schedule of individual stoy meetings, writers' rooms, case study screenings and pitch sessions, with the guidance of accomplished showrunners, producers and industry executives.
As the landscape of episodic content continues to evolve, emerging creators have an opportunity to bring their unique, independent voices and stories to the existing and new platforms says Satter. By cultivating visionary talent through industry expertise and support, we are advancing episodic writers with the tools they need to build sustainable creative careers. Goyne Blake adds, Alumni of the Episodic Lab have gone on to a wide variety of roles in the industry, and we're optimistic that our field-building and cultivation has contributed to helping our Fellows get to the next stage of their careers, by staffing on a series or setting up their pilot
Creative Advisors for the Lab include: Jenny Bicks (EP/Showrunner, Sex and the City), Daniel Chun (Writer/Producer, ABC Studios/Illumination Studios), Charles Eglee (Writer/Executive Producer, American Gods), Lee Eisenberg (Writer/Creator, Little America), Tom Fontana (Creator, Oz), Shalisha Francis (Co-Executive Producer, The Wilds), Lauren Morelli (Showrunner, Tales of the City), LaToya Morgan (Co-Executive Producer, Into The Badlands), Erica Rivinoja (Executive Producer, Marvels Tigra & Dazzler), Graham Yost (Showrunner, Justified), and Sanjay Shah (Co-Showrunner, Central Park).
Industry Mentors include: Sarah Babineau (Co-Head of Original Content, Comedy Central), Barbara Crawford (Vice President Current Series, FX Networks), Deniese Davis (Chief Operating Officer, ColorCreative), Marta Fernandez (President, MACRO Television Studios), Susie Fitzgerald (Executive Vice President of Original Scripted Content, AMC and SundanceTV), Anne-Marie McGintee (Director, Original Drama Series, Netflix), Rose Catherine Pinkney (Senior Executive of Scripted Programming, BET Networks), Jeff Schwartz (Development Executive, Amazon Studios), Barbara Teixeira (Head of Television, RT Features), Sarah Timberman (Partner, Timberman-Beverly Productions), and Kathryn Tyus-Adair (Senior Vice President of Original Programming, STARZ).
The Sundance Institute Episodic Program is made possible by Founding Supporters Lyn and Norman Lear and Cindy Harrell Horn and Alan Horn. Leadership Supporters are Amazon Studios, AMC and SundanceTV, BET Networks, Comedy Central, Netflix, RT Features, STARZ, and The Walt Disney Company..
Bammas
Written by Biniam Bizuneh & Opeyemi Olagbaju
Two broke best friends decide to take another shot at the American dream by starting a streetwear line out of the basement of a parking garage.
Biniam Bizuneh is an Ethiopian American writer and comedian based in Los Angeles. He's served as a staff writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a contributing writer for Billy On The Street. He's performed stand-up on Vicelands Flophouse, Comedy Centrals Stand Up Featuring, and starred in the Lee Daniels' FOX comedy pilot Culture Clash. Biniam has also written and starred in originals for Comedy Central, including the one-off sketches, Demetrinox, Bad Vibes, and his own Comedy Central digital series, How To Be Broke. Biniam participated in the 2019 Sundance Institute | YouTube New Voices Lab and has been recognized with the new Sundance Institute | Comedy Central Comedy Fellowship.
Opey Olagbaju is a Nigerian-American standup comedian and writer that has written on shows such as Hulu's I Love You America with Sarah Silverman, Comedy Central's The New Negroes and Freeform's Unrelated. As a standup, the D.C.-area native performs at clubs and colleges all over the country. He has also successfully showcased in several festivals, such as District of Comedy at the Kennedy Center, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, RiotFest LA and SF Sketchfest, and as a New Face at the 2019 Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Opey participated in the 2019 Sundance Institute | YouTube New Voices Lab and has been recognized with the new Sundance Institute | Comedy Central Comedy Fellowship.
Cloister F*cked
Written by Claire Rothrock & Ryann Weir
Cloister F*cked is an irreverent, half-hour comedy about two millennial nuns who defy the Catholic Church in order to preserve their own faith.
Claire Rothrock is a Brooklyn-based writer and performer for things on stage and things on screens. She and writing partner Ryann Weir sold their comedy series Cloister F*cked to CBS Studios and Sutton Street Productions. Their play I Heard Sex Noises, which premiered at Ars Nova, is also being developed into a half hour comedy series with
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Sixth Year of Program Yields over 2,400 Submissions; 14 Fellows, 9 New Television Pilots Selected for Lab and Customized Year-Round Support 
