It’s one thing to be a true Internet celebrity, but it’s another if your adored by fans worldwide because you are on the magic box (you know, the TV). Microsoft understands this and they’re now involved with a contest where if you happen to not suck so much, you can get your TV show on Xbox Live and win a phat $100,000. Check out the rules and junk:
2007 Pilot Competition | “Xbox LIVE Originals” ContestNYTVF 2007 Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines
The “Xbox LIVE Originals” contest will invite a wide range of artists and Xbox users to create a 5 to 15-minute pilot episode introducing an original television series. The pilots may be any genre (comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, etc.), and they may be live-action, animated or both. All entries must be submitted before June 29th, 2007. A selection of standout finalists will be featured exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace starting in July. The winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 deal with Xbox LIVE to create a six-episode series based on the short pilot as well as an exclusive screening event at the 2007 New York Television Festival.
For more information about Xbox LIVE, please go to Xbox.com.
Hit the jump for the full rules. Who wants to be famous?
From the press release:
It’s Showtime: Microsoft Invites Contestants to Create an Exclusive TV Show for Xbox LIVE
Xbox 360 and the New York Television Festival team up to host Xbox LIVE Originals contest, offering a chance to produce original TV programming for Xbox LIVE.
NEW YORK — April 16, 2007 — People can not only play games and watch premium entertainment content on their Xbox 360™, they can now create content for it, too. Microsoft Corp. and the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) today announced the Xbox LIVE® Originals contest, granting aspiring television producers the opportunity to create a pilot that could be chosen for the first original series developed specifically for the Xbox LIVE online gaming and entertainment network. Microsoft will award the winning entrant a $100,000 budget and an opportunity for a six-episode commitment to air the television series on Xbox LIVE, the largest social network in the living room. The pilot episode of the winning series is scheduled to debut this fall at the third annual NYTVF, the industry’s first showcase for independent television, before being featured exclusively on Xbox LIVE, home to a community of more than 6 million people worldwide. This marks the first time that user-created entertainment content will be available worldwide for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE.
“Not only can aspiring TV producers from across the globe try their hands at creating new TV shows, but because of Xbox LIVE Marketplace, they can now win a chance to have more than 6 million people worldwide see their work,” said Bill Nielsen, senior director of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to participate in the festival, and we are thrilled to be able to bring community-created TV content to the Xbox community for the first time.”
Xbox LIVE is already home to more than 1,500 hours of full-length films and TV series in the United States. This contest will showcase the user-created content alongside films and TV shows from many of the top networks and studios in the entertainment industry.
“The New York Television Festival has always strived to give artists opportunities to get their voices heard in the industry, and we think that showcasing their work on the Xbox 360 will give our artists unprecedented exposure,” said Terence Gray, founder of NYTVF. “The Xbox LIVE Originals contest acknowledges that new technologies are enabling artists to tell their stories in innovative ways, and Xbox LIVE Marketplace, one of the top digital distributors of online entertainment content, is a great place to showcase the talent that takes part in the NYTVF. The NYTVF is proud to join with Xbox 360 on its groundbreaking initiative to create and provide original programming.”
To participate in the Xbox LIVE Originals contest, entrants must produce and submit a short comedy pilot running between five and 15 minutes long. Submissions will be accepted from April 16 through June 29, 2007, from contestants in any of the 25 countries currently supporting Xbox LIVE. A group of selected finalists will be shown on Xbox LIVE Marketplace’s video-on-demand service in July, and a winner will be announced at the end of the month. The creators of the winning pilot will receive a budget of $100,000 and an opportunity to produce six additional episodes of the comedy series for Xbox LIVE, and the first episode will premiere at an exclusive event at the 2007 NYTVF in September.
The full rules:
2007 Pilot Competition | “Xbox LIVE Originals” ContestNYTVF 2007 Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines
The “Xbox LIVE Originals” contest will invite a wide range of artists and Xbox users to create a 5 to 15-minute pilot episode introducing an original television series. The pilots may be any genre (comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, etc.), and they may be live-action, animated or both. All entries must be submitted before June 29th, 2007. A selection of standout finalists will be featured exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace starting in July. The winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 deal with Xbox LIVE to create a six-episode series based on the short pilot as well as an exclusive screening event at the 2007 New York Television Festival.
For more information about Xbox LIVE, please go to Xbox.com
Important Dates
April 16, 2007…………Submission Period Begins
June 29, 2007…………Submission DeadlineRequired Running Times
Each short pilot must have a running time between 5 and 15 minutes.
Fees
– Each submission must be accompanied by a $25 processing fee.
– Check and money orders made payable to the “New York Television Festival” or “NYTVF” are acceptable forms of payment.
*Students who include a photocopy of a current, valid student ID are not required to pay an entry fee.
Eligibility
– Programs created or funded by broadcast networks, cable networks or studios are ineligible to compete in the “Xbox LIVE Originals” Contest but may be submitted to the NYTVF for consideration as a specialty screening.
– Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. If under the age of 18, entries must include written parental consent.
– Foreign language programs must be dubbed into English by entrants.
For questions about Eligibility, please email xboxsubmissions07@nytvf.com.
“Xbox LIVE Originals” Contest Guidelines
– The New York Television Festival “Xbox LIVE Originals” Contest accepts entries beginning April 16, 2007 and ending June 29. Artists may submit multiple entries to the competition. All entries must be received by the NYTVF no later than 11:59 PM on June 29, 2007. This is not a postmark date.
– All TV genres will be accepted. Pilots may be live-action, animated or both.
Entry Packet (Download the PDF here)
– Entries must be submitted on either VHS or DVD; International submissions must be submitted on VHS (NTSC) or DVD formatted for multi-zone or Zone 1 (North America).
– Please include three (3) copies of the Pilot Program with label of Producer, Director and/or Production Company, and contact information.
– All entries must be accompanied by a signed Application Form and the $25 entry fee.
Address
All submissions, accompanied by a signed Application Form and Entry Fee, must be sent to:
New York Television Festival
Attn: Xbox LIVE Originals
P.O. Box 627
Planetarium Station
New York, NY 10024-0627
