2nd Annual Stage 32 Comedy Contest

Winners announced! Click the "Winners" tab above!

 Grand Prize Winner meets with Paradigm Agency, Vertigo Entertainment, Kevin Hart's LOL Network, and more!

2nd Place Winners meet with industry executives!

All finalists will have their loglines presented to 500 working industry executives!

Stage 32’s 2nd Annual Comedy Contest is back and we’re searching for original comedy features and original comedy TV pilots and comedy TV specs.

Got Funny?

WHAT YOU’LL WIN

• The Grand Prize Winner will be flown to Los Angeles to attend one-on-one meetings with Paradigm Agency, Vertigo Entrainment, Kevin Hart's LOL Network and Big Beach Films! 
• 2nd Place Winners will receive 3 Skype meetings with a top TV or Feature executive, producer, manager, or agent and three Stage 32 Happy Writers online pitch sessions, and a logline review from the “The Logline Whisperer”, Emmy-Award winner Lane Shefter Bishop
• All finalists will receive a Free On-Demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar and loglines exposed to over 500 executives on Stage 32

OUR TRACK RECORD

Our contest winners have either been signed, projects put into development and/or optioned!

• Benji Smith - signed with Meridian Artists.
• Brittni Brown and Jenna Palermo - signed with Infinity Management International.
• Trish MacEnulty - attached producer Gavin Dorman to her script.
• Scott Waldvogel and Matt DeMartini - signed with Gotham Group and APA.
• Frank Ponce - signed with 3 Arts Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment.
• Glenn Forbes - signed with Infinity Management International and optioned by Glider Films.
• Richard Hobley - signed with Paradigm and Goldcrest Films International.
• Michael Madden - signed with BenderSpink (Good Fear Film + Management) and ICM and writing on ABC series BLACKBOX.

This years round of judges are no joke! Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network, Paradigm Agency, Big Beach Films, Vertigo Entertainment, MXN Entertainment, and New Wave Entertainment.

FEEDBACK OPTION

For an additional fee of only $49 (50% savings!) you can receive full coverage from our industry readers on your screenplay or teleplay. Just check "coverage" upon checkout. Coverage will be sent out after the winners are announced.  

WHAT KIND OF TELEPLAYS CAN I ENTER?

Stage 32 Happy Writers are looking for scripts that encompass both 30-minute and 1-hour TV shows. We will be searching for up and coming TV comedy writers in these 4 categories:

30-minute Original Comedy Pilot

Teleplays in this category are 30-minute original comedy pilots, and are not based off of an existing TV show.

30-minute Comedy Spec

Teleplays in this category must be based off of a currently airing 30-minute TV comedy show, such as: Veep, Silicon Valley, Black-ish, Transparent, Master of None, etc.

1-hour Original Comedy Pilot

Teleplays in this category are 1-hour original comedy pilots, and are not based off of an existing TV show.

1-hour Comedy Spec

Teleplays in this category must be based off of a currently airing 1-hour TV Comedy show, such as: Orange is The New Black, Better Call Saul, Veep, Silicon Valley, etc.

WHAT KIND OF SCREENPLAY CAN I ENTER?

We’re searching for fresh comedy feature scripts!

All writers submitting a script between 120-150 pages must pay an additional $15. No scripts over 150 pages will be accepted.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Plane ticket to Los Angeles

Meetings with Paradigm Agency, Vertigo Entrainment, LOL Network, Big Beach Films, and MXN Entertainment

A logline review from the “The Logline Whisperer”, Emmy-Award winner Lane Shefter Bishop

Logline posted on Stage 32 and sent to over 500 industry executives

Free On-Demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar

2nd PLACE WINNERS

(Feature & TV)

Three Skype meetings with a top TV or Feature executive, producer, manager, or agent

Three Stage 32 Happy Writers online pitch sessions

A logline review from the “The Logline Whisperer”, Emmy-Award winner Lane Shefter Bishop

Logline posted on Stage 32 and sent to over 500 industry executives

Free On-Demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar

ALL FINALISTS

All finalists loglines will be posted in a special section of Stage 32 where any of the 500 industry executives we work with will be able to view them. If there is interest beyond the logline, we will facilitate the communication between the exec and the writer. Finalists will also receive a special Free On-Demand Stage 32 Next Level Webinar.

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Comedy Writing Contest!

Grand Prize Winner

SHORE BREAK (Feature)

written by Anthony Guidubaldi & Keith Strausbaugh

2nd Place Winner - Feature

RED VELVET

written by Tom Radovich

2nd Place Winner - TV (tie)

HAPPY TRAILS: WHEN IN BUMBLEF*CK

written by Kayla Baken

CLAN/DESTINE

written by Matt Shafeek

Congratulations to the Finalists of the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Comedy Writing Contest!

Comedy Feature Screenplay Finalists 

Comedy TV Script Finalists 

Congratulations to the Semi-finalists of the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Comedy Writing Contest!

Comedy Feature Screenplay Semi-Finalists

Comedy TV Script Semi-Finalists

Congratulations to the Quarter-finalists of the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Comedy Writing Contest!  

Comedy Feature Screenplay Quarter-Finalists 

Comedy TV Script Quarter-Finalists     

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENTS - 2017

April 1st: Quarter-finalists announced on Stage 32

April 12th: Semi-finalists announced on Stage 32

April 26th: Finalists announced on Stage 32

May 17th: Winners will be announced on Stage 32

Announcement dates subject to change.

David Boxerbaum (Feature Contest Judge) - Partner & Agent, Verve

David Boxerbaum is a talent and literary agent and partner at Verve Agency. David has emerged as one of the most prolific spec script sellers in the industry today, with selling almost 2 dozen scripts to studios and production companies in one year. Boxerbaum began his career working for producer Jerry Bruckheimer before moving to the William Morris Agency, and then Endeavor. He spent the last six years as a leader in the literary group at Paradigm.

Heather Johns (Comedy Contest Judge) - Executive Director of Development, Lionsgate, Kevin Hart's LOL Network

Heather is the Executive Director of Development for Lionsgate's LOL Network headed by comedian and actor Kevin Hart who partnered with Lionsgate to form Laugh Out Loud Network, an online streaming service for comedy content. Prior to joining Lionsgate Heather was the Sr. Director of Development for GRB Entertainment and DEFY Media where she specialized in programming for all major cable, broadcast and digital networks. Heather began her career at UTA where she worked as an agent.

Colin Lawrence (Comedy Contest Judge) - Producer, New Wave Entertainment

Colin Lawrence is an American Film Director, Writer and Producer. He is the third of four boys born and raised in Southern California. Colin's first exposure to the arts came through his father, James, an ex-marine and actor. Since he was old enough to push a VHS tape into a VCR he has been in love with cinema. He created his first films at the age of 11, most of which were of the horror genre, emulating Troma films, set to the music of the Misfits. After five years in development at various industry shingles, and four years as a staff producer at New Wave Entertainment, Colin is now an independent producer/director with several features, dozens of shorts, sketches and commercials under his belt, and is looking for his next great project. He believes in the power of the mind and spirit, the value of hard work, good food and good films.

Gabriel Chu - Creative Executive, Vertigo Entertainment

Gabriel Chu is the creative executive of Vertigo Entertainment and has been with the company for just over a year. Vertigo is a very active production company with credits including The Departed, How to Train Your Dragon, The Strangers, Oldboy, The Roomate, Abduction, Quarantine and The Grudge.They currently have over 40 projects in various stages of development and production including Poltergeist, Run All Night w/ Liam Neeson, The Double Hour w/ Michelle Williams and Death Note directed by Gus Van Sant. In just 10 years Vertigo has produced almost 30 films.

Joshua Cohen (Comedy Contest Judge) - Production & Development Coordinator, Big Beach Films

Big Beach is an independent film financing and production company based in New York. Big Beach was founded by producers Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf (Adaptation, Little Miss Sunshine). Big Beach has produced films like Away We Go, The Kings of Summer, Sunshine Cleaning, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Our Idiot Brother.

Joshua Cohen is a Production and Development Coordinator at Big Beach.

He's an MFA graduate of the creative producing program at Columbia University, and has written and produced dozens of short films, and was nominated for a Student Academy Award for his work producing the short film Day 39. At Big Beach, his credits include work on Me Him Her, Three Generations, and Loving.

Michelle Knudsen (Judge) - Literary Manager/Producer, MXN Entertainment

Michelle Knudsen is a producer and manager at MXN Entertainment. As a manager she has focused on championing women and diverse voices. Her clients include Carrie Solomon (the upcoming Netflix movie starring Nicole Kidman, Family Affair), Katie Silberman (Set It Up, Booksmart), and Jesse Andrews (Me & Earl & the Dying Girl). As a producer, her feature film credits include the Netflix comedy, When We First Met, the music driven documentary, No Cameras Allowed, and the Universal Pictures released, Queen & Slim. Knudsen grew up on Long Island with her Peruvian family and graduated from Columbia University.

Lauren Patterson (Comedy Contest Judge) - Development Coordinator, Romark Entertainment