Founded in the year 2000, the Nickelodeon Writing Program is a full-time, paid, yearlong development Program for television comedy writers with unique voices and from underrepresented communities. Join Nickelodeon at the studio in Burbank for classes and workshops to sharpen your skills, executive mentorship and networking to build your professional relationships, and the opportunity to work in the iconic live-action and animation writers’ rooms at Nick. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dedicate yourself to the craft of writing and build your career from the ground up. The Nick Writing Program is not a writing contest – It’s a launching pad for diverse and emerging creatives. If you bring the unique voice and innovative ideas for kids’ and family content, Nick will help you launch a career with all the tools you’ll need to succeed in the industry for years to come.
Nickelodeon needs your talent and perspective, so tell them your story!
This year's Nickelodeon Writing Program submission period runs July 1st to August 1st. All submissions must be completed by 11:59pm PST on August 1st. No late submissions will be considered. You must be 18 years or older, and eligible to work in the United States to participate. To apply, visit nickwriting.com and follow the link under the “Apply Online” section, fill out the application through Nick's submission portal, and submit two scripts: One spec from the Program's Accepted Shows List which gets updated every year (watch the Program's social media channels for announcements), and one half-hour original comedy pilot. If you have previously applied to the Program and were not selected, you are welcome and encouraged to apply again with a new spec script for each submission period.
Please note: Usually there is an international track for Nickelodeon, but in 2021 it is not active due to ongoing visa and travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
TRACKS:
When you pick a focus, it helps Nickelodeon curate your experience in the Program to better help you reach your goals as a television writer. Picking a focus does not mean your time in the Program will be spent exclusively working on content for this audience, but simply helps Nickelodeon gauge your interests and set you on a course for success. Your spec and pilot submissions do not need to adhere to these audience age groups in any way.
Kids’ Content (Audience Age 6-11)
This age group is Nickelodeon’s bread and butter. Most of Nickelodeon’s most iconic live-action and animated shows are developed for this demographic including SpongeBob SquarePants, Danger Force, and The Loud House.
Preschool Content (Audience Age 2-6)
The Preschool age group (including “bridge” content for tots moving into early elementary school age) loves to laugh and play along with their content. They’re smart, engaged, and always ready for new shows to watch like Paw Patrol, Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, and Baby Shark’s Big Show.
Preteen/Young Adult (Audience Age 11-17)
Nickelodeon shares its home in the ViacomCBS Kids & Family Group with their partners at Awesomeness who cater to a tween and teen audience. Nick will partner with ATV and the creators of shows for a slightly older audience like Side Hustle, Drama Club, and iCarly to make this experience the right one for you.
SCRIPT GUIDELINES
All applicants must submit a SPEC SCRIPT and ORIGINAL COMEDY PILOT that adhere to the following guidelines:
- Must be based on a television series from the Accepted Shows List (spec only).
- Typed in standard Final Draft (or equivalent) script format.
- In black type, 12pt courier style font.
- Do not upload a cover page with your script.
The following information should be included in the header/footer of your spec script on the first or all pages:
- Name of the show (center of the header).
- Title of the episode (center of the footer).
- File name should include only the name of your show and episode (Do not include your name or your submission will not be considered).
- Do not put your name anywhere on the script, file, or file name.
THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED:
Feature-length screenplays, reality-based comedies or dramas, treatments, outlines, plays, short stories, books, graphics, magazine/newspaper articles, poems, headshots, audio/video tapes, or other digital media. If it's not on the Accepted Shows list or your comedy pilot, please do not submit it!
Please note: Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be considered.
ACCEPTED SHOWS
A.P. Bio
Atlanta
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens
Baby-Sitters Club (2020)
Big Mouth
Black-ish
Bob <3 Abishola
Bob's Burgers
Breeders
Central Park
Dickinson
Dollface
Family Reunion
Gentefied
Grown-ish
Harley Quinn
Letterkenny
Mixed-ish
Mr. Iglesias
Mr. Mayor
Mythic Quest
Never Have I Ever
PEN15
Raven's Home
Rick and Morty
Saved by the Bell (2020)
South Park
Tacoma FD
Ted Lasso
The Conners
The Great North
The Last O.G.
The Neighborhood
The Unicorn
What We Do in the Shadows
Woke
APPLY
SUBMISSION MATERIALS TO INCLUDE:
- Completed application questions - some of these are long, so start your application early.
- One spec script in .pdf format (this applies to both individual writers and writing teams).
- One original comedy pilot in .pdf format (this applies to both individual writers and writing teams).
- One-page resume in .pdf format.
- Completed and digitally signed Submission Release form and Schedule A for each script. These can be downloaded from the link above the document upload section.
COMPLETE YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION
Beginning July 1st, you can start your application for the Nickelodeon Writing Program. Submissions must be uploaded before 11:59pm PT on August 1st.
- All submission materials should be completed and uploaded to the Nickelodeon online submission platform Coverfly. All necessary forms can be downloaded via links embedded in the application.
- Once in the platform, fill in the form with your "Project Info" about your spec from the Accepted Shows List.
- Projects written by writing teams should only be submitted once. On the first page of the checkout form, writers will have the option to add one additional writer by clicking on the plus sign (+) next to the name fields.
- Upload a .pdf of your spec script following the provided instructions. Leave off all identifiable information. At this stage, you will be asked to provide a few additional details about the script.
- Choose the Program "Package" and "Add to Cart."
- Give Nick some "Additional Info" including your contact details, a signed Schedule A form, and a signed Release form (one for each member in the case of writing teams) for each script you submit (spec and pilot). Both forms can be downloaded from the link above the document upload section.
- Nick also needs a resume in .pdf format. Please be sure to fill out all required fields and answer all questions or you will not be able to submit your application.
- Finally, "Check Out" (at no cost) to complete your submission.
- Don't wait until the last minute! Nick advises that you give yourself at least two weeks prior to the August 1st deadline to complete your submission. No exceptions will be made for late submissions regardless of circumstances.
- If you are experiencing problems with the online application, please contact the technical support team at Coverfly by scrolling to the bottom of their site homepage and clicking "Contact."
Good luck!
MORE INFORMATION
For more details about the 2021 Nickelodeon Writing Program, including FAQs and to meet this year's participants, visit nickwriting.com.
IMPORTANT DATES
Please note: notification dates are subject to change.
JUL 1
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Submission period closes at 11:59pm (PST) on August 1st
OCT 30
SEMI-FINALISTS NOTIFIED
Semi-finalists will be notified by the end of October
NOV 15
FINALISTS NOTIFIED
Finalists will be notified by mid-November
DEC 1
CHOSEN WRITERS NOTIFIED
Chosen writers will be notified by the beginning of December
Original source: u/palmtreesplz on r/Screenwriting.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.