truTV announces 15 finalists for 2018 Comedy Breakout Initiative

Here are the 15 finalists announced last week for truTV’s Comedy Breakout Initiative, designed to find new and distinct voices to join truTV’s existing roster of unscripted comedy-based formats, which is currently toplined by Impractical Jokers, but also features The Chris Gethard Show, Talk Show the Game Show, Comedy Knockout, and Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks. […]

Continue Reading

National Lampoon and Stage 32 offer $5,000 feature film screenwriting contest

National Lampoon and Stage 32 have launched a contest to find the next great comedy screenwriter. The contest, which is taking submissions through July, offers a grand prize of $5,000 with an 18-month option at the Lampoon, as well as mentoring from Lampoon creatives and executives. “We’ve admired Stage 32’s mission to help creatives from […]

Continue Reading

New York Television Festival selects comedy scripts up for development deal prizes in 2018

The New York Television Festival has selected 13 half-hour comedy scripts for its third annual NYTVF Scripts Competition, with industry executives poring over them and perhaps granting one or more of them with development deals after the fest this July in Manhattan. Among the more intriguing selections, a script by FOX News/FOX Business Network’s Melissa Francis […]

Continue Reading

New York Television Festival selects indie pilots for 2018 competition

The 2018 New York Television Festival has selected 59 original pilots and pitches for its annual Independent Pilot Competition this July. This year’s festival, the 14th NYTVF, takes place in the summer for the first time – July 14-20, 2018 at The Helen Mills Theater and Event Space, with select events at the SVA Theatre. “Some of the most […]

Continue Reading

SeriesFest announces finalists in Storyteller Initative for comedy writers

SeriesFest, the nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing the best and boldest emerging voices in television, in partnership with Elysium Bandini Studios and Parallel Entertainment, personal management company, today announced the three finalists of this year’s “Storyteller Initiative,” a program created to discover original comedy writers. They are:Juiciful, written by Courtney Bush, Jake Goicoechea and Will Carrington; Volunteered, written […]

Continue Reading

Submit your pitches for the 2018 truTV Comedy Breakout Initiative with the NYTVF

For the second year, truTV is partnering with the New York Television Festival to sponsor the truTV Comedy Breakout Initiative, offering up to $25,000 for the winning creator to develop his/her/their pitch into a potential series for the cable network. It’s free to submit. To qualify, you need to submit the following: A series overview […]

Continue Reading

Ali Sultan wins Best of the Midwest comedy competition at Gilda’s LaughFest 2018

Five years after winning the Funniest Person in the Twin Cities contest, Ali Sultan has leveled up, taking home the title of Best of the Midwest in the 2018 Gilda’s LaughFest competition. Sultan beat out seven other up-and-coming stand-ups from the region for the title and the $2,500 prize Thursday during the annual festival in […]

Continue Reading

Win a copy of Jim Florentine’s new book, “Everybody is Awful (Except You!)

On February 20th, Jim Florentine will release a new book called Everybody is Awful (Except You!). Channeling the core rage… MORE

Win a copy of Jim Florentine’s new book, “Everybody is Awful (Except You!) appeared first on The Laugh Button.

Continue Reading

New York Television Festival announces 2017 winning pilots and pitches

The 13th annual New York Television Festival named the winners of its annual contests and development deals for independent pilots over the weekend. “Best of the Fest” honors went to Giving Up while the NYTVF Critics Award was presented to Royally. “A dozen years after our first Festival, I continue to be impressed by the talent that we […]

Continue Reading

StandUp NBC announces finalists for 2017 contest and talent holding deal

StandUp NBC, the annual nationwide search for comedic talent from more diverse backgrounds than purely white and male, has announced its finalists for the 2017 contest. After regional searches in Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco and Chicago, the following nine comedians will perform at the finals this coming Nov. 29 at the Hollywood Improv: TuRae Gordon, […]

Continue Reading