Canwest Showrunners Program

The goal of the Canwest Showrunner Training Progam is to better position seasoned series writers for the role of showrunner. Up to 5 experienced series writers will be chosen to participate in this program which will provide further insight into the demands of producing series television from some of the best in the business, both in Canada and abroad. The program is open to individual writers as well as to established writing teams who have a track record together.

The successful applicants will be invited to attend the Banff World Television Festival on a full access pass. Successful candidates will have a dramatic series of their own to pitch at the Festival and develop during the course of the progam. At BANFF, they will have the opportunity to attend master classes, pitch Canadian and US broadcast executives and be part of individual sessions with renowned showrunners attending BANFF. Additional sessions on casting, budget and financing will be available to these participants. At the end of the program, the writers will travel to Los Angeles for a week to meet with a variety of story teams on existing US series.

Qualifications

Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate an expertise in writing for series television. Preference will be given to those individuals who have worked for at least two seasons on a dramatic series and have between 6 and 8 credited episodes.

Additionally, they must supply with their application a cover letter that outlines why they should be considered for the program, two produced episodic scripts, a full series pitch (hour or half-hour, drama or comedy, including character profiles, episodic loglines and a full description of the tone and world of the show ) that will form the basis of their pitching at BANFF.

Finally, they must supply a resume and two letters of recommendation from Canadian series television professionals. References should be familiar with the candidate's work on series television and their ability to take on the duties of a showrunner.

Successful candidates will be notified of their participation on March 31st, 2010. A three person jury comprised of the director of the program, a representative from the Banff Television Festival Foundation and a representative from Canwest will select the participants.

Application deadline is March 10th, 2010.

To enter the Canwest Showrunner competition you need an account. Once your account is created, you can log in as necessary to revise your submission(s). In the case of multiple entries, you can share your user name and password with colleagues, so that others may also submit on behalf of the company.

Please note that there is a mail in portion of this competition that you will be informed of once you have filled out all required fields.

For more information, Please contact:
Emily Atherton | Associate Producer
Tel.: +1.416.921.3171 ext. 246
Email: eatherton@achillesmedia.com

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