Call for Entries: Digital First Comedy Initiative

Create NSW, ABC iview and the Western Sydney-based creative hub Information & Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.) have partnered to search for up to three teams of filmmakers for a series of comedy shorts to premiere on ABC iview.

They are seeking pitches that will deliver youth-focused and digital-first comedies across a mix of sub-genres (comedy/drama, sketch etc), which showcase talent and stories from NSW (with at least one key creative from Western Sydney).

Create NSW Director for Sector Investment Sophia Zachariou said, “This is a great opportunity to up-skill Western Sydney creatives with production experience and create new industry relationships through our partners at ABC, I.C.E. and beyond.

“NSW is home to an excellent pool of screen talent and we’re committed to building this capacity further, this time with a focus on increasing the opportunities and exposure for Western Sydney screen practitioners and on expanding the diversity of the people and projects we fund.”

ABC Head of Comedy Rick Kalowski added, “The ABC prides itself on reflecting Australian diversity through innovative storytelling, and this I.C.E. initiative is an exciting means to uncover more of these stories for Australian audiences. I am extremely excited to work alongside our partners to develop these projects with Western Sydney creatives.”

Up to three NSW-based teams will receive up to $75,000 per project, with projects needing to span four to six five-minute episodes each, deliverable by the end of December 2018. Projects must appeal to a youth audience, from teams that include at least one key creative from Western Sydney.

Once selected, teams will have access to the professional development services of representatives from Create NSW and I.C.E., plus an ABC Commissioning Editor to guide the projects and build relationships with the broadcaster.

Details of a briefing and Q&A session for interested potential applicants to be held at I.C.E. will be announced via Create NSW shortly.

I.C.E. Executive Director John Kirkman said, “Western Sydney is a rich source of stories that reflect the reality of a cultural diverse contemporary Australia. I.C.E. is pleased to support this initiative and promote the new stories and storytellers from our region.”

Applications are now open and close midnight Sunday 17 June 2018.