New York Television Festival

The second annual NYTVF will run from September 12th through September 17th in midtown Manhattan. The NYTVF was founded in 2005 as the industry’s first recognized platform for independent television. Held annually in the fall in New York City, the birthplace of modern television, the festival unites artists, executives, industry figures, and fans together in one forum to celebrate the medium and to help shape its future. Along with its Independent Pilot Competition, the festival features panel discussions, premiere screenings, and other special events designed to honor television as an institution and as an art form.

The festival is encouraging all TV fans to come out and enjoy the independent pilots entered in this year’s competition by presenting all screenings held at its primary screening venue, the DGA Theater in midtown Manhattan, to the public free of charge. The festival is also holding free pilot screenings at The Museum of Television & Radio.

Below is a select list of events. A complete schedule of screenings and events can be found at the NYTVF Box Office at www.nytvf.com.

The festival presents “Premiere Week,” featuring star-studded, red-carpet premieres of four new shows debuting this fall.

September 12th – NBC’s “Kidnapped”
September 13th – VERSUS’s “Off the Hook”
September 14th – ABC’s “The Knights of Prosperity”
September 17th – FOX’s “Standoff”

Stars and creators from all four shows will be on hand to watch the pilot, and the Versus, ABC, and FOX events will be followed by guest-moderated talkbacks where the audience can meet the casts.

The NYTVF Panel Discussion Series is open to the public and presents the biggest names in the industry, including Dan Rather, Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development), as well as network development executives and established agents ready to give you advice on how to get started on a career in television.

On September 13th at 5:30 PM, the MSN Happy Hour Panel Discussion Series presents some of the biggest producers talking about the American Family on TV, including:

* Mitchell Hurwitz (Executive Producer, Arrested Development)
* Phil Rosenthal (Executive Producer, Everybody Loves Raymond)
* Mike Scully (Executive Producer, The Simpsons)

On September 14th at 5:00 PM, legendary anchorman Dan Rather headlines a discussion on the current state of television news. Single tickets to the Happy Hour panel discussion are available for $25 per person per event.

On Saturday, September 16th, the festival and Variety are presenting a series of three Breaking into the Business seminars for those aspiring to pursue a career in television. These three panels include:

“Finding Your Agent” – Agents from William Morris, CAA, and more discuss steps to take to get represented in television.

“Development 101” – If you want to turn your great idea into a TV show, this panel will tell you how to start. Development execs from Showtime, A&E, Court TV, and MSN will offer advice on how to take advantage of new technologies to present your ideas to execs.

“The Ultimate Producer’s Guide” – A must for any independent producer looking to shoot in New York City. Representatives from the City of New York, New York-based production houses and companies, and successful indie producers will let you know how to best utilize the City to maximize your production.

Tickets for the Breaking into the Business seminars are available to the public at $20 per person per seminar. If you are interested in attending all these seminars, you can get a special discount of $45 for all three (available only by calling 1-877-GO-NYTVF).