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September 22, 2015

11th Annual New York Television Festival to Feature WGN America’s ‘Manhattan’ and a Special Event Hosted by NBC Digital Enterprises Featuring Dan Harmon as Part of Opening Night Double-Header

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[NEW YORK, NY, September 22, 2015] – The NYTVF today announced schedule highlights for its eleventh annual New York Television Festival, which begins Monday, October 19 with an opening night screening celebrating season two of WGN America’s Manhattan, the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning drama produced by Lionsgate Television, Skydance Television and Tribune Studios. Following a first-look at the episode set to premiere the next night, cast members John Benjamin Hickey, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Zukerman, Michael Chernus, Katja Herbers and Mamie Gummer, along with series creator, writer and executive producer Sam Shaw and director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme, have been confirmed to participate in a talk-back panel. Also on opening night will be a special event hosted by NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, featuring a live performance by Dan Harmon and special guests.

From October 19 – 24, the Festival will take place primarily at the Helen Mills Theater and Event Space and SVA Theatre in Manhattan with screenings on the 50 selections in its annual Independent Pilot Competition slated for each of its first five days. The event will kick off on October 19 with more than 200 Official Artists being welcomed by Joel Stillerman, President of Original Programming and Development for AMC and SundanceTV, interviewed by NYTVF Founder/Executive Director Terence Gray. This will be followed by a series of events sponsored by Pivot, beginning with an exclusive screening of Please Like Me and artist Q&A with series creator Josh Thomas, followed by the Artist and Industry Kick-Off Happy Hour. Pivot is also joining forces with Time Warner Cable to present the Festival’s opening night party later that evening.

On Tuesday, October 20, New York Magazine‘s Margaret Lyons will moderate the Festival’s Bechdel-approved Creative Keynote Panel: “Running the Show: A Big Picture Conversation on Creating for the Small Screen”, with Courtney Kemp Agboh (Power, Starz), Blair Breard (Louie, FX), Barbara Hall (Madam Secretary, CBS) and Stephanie Laing (VEEP and the upcoming Vice Principals, HBO), which is being presented in partnership with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Writers Guild of America, East. Also on Tuesday, first-time Festival partner CNN will present a unique panel event with some of the big names behind its Original Series line-up: Lisa Ling (This Is Life with Lisa Ling), Morgan Spurlock (Morgan Suprlock Inside Man) and Kamau Bell (United Shades of America), hosted by the network’s Brian Stelter (Reliable Sources). Finally, as previously announced, October 20 will feature a first-look of truTV’s first scripted comedy, Those Who Can’t, followed by a talk-back with cast, creators and producers.

“It’s a great time to love TV and I think this year’s line-up really reflects that notion,” said Gray. “There’s been a lot of buzz in the last few months about other major festivals getting into the television game – our primary focus for the past decade as we’ve provided a platform to recognize small-screen storytellers. From the stellar line-up of projects in our Independent Pilot Competition, to a Primetime and Special Event slate that is jam-packed with unbelievable talent and producers, we have curated a week of programming that will be can’t-miss for industry decision-makers, TV fans and aspiring creators.”

Tuesday, October 20, Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22 will feature NYTVF Connect – a series of exclusive Artist and Industry events held throughout the week of the Festival. NYTVF Connect provides Official Artists with the opportunity to meet, pitch, network, and collaborate with dozens of top decision-makers in attendance, enjoying access to closed-door sessions with industry executives from across the programming landscape, including from ABC Studios, A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, Starz, IFC, Lifetime, NBC, Lionsgate, HISTORY, Funny or Die, WME, CAA and ICM, among many others.

Also on Thursday, October 22, first-time NYTVF partner Pop is bringing its original comedy series Schitt’s Creek to the Festival, with an exclusive look at the upcoming second season and a conversation with series creators and stars Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy along with cast mates Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott and Jennifer Robertson. That same evening, WGN America will bring attendees a sneak peek of the hotly anticipated Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios production, Outsiders, followed by a talk-back with the drama’s executive producers Paul Giamatti, Peter Mattei and Peter Tolan, and stars David Morse, Gillian Alexy, Kyle Gallner and Christina Jackson. Outsiders premieres in early 2016 on WGN America. Thursday will also play host to the fifth installment of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writers Forum. The annual comedy event features debut readings of three original sitcoms – penned by some of the UK’s most promising emerging writers – and will also include industry insight and feedback from Big Beach TV’s Dan Pasternack, who will be on-hand as the event’s industry chair.

The Festival will wrap on Saturday, October 24 with the seventh annual Development Day series, featuring a slate of free panels and events geared toward emerging and aspiring TV creators. Panels hosted by CNN and Bento Box Animation Studios, along with a special live taping of New York Magazine’s Vulture TV Podcast top-line the day. That evening, the Festival’s awards reception will name the winners of its annual Independent Pilot Competition and hand out deals from NYTVF.

Anheuser-Busch returns as the Official Beer of the NYTVF and will support the above events as well as industry gatherings hosted by Audio Network, the Hollywood Radio and Television Society (HRTS), and East Coast Digital, which round out the schedule. Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks.

More details from the Festival’s highlights can be found below, and for a full Festival schedule, along with event registration and pass information, visit www.nytvf.com/tixSYS/2015/progguide/. For a full list of projects selected for the Independent Pilot Competition, as well as the Festival screening schedule for each pilot, click here.

2015 NEW YORK TELEVISION FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Independent Pilot Competition Screenings
Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 23 from 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
 
See Festival guide for information about the fifty projects screening in the annual competition.

2015 Official Selections feature a number of names, faces, and voices recognizable to TV fans, including Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, About a Boy), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live), David Koechner (Saturday Night Live, Anchorman), Kelli O’Hara (Broadway’s The King and I, South Pacific), Jillian Armenante (Judging Amy), Horatio Sanz (Saturday Night Live), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld), Andy Dick (NewsRadio), Hannibal Buress (Why? With Hannibal Buress, Broad City), Mike Doyle (Law & Order: SVU), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect), Matt Letscher (The Carrie Diaries, Eli Stone), Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham), Collette Wolfe (Interstellar, Cougar Town), Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files), Andrea Anders (Better Off Ted, Modern Family), Bridget Everett (Rock Bottom, Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder), Brad Leland (Friday Night Lights), Brian Letscher (Scandal), Paula Pell (30 Rock), Paula Poundstone (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me), Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Michaela Watkins (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Trophy Wife), Arielle Kebbel (90210, UnREAL), Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey), Josh Meyers (MADtv), Clancy Brown (Sleepy Hollow, Carnivàle), Rebecca Field (The Client List), La Toya London (American Idol), Todd Grinnell (Desperate Housewives), Charles Michael Davis (The Originals), Michael Weston (House), Lauren Weedman (Looking), and Ryan Farrell (Inside Amy Schumer).

Monday, October 19
AFTERNOON: Artist Welcome Events and NYTVF Connect Kick-Off

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

• “Demystifying the Deal” Panel, hosted by Loeb & Loeb, LLP

• Industry Welcome from Joel Stillerman, President of Original Programming and Development for AMC and SundanceTV

• Artist Keynote from Pivot TV’s Please Like Me, featuring an exclusive screening and talk-back withseries creator and star, Josh Thomas and series co-writer and star, Thomas Ward, hosted by Entertainment Weekly’s Melissa Maerz

• NYTVF Connect Artist and Industry Kick-Off Happy Hour, hosted by Pivot

7:00 PM: OPENING NIGHT EVENT: Season Two Celebration of WGN America’s MANHATTAN

SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street

Get onboard with the show that TIME MAGAZINE called last season’s “secret weapon” during this NYTVF Opening Night Special Event featuring a debut of an episode from the second season of WGN America’s MANHATTAN, produced by Lionsgate Television, Skydance Television and Tribune Studios. Screening followed by a talkback featuring cast members John Benjamin Hickey, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Zukerman, Michael Chernus, Katja Herbers and Mamie Gummer, along with series creator, writer and executive producer Sam Shaw and director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme.

7:30 PM: 2015 KICK-OFF PARTY: Hosted by Pivot and Time Warner Cable

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

8:00 PM: OPENING NIGHT EVENT: A Special Event, hosted by NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises EVP Evan Shapiro, and featuring a live performance by Dan Harmon and special guests.
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street

Tuesday, October 20
10:30 AM – 5:00 PM: NYTVF Connect Events
Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

5:00 PM: Artist and Industry Happy Hour

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

7:00 PM: CNN PRESENTS: “An Original Take on the Stories of Now” – A NYTVF Primetime Panel Event featuring Lisa Ling, Morgan Spurlock and Kamau Bell
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street
CNN, the network that invented the 24-hour news cycle, is championing a new generation of storytellers through original non-fiction programming that delivers an immersive and thought-provoking experience for viewers. In this can’t-miss NYTVF Primetime special event, CNN Original Series hosts Lisa Ling (This Is Life with Lisa Ling), Morgan Spurlock (Morgan Spurlock Inside Man) and Kamau Bell (United Shades of America) will join Brian Stelter (Reliable Sources) to discuss the opportunities and challenges in making high-quality docuseries for a channel known for breaking news, and what they hope to accomplish in exploring through their unique lenses some of today’s most hot-button issues.

7:30 PM: NYTVF Creative Keynote Panel: “Running the Show: A Big Picture Conversation on Creating for the Small Screen” (In Collaboration with the SAG Foundation and WGA East)
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street
The 2015 New York Television Festival, Screen Actors Guild Foundation, and Writers Guild of America, East welcome an all-star line-up of show runners and executive producers to NYTVF’s annual flagship Creative Keynote event, which will pull back the curtain on the creative process behind some of TV’s biggest hits and most compelling shows. This not-to-be-missed conversation will span the storytelling process from development to production, and beyond, with insights and advice from hit-makers across the landscape. With Courtney Kemp Agboh (Power, Starz), Blair Breard (Louie, FX), Barbara Hall (Madam Secretary, CBS) and Stephanie Laing (VEEP and the upcoming Vice Principals, HBO), moderated by Margaret Lyons (New York Magazine / Vulture.com).

8:30 PM: truTV First Look Screening and Panel of Original Comedy THOSE WHO CAN’T
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street
This exclusive first-look event will feature debut screenings of two episodes from the series – set to officially premiere early next year – followed by a talk-back with creators/executive producers Ben Roy, Adam Cayton- Holland, Andrew Orvedahl – members of comedy troupe The Grawlix who star as three dysfunctional high school teachers who are about as screwed-up as the kids they teach. Joining them on stage will be actress Maria Thayer (Eagleheart) who plays Abbey Logan, the school’s librarian who zealously joins in on the antics of her co-workers; and executive producer/showrunner Dean Lorey (Arrested Development, The Crazy Ones).

7:30 – 9:30 PM: Audio Network Music Mixer

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

Wednesday, October 22
10:30 AM – 6:00 PM: NYTVF Connect Events Tribeca

Three-Sixty°: 10 Desbrosses Street

6:00 PM: NYTVF Industry Cocktail Party

Tribeca Three-Sixty°: 10 Desbrosses Street

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM: HRTS Young Executives Networking Event

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

Thursday, October 23
12:30 PM – 6:00 PM: NYTVF Connect Events
Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

6:00 PM: Artist and Industry Happy Hour, Hosted by East Coast Digital

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

7:00 PM: Pop Season Two Sneak Peek of Original Comedy SCHITT’S CREEK
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street
This NYTVF exclusive screening and panel will feature a sneak peek at the second season of this Pop original series created by and starring Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy, who will be on-hand for the screening and panel, along with co-stars Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott and Jennifer Robertson. Schitt’s Creek is a character-driven scripted comedy series that debuted to critical acclaim earlier this year. In the second season, after a failed attempt to sell the town, the once rich and powerful Rose family come to the depressing realization that their stay in Schitt’s Creek may be longer than they originally hoped. Father and former video store magnate, Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) continues to look for ways to extricate his family from life in their sad little town, while his wife, former soap star, Moira (Catherine O’Hara), searches for ways to grace the town with her sophistication and taste. As for their spoiled children, David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), they must do the unthinkable – find jobs. The Roses will bloom again – even if it’s in Schitt’s Creek.

7:30 PM: WGN America World Premiere Screening and Talkback of OUTSIDERS
SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street
The buzzed-about new WGN America drama, produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, centers on the Farrell clan’s struggle for power and control in the rugged and mysterious hills of Appalachia. The world-premiere screening of the series debuting in early 2016 will be followed by a talk-back with Executive Producers Paul Giamatti, Peter Mattei, and Peter Tolan, and stars David Morse, Gillian Alexy, Kyle Gallner and Christina Jackson.

8:00 PM: BAFTA Rocliffe New Comedy Showcase: Catch the Future of British Comedy

9:30 PM: Networking Drinks

SVA Theatre: 333 West 23rd Street

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the NYTVF are re-teaming to present this unique night of comedy featuring debut readings of original sitcoms – penned by some of the UK’s most promising comedy television writers – with creative insight and feedback from the event’s Industry Chair, Dan Pasternack (Big Beach TV).

The selected scripts were identified following a UK-wide competition hosted by BAFTA and the Rocliffe New Writing Forum. The event, which includes a post-event networking event, will feature staged reading excerpts of the three selected entries with expert commentary on each.

Saturday, October 24
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Development Day
Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street
NYTVF Development Day offers aspiring creators and TV fans alike a day of free panels and events providing both educational and inspirational insight into the creation of television.

Development Day Panel Discussions and Events include:

• NYTVF’s Annual Late Night Writers Panel: “Long Day’s Journey into Late Night”

• “$1K Challenge: Making Your Pilot Presentation on a Budget”

• “Docu vs. Reality – An Unscripted Producers’ Primer”, presented by CNN

• “Animation 101: Create, Develop and Sell Your Animated Show”, presented by Bento Box

• “Vulture TV Podcast: Live Taping”, presented by Vulture.com and New York Magazine

7:00 PM: NYTVF Awards Reception

Helen Mills Theater and Event Space: 137-139 West 26th Street

The Festival’s Awards Reception will recognize outstanding entries and individual achievement in the 2015 Independent Pilot Competition as well as the winners of the NYTVF Critics Award and Development Awards from NYTVF’s twenty development partners.

To register for tickets or passes to these or any Festival events, visit nytvf.com and click on “Box Office.”