Annual Stage 32 Comedy Contest

Winners Announced! Click "Winners" Tab!

Stage 32 screenwriting contests are quickly becoming one of the most respected and popular contests in the industry! Why, you ask?

• It might be because we are securing the best executive judges in town, or...

• It might be because nearly every contest winner has been signed or had their script optioned (*see our success stories below), or...

• It might be because our contest winners get unparalleled access to our roster of over 400 industry executives who work directly with Stage 32 and the Stage 32 Happy Writers!

In fact, it is all of these reasons (and more!) that make the Stage 32 Happy Writers contests the only choice for you and your writing career!  Check out a video from our most recent winners of our Stage 32 Happy Writers feature contest, Jenna Palermo and Brittni Brown. They just met with executives from SONY, Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Bros, 3 Arts Entertainment and Gotham Group to name a few:

Introducing The Stage 32 Annual Comedy Screenwriting Contest

In our quest to make sure every screenwriter gets the exposure they deserve, and by popular demand, we created our Annual Comedy Contest for our comedy writers! From current comedy films such as Trainwreck and Vacation to classic comedy franchises such as The Hangover and American Pie there is always a marketplace for feature comedy. In addition, current television shows such as Veep and Silicon Valley, as well as classic syndicates such as Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond make us aware that true comedy never goes out of style. We are looking for the next voices that make us laugh.

We want to give the freshest comedic voices a shot at getting heard by people who can make a difference in your career.

Submissions

Original Feature length screenplays will be accepted in the following comedy categories: 

• Comedies (ex. The Hangover, Bridesmaids, Hot Tub Time Machine, Trainwreck, Ted, Get Hard, Billy Madison, American Pie)
• Dramedies (ex. Silver Linings Playbook, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Crazy Stupid Love, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Punch Drunk Love)
• Romantic comedies (ex. Hitch, Bridget Jones Diary, About Last Night, The Other Woman, Magic in the Moonlight, That Awkward Moment)
• Horror/comedies (ex. Scream, Scary Movie, The Cabin In The Woods,Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead)
• Action/comedies (ex. Spy, Rush Hour, Kick Ass, Red, Men in Black, Lethal Weapon, True Lies)
• Indie Comedies - (ex. 500 Days of Summer, Juno, Lost in Translation, Sleeping With Other People, Pulp Fiction, Rushmore)

Original TV pilots will be accepted in the following comedy categories:

• Comedies (ex. Veep, Silicon Valley, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Brooklyn Nine- Nine, Arrested Development, Community, Parks and Rec, Friends)
• Dramedies (ex. Girls, Orange Is The New Black, Transparent, Shameless, Nurse Jackie, Weeds, Jane the Virgin, The Wonder Years, Breaking Bad) 
• Existing comedy show spec scripts

Prizes

1 Grand Prize Winner will receive all of the following:

• Plane ticket to Los Angeles
• Lunch meeting with producer/writer Scot Armstrong (Old School, The Hangover II, The Heartbreak Kid, School for Scoundrels, Semi-Pro) AND Jerry Zucker (Airplane, The Naked Gun, My Best Friend's Wedding)
  
• Meeting with a Group of Top Executives
• Cocktail hour with various executive contest judges
• A Stage 32 Happy Writers team member as a mentor for the year to help provide access to the over 500 executives we work with
• Personal email from Stage 32 Happy Writers, with your logline sent to our executives
• Script's title, logline and writer's name will be listed on the Stage 32 Happy Writers site accessible by industry executives

In addition, the TOP 5 writers of each category will receive prize packages that include meetings with top industry executives!

Plus! ALL OF OUR FINALISTS will have their loglines sent to our roster of over 500 executives that work with the Stage 32 Happy Writers!

(Click the PRIZES tab above to see a detailed listing of ALL our great prizes)

Our All-Star Line Up Of Judges

As always, we have brought in the best of the best judges in the business. And, as always, ALL of our judges are working industry professionals. These are just SOME of the films and TV shows our judges and their companies have worked on:

  Our lineup includes:

• Melissa Daykin Cassill - Vice President of State Street Pictures (Faster, Beauty Shop, Barber Shop, Notorious, Nothing Like the Holidays.)
• Jared Iacino - Director of Development at Panay Films (Wedding Crashers, Van Wilder, Hot Tub Time Machine 2)
• Will Phelps - Head of Feature Development for Mailbox Baseball Productions (The Wedding Ringer, Shaq Inc.)
• Tiffany Fiedler - Creative Executive at Five All in the Fifth Entertainment (The After Party with Paramount Pictures, Narc with Zac Efron, Fakenapped)
• Sean Berard - Jr. Agent, APA
• Jackson Reynolds – Coordinator of Physical Production at Lionsgate (Mad Men, Orange is the New Black, Nurse Jackie, Manhattan, Nashville, The Royals, Boss and many others.)

Click on our JUDGES page above now for more details!)

Past Contest Winners & Their Success Stories!

- Glenn Forbes, Grand Prize Winner, Stage 32 Happy Writers Search For New Blood Contest, 2014; Signed with Infinity Management International and his feature was recently optioned by Glider Films.

"I have signed with a management company in LA, Infinity Management International. I met them when Stage 32 flew me down to LA, and now the deal is done. I'm so thrilled to have Stage 32 Happy Writers in my corner for this ride. I've been plugging away for more than 10 years to secure representation. My message is never give up on your dream, and surround yourself with people who can help you get there. For that, Stage 32 has become my lynchpin."

- Frank Ponce, 2nd Place, Stage 32 Happy Writers Search For New Blood Contest, 2014; His script has been picked up for development by Atlas Entertainment (The Dark Knight, American Hustle) and recently signed to 3 Arts Entertainment! (The Dark Knight, American Hustle)

"My only wish was to find this site sooner for the sake of saving time, discovering in-depth educational value, and making legitimate connections. I have to tip my hat at RB, Joey and the gang for changing the game and helping shape my future in filmmaking. I’m honored to be swimming in a community of like-minded individuals. I’m proud to be Stage 32’s HAPPIEST WRITER right now!"

- Michael Madden (Stanfordville, New York), winner of the 1st Annual Working Writers Contest. Michael was signed by Daniel Vang at Benderspink, which lead to being repped by ICM and being hired as a writer on ABC's show, Black Box.

"I was fortunate enough to win The Stage 32 Happy Writers Working Writers 2013 competition, and the enthusiastic endorsement of Joey Tuccio captured the attention of an outstanding managing agent. The agent read my script, offered representation, and soon thereafter I became a staff writer on the ABC drama, Black Box. It’s apparent that Joey is widely admired by agents and producers for his discriminating eye, and his recommendations are held in the highest regard. The success I‘ve enjoyed would not have been possible without the support and commitment of Joey and his staff at Stage 32 Happy Writers, and I’ll always be grateful."

Winner Announcements

March 16th, 2015: quarter-finalists announced on Stage 32

March 30th, 2015: semi-finalists announced on Stage 32

April 13th, 2015: Finalists announced on Stage 32

May 4th, 2015: Winners will be announced on Stage 32

1 Grand Prize Winner (film or TV) will receive all of the following:

• Plane ticket to Los Angeles
• Lunch meeting with producer/writer Scot Armstrong (The Hangover II, The Heartbreak Kid, School for Scoundrels, Semi-Pro)
• Meeting with a Group of Top Executives
• Cocktail hour with various executive contest judges
• A Stage 32 Happy Writers team member as a mentor for 1 year to help provide access to the over 500 executives we work with
• Personal email from Stage 32 Happy Writers, with your logline sent to our executives
• Script's title, logline and writer's name will be listed on the Stage 32 Happy Writers site accessible by industry executives

1st Place Winner in the Non-Grand Prize Category (Feature or TV Pilot)

1st place winners will receive the following:

• 3 Skype Meetings with Executives
• Free Pitching Session
• Free Stage 32 Next Level Webinar
• Personal email from Stage 32 Happy Writers, with your logline sent to our executives
• Script's title, logline and writer's name will be listed on the Stage 32 Happy Writers site accessible by industry executives

2nd and 3rd Place Winners for Each Category (Feature and TV Pilot)

2nd and 3rd place winners will receive the following:

• 2 Skype Meetings with Executives
• Free Pitching Session
• Free Stage 32 Next Level Webinar
• Personal email from Stage 32 Happy Writers, with your logline sent to our executives
• Script's title, logline and writer's name will be listed on the Stage 32 Happy Writers site accessible by industry executives

4th and 5th Place Winners for Each Category (Feature and TV Pilot)

4th and 5th place winners will receive the following:

• 1 Skype Meeting with an Executive
• Free Pitching Session
• Free Stage 32 Next Level Webinar
• Personal email from Stage 32 Happy Writers, with your logline sent to our executives
• Script's title, logline and writer's name will be listed on the Stage 32 Happy Writers site accessible by industry executives

ALL Finalists

• All finalist's loglines will be listed on a special section on Stage 32 that only our executives can access. We will send out a notification with the announcement of the loglines to all of our executives. If a script is requested, the Stage 32 Happy Writers will act as the liaison.
• Free Pitching Session

Stage 32's Commitment: Opportunity. Access. Networking. Education.

Stage 32 2015 Feature Contest Winners & Executives from all over town!

We hosted a party for our Stage 32 Feature Contest winners in Los Angeles. Over a dozen industry executives attended the event to celebrate the writers and to discuss their projects. This was in addition to a bunch of meetings we had set up around town at studios, production companies and literary firms such as SONY, Universal, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, 3 Arts Entertainment, Gotham Group and more. As rewarding a night as it was for the writers, it was equally rewarding for the staffs of Stage 32 and the Stage 32 Happy Writers. As you know, we pride ourselves on providing access and opportunity for our talented members and this night left us all fulfilled.

Congratulations to the Stage 32 Happy Writers Comedy Contest Winners!

Comedy Winners - Feature Screenplay

1st Place & Grand Prize Winner

Kelly Anelons - Life's A Beaut

2nd Place

Sherrie Sanet - Sleeping With Dogs

3rd Place

Kranti Pally - Man to Man

4th Place

Wolfgang Wright - Not About Love

5th Place

Giovanni Porta - The Hook Up

Comedy Winners - TV Pilot or Spec Script

1st Place

Adam Dasilva & David James - Counter-Intelligence

2nd Place

Kevin Mahoney & Zach Zachariadis - The Barry Steinwich Show

3rd Place

Joe Henriques - Castle "Death By Stockings"

4th Place

Sundae Jahant-Osborn - A Lying Shame

5th Place

Frank Gaydos & Mark Saunders - Hotel Manana

THE FINALIST COMEDY TV PILOTS & SPECS ARE...

THE FINALIST COMEDY FEATURES ARE...

THE SEMI-FINALIST COMEDY TV PILOTS & SPECS ARE...

THE SEMI-FINALIST COMEDY FEATURES ARE...

QUARTERFINALISTS - THE TOP 50 COMEDY TV PILOTS ARE...

THE TOP 50 COMEDY FEATURES ARE...

Scott Stoops (Judge) - Manager, Good Fear Management + Film

Scott Stoops is a Literary Manager at Good Fear Film + Management, one of the industry’s leading management and production companies founded by Chris Bender. Good Fear client credits include horror projects, Polaroid, Child's Play, and The Ward.

Previously, Scott worked at Benderspink for founding partner JC Spink and Head of Management, Jake Wagner. Prior to his work at Benderspink, Scott was an agent at Paradigm.

Scott signed the Grand Prize Winner of the 5th Annual New Blood Contest - Christina Pamies - off her winning script, A Good Deed.

Jared Iacino (Judge) - Senior Vice President of Film & TV Development, Panay Films

Jared Iacino is the Head of Films and Television Production at Panay Films. Jared has been involved with the development and production of projects including HIT & RUN starring Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard and Bradley Cooper, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 starring Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Adam Scott, and the family adventure film EARTH TO ECHO, MASTERMINDS starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wig and Owen Wilson, and the recent CHIPS starring Michael Peña and Dax Shepard. Panay has produced WEDDING CRASHERS starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, VAN WILDER starring Ryan Reynolds, and SERENDIPITY starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.

These productions have given Panay Films the opportunity to work with other major companies including:

• Paramount
• Warner Bros.
• Relativity Media
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Open Road Films

Prior to his time at Panay Films, Jared worked in development and production at Walt Disney Studios, Red Wagon Entertainment, Storyline Entertainment and Fox Studios - affording him the opportunity to work on a diverse slate of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Film and Television projects including: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, JUNO, HAIRSPRAY, THE BUCKET LIST, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE PROPOSAL, and THE MUPPETS.

 

Melissa Daykin Cassill - Comedy Contest Judge - Vice President, State Street Pictures

Melissa Daykin Cassill is a seasoned executive and currently the Vice President of State Street Pictures, a production company with a first look deal at Fox 2000 Pictures. State Street was established by motion picture and television director George Tillman, Jr. and producer Bob Teitel in 1997. Melissa began her career at The Firm and Creative Artists Agency in the motion picture department. She moved on to Miramax and Mandalay Pictures as a Creative Executive, and then moved to Gunn Films as Vice President (Freaky Friday, Race to Witch Mountain), an established production company with a successful track record in partnership with the Walt Disney Company, before she settled in with State Street Pictures.

State Street Pictures credits include:

• Faster
• Beauty Shop
• Barber Shop
• Notorious
• Nothing Like the Holidays

 

Projects currently in production are:

• Barbershop 3 (Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Common, Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah)
• Southside With You (Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as Barack and Michelle Obama)

 

Matt Horwitz - Comedy Contest Judge - Manager, Echo Lake Entertainment

Matt Horwitz is a leading manager at Echo Lake Entertainment (NEBRASKA, ROMEO & JULIET, THE JONESES, WATER) with a focus on film and television writers and directors.

Matt's client roster includes some of the freshest voices in comedy, which includes:

• LaToya Morgan (SHAMELESS, TURN)
• John Hyams (UNIVERSAL SOLDIER III, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER IV)
• Guy Moshe (BUNRAKU, HOLLY)
• David Regal (ZEKE AND LUTHER, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND)
• Mike Teverbaugh (BETTER OFF TED, LAST MAN STANDING)
• Brenda Hsueh (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, SULLIVAN & SON)
• Zenescope Entertainment comic book company

Matt got his start at literary management company Sleeping Giant Entertainment in 2006. At Sleeping Giant,while serving as the executive assistant to President Dave Brown, Matt began working closely with award-winning writers and directors such as:

• James Manos Jr. (Creator of DEXTER)
• Jon Amiel (ENTRAPMENT, THE CORE, THE SINGING DETECTIVE)
• Victor Salva (JEEPERS CREEPERS I & II, POWDER)

Concurrently, Matt assisted the CEO of Night & Day Pictures (WAITRESS), allowing him to participate in both the representation and physical production side of filmmaking. Upon moving to Artist International in 2010, Matt was promoted to manager and started building his client roster, which he currently has with him at Echo Lake Entertainment.

Originally from the Washington DC area, Matt graduated from Indiana University with dual-degrees in Telecommunications and English.

Tiffany Fiedler - Comedy Contest Judge - Creative Executive, Five All in the Fifth Entertainment

Tiffany Fiedler is the Creative Executive for Five All in the Fifth Entertainment. After receiving a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan, Fiedler moved to Los Angeles, where she got her start in the entertainment industry at Creative Artists Agency. After over three years at CAA, she moved over to Jerry Bruckheimer Films. In 2014, she joined Five All, where she helps to oversee the creative day-to-day operations for all television and feature projects.

Five All in the Fifth is a production company/financier that was created by popular online destination BroBible.com, a leading online destination for 18- to 34-year-old men. Studios like Paramount and TriStar have turned to Five All in the Fifth to co-finance their slate. Five All in the Fifth Entertainment is currently seeking comedy features and TV pilot to finance. Five All is represented by CAA.

Five All in the Fifth is currently producing:

• The After Party with Paramount Pictures
• Narc with Zac Efron
• Fakenapped with TriStar

Will Phelps - Comedy Contest Judge - Head of Feature Development, Mailbox Baseball Productions (led by Jeremy Garelick)

Will Phelps is the Head of Feature Development for Mailbox Baseball Productions, a production company lead by writer/director, Jeremy Garelick (The Breakup, The Wedding Ringer). Will started his career working in production for Paradigm Talent Agency. After rising through the ranks on several projects (The Wedding Ringer, Shaq Inq (tv pilot), Detour (tv pilot)) he became the head of Feature Development at Mailbox Baseball Productions. Garelick is one of the most sought after names in comedy, having just been nominated one of Variety’s top ten directors to watch.

 

Jackson Reynolds - Coordinator of TV Production, Lionsgate Television

Jackson Reynolds is looking for stellar TV pilots! Budget range is no issue.

 

"Orange is the New Black", produced by Lionsgate Television

 

Lionsgate is an entertainment company which produced feature films and TV series. They own Lionsgate Films, Lionsgate Television, Codeblack Films, Starz Inc., Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment. They are also owners in Roadside Attractions and Studio 3 Partners.

Jackson Reynolds Coordinates the TV slate for Lionsgate Television. He supports senior staff in their corporate office and helps facilitate the day-to-day operations of Lionsgate production offices worldwide. He has been directly involved in every one of Lionsgate TV's productions since joining Lionsgate.

 

Lionsgate Television produced:

• "Orange is the New Black"
• "Nashville"
• "Dear White People"
• "Nurse Jackie"
• "Mad Men"
• "Ascension"
• "Boss"
• "Weeds"
• "Scream Queens"
• "Jeremiah"
• "The Royals"
• "Manhattan"

 

Lionsgate recently teamed with Starz and Liberty Global on the supernatural spy thriller The Rook, based on the novel by Daniel O'Malley. "The Night Manager's" Stephen Garrett, and Twighlight creator Stephie Meyer are exec producing.

Jackson is looking for stellar TV pilots to take to the senior team at Lionsgate for development and production consideration

 

Company credits include:

Sean Berard - Literary Agent, APA

This executive is looking for female-driven thrillers, non-fiction stories, and new sci-fi and/or fantasy world creators.

Check out the trailer for Ascension starring APA's client, Michelle Mylett!

 

Sean Berard is a literary agent with the Agency for the Performing Arts (APA). After training as an assistant and junior agent at the coveted DDO Artists Agency, Sean made the transition to APA where he specializes in literary representation.

APA is the fourth largest talent agency in Los Angeles with offices in Beverly Hills, New York, and Nashville. Clients include Adam Sandler, Sam Elliot, Gary Oldman, Amy Acker, Jason Momoa, Jesse McCartney, Kim Basinger, Mena Suvari, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Emily Deschanel, Louis C.K., Chevy Chase, Eva Longoria and many, many more. They've packaged movies and television series with virtually every major network and Hollywood studio.

Company and client credits include: