Who wants to propose a new TV series to Sky?

On the one hand there are authors, writers and screenwriters with an idea for an original TV series in the drawer. On the other hand there is Sky, which after titles like Gomorrah, 1992, The Young Pope And At home everyone is fineand in a particularly happy period for serial projects, thanks to the support of Sky Studios continues to increase its investment in Sky Original productions. To facilitate the meeting between these two parties and generate new professional opportunities, next March 21st kicks off Netpitch for Skythe initiative promoted by the union of Italian screenwriters WGI – Writers Guild Italy and the media entertainment company.

The idea is simple and very promising: anyone – the initiative is free and open to everyone, not just the members of the union – will be able to submit proposals (maximum two each) of unpublished and original series, which will then be screened and possibly selected. by Sky. “What we are trying to do, as a union, is to increase the chances,” he comments on the phone Giorgio Glaviano, president of Writers Guild Italia. «In this moment of turmoil in the market we want to reward quality and give more and more space to our associates, and in general to all screenwriters, to be able to concretely access the benefit of direct contact with a reality like Sky. This is our wish, with the will to help everyone: not only those who are just starting out, but also those who are in other stages of their careers. It is a great opportunity and we are proud of it ».

“Our audience expects stories from us that can excite them, make them reflect, entertain them in an original way”, he commented instead. Sonia Rovai, Director Scripted Production Sky Italia. «What we have established with the screenwriters over the years is, for this reason, a precious dialogue, a well-established relationship made up of constant dialogue. In continuity with Netpitch 2021 between writers and producers, we are very happy to kick off this further opportunity for discussion with Writers Guild Italia. New ideas, new potential stories to tell to an audience that has now become demanding and passionate, in a market that has never been so rich and stimulating ».

It is not the first time that WGI has promoted an initiative of this kind: the first Netpitch was launched about six years ago and only in the last edition 850-900 proposals arrived. “But this time we expect many more,” confesses Glaviano. In the first editions it was the producers who evaluated the original ideas of the participants, but this time the direct involvement of Sky allows you to skip a step and get to the final landing immediately. A novelty introduced over time, and which also characterizes Netpitch for Sky, is the “blind formula”: «We realized that the best way was to omit the names of the participants. We have the list of names associated with the projects, but those who read them do not know the identity of the participants until the end, ”explains the president of WGI. «This“ blind formula ”allowed us to really shake things up, because normally we always tended to choose the same names. In this way, however, the selection is based solely on ideas, on the quality of writing and on the goodness of the project ».

To access the final squad, participants will have to pass several selection phases following the presentation format of the projects developed by Writers Guild Italia. For any update you need to keep an eye on the communication channels of WGI. Broadly speaking, however, the logline and synopsis of the original idea must first be exposed and, if selected, a concept of five folders. On the basis of the latter there will be a further skimming and a face-to-face meeting will be reached to present the series project to Sky. It has not been deliberately indicated an official number of projects that will be part of the final selection or that will actually be brought quickly to the small screen. Much depends on the quality of the ideas presented, but also on the demands of the market and the necessary economic investment. Participation in Netpitch for Sky however, it must be understood as a sort of long-term investment: as Glaviano explains, even in the past editions there has sometimes been the “repechage” of some proposals that had not been chosen during the edition, but which then, with the evolution of the market and its demands, have become interesting and current.