A comprehensive list of the 2014 Launch Pad’s Top 25 pilot scripts, showcasing your winners, runners-up, top 10 and semifinalists!
(All categories are listed alphabetically by pilot script title)
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ANOTHER/WORLD
| Logline: | Set in the cutthroat world of 1970’s daytime TV, an aging superstar must battle against a network’s attempt to oust her from a popular television show she starred in for twenty years. |
| Pitched as: | MAD MEN meets NASHVILLE |
| Writer Bios: | Tony Lippera |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Chemical Imbalance – Matt Bass |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilots Competition |
| Direct Link: | ANOTHER/WORLD – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | An incredibly strong pilot that dangles talent and awards bait. Great writing that just lets the drama bleed off the page. Has all of the makings of a great cable, pay cable series ready to fill the hole that will be left once Mad Men is retired. Serialized, glamorous, and addictive. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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BLOOD TIES
| Logline: | The story of two men, one the favored son of a Chicago Crime Family and the other a second generation Chicago police officer, whose lives get thrown into chaos when they discover they were intentionally switched at birth. As both men discover where their true blood ties lie, they must decide which side of the law their loyalties will lie. |
| Pitched as: | THE SHIELD meets THE DEPARTED |
| Writer Bios: | Tristan Thai |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Jon Kanak Management – Jon Kanak |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | BLOOD TIES – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Exceptionally written story and characters grounded in a network friendly procedural that has years of potential storytelling packed into it. This is the kind of series a network will build a night around for the next decade. An equally tense, dramatic and action-packed series built for massive audience appeal. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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BUSCONE
| Logline: | A twist on cartel wars. Brings us into an original, unexplored world of “Buscones” or “street agents” that run like the mafia; but their “product/traffic” are young boys grooming them to be baseball major leaguers. |
| Pitched as: | RAY DONOVAN meets BANSHEE |
| Writer Bios: | Jeff Storms |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Jon Kanak Management – Jon Kanak |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | BUSCONE – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Imagine Jerry Maguire working for the Sopranos. And that’s just one of our characters. Smart, soapy, love triangles, drama, baseball, all under the radar of the law, and all centered on the pursuit of the American dream. Want relatable? Check out Dodgers player “Yasiel Puig’s story, and what he had to go through to become one of todays hottest baseball players in the world. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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COLLAPSE
| Logline: | High-concept drama about the origin of a robot apocalypse. In a dystopian future, human-like androids are under attack from the humans they’ve been created to serve until they decide enough is enough and begin to fight back. |
| Pitched as: | ALMOST HUMAN meets CHILDREN OF MEN |
| Writer Bios: | Nti Aning |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | COLLAPSE – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | A big event series that easily fits network or cable, and brings new ideas and perspectives to a familiar setting. Fun, action and sci-fi mixed in with emotionally impacting storylines, and a fresh voice delivering it all on the page. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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COSMO’S
| Logline: | A robot, an alien, and a time traveler walk into a bar— and then start working there? A raunchy live-action geekfest about three extraordinary beings in one ordinary place. |
| Pitched as: | IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA meets THE BIG BANG THEORY |
| Writer Bios: | Asmin Pathare |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Signed With: Vision Arts Management | Scott Schwartz |
| Details: | Writer featured on the 2014 Young & Hungry List! Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | COSMO’S – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Meshing similar comedic elements of hit series’ into a smart, yet equally highbrow/lowbrow comedic world. A perfect blending of intelligence and dick and fart jokes appealing to MIT grads and stoners alike. Live action or animation friendly. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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DOUBLES
| Logline: | Story of two twin sisters who are complete opposites, trying to make it in the city without killing each other. |
| Pitched as: | BROAD CITY meets THE MINDY PROJECT |
| Writer Bios: | Kassia Miller |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Signed with New Wave Entertainment – Matt Ochacher |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | DOUBLES – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | This script screams network hit. Two great female leads, perfect for showing comedic chops, a fresh take on a successful dynamic, and it’s based on the writer’s life… kind of. Twins in NYC – go! |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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EREBUS
| Logline: | Centers on an exploration team sent to the South Pole for a routine research run, who are caught amidst a sudden volcanic explosion and an unidentified object below the ice. Now they must fight for their survival in the most desolate place on earth. |
| Pitched as: | LOST meets THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW |
| Writer Bios: | Eliot John Hagen |
| Genre: | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | EREBUS – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Big network-geared event series that mixes action, adventure, drama and mystery into the closest thing we’ve seen to Lost since Lost. Endless potential, strong characters, and a storyline that caters to weekly cliffhangers, and appointment viewing. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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FULLTIME DAD
| Logline: | Story of a recently-unemployed single dad in NYC, who suddenly has to take care of his teenage son, who has now been kicked out of every school in the state of Florida. Two generations struggling to figure out what they want to do with their lives at the same time. |
| Pitched as: | TWO AND A HALF MEN meets ABOUT A BOY |
| Writer Bios: | Scott C. Reynolds |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | FULL TIME DAD – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Super-relatable comedy that works for the 18-24 & the 30+ demo. Alone, the premise of two men trying to figure their lives out and grow the hell up is great. But make them father and son and it’s damn near perfect. But it’s not all just fun and games, buried underneath the laughs is a genuine and heartfelt story of a father and son trying to connect, and dare I say, learn together. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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GARRET GOES TO WASHINGTON
| Logline: | When a rich, privileged teenager is kicked out of his eighth boarding school, he’s sent to live with his blue collar relatives in Tacoma, Washington. |
| Pitched as: | THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR in reverse |
| Writer Bios: | Ted Sperling |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Signed with Energy Entertainment – Angelina Chen |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | GARRET GOES TO WASHINGTON – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Network ready series with incredible casting potential and a fun, familiar and relatable theme. The pitch of this series being “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” in reverse really does all the selling this one needs. What kind of person doesn’t want to read that? |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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INHERITANCE, THE
| Logline: | The repercussions of a political visionary’s personal sins rip through the Cavanaugh family as they continually struggle to prevent the sins of the past generations from being inherited by the next. |
| Pitched as: | SOPRANOS meets HOUSE OF CARDS |
| Writer Bios: | Katiedid Langrock |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | THE INHERITANCE – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Smart, strong and intriguing with incredibly meaty award ready roles built in. Built for cable but with the potential to be easily adjusted for a network looking to add some edge, or a pay cabler looking to win some Emmys. Sopranos meets House of Cards, with dramatic elements spread throughout. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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JUMP
| Logline: | Story of a time travel agency that recruits young people with nothing to lose to “jump” into the past and alter tragic events in their clients’ lives. However, these “jumpers” are just as lost and broken as the people they’re trying to help, and their dark pasts often lead to problems – both on missions and within the team. |
| Pitched as: | ALIAS meets LOOPER |
| Writer Bios: | Andrew Bumstead |
| Genre: | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | JUMP – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | An exciting twist on time travel hidden in the body of a network-ready series akin to Alias. Excellent drama, great casting potential, and the type of show fans will flock together for. Lots of fun, great characters, and a genuinely exciting ride! |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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KNIVES
| Logline: | After leaving his post as an Army medic to take over his parents’ struggling butcher shop in Boston’s North End, Alex ends up trapped in a lifestyle he tried to escape and is forced to become a doctor for the mob in order to keep the family business afloat. |
| Pitched as: | HOUSE meets THE DEPARTED |
| Writer Bios: | Nick Moceri |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | KNIVES – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | A twist on the idea of a mob series perfectly molded for a network fit. An incredible lead that could lure a star, or that will launch a star. The pilot does a brilliant job of bringing the family, loyalty and drama aspects we expect from great mob dramas, but delivers them inside a tailor-made, character-driven series built to be a hit! |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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LADYBOY
| Logline: | A recent post-op transgender from Thailand moves to Manhattan in hopes of starting fresh as a girl and finding the man of her dreams. She meets her fairy gay godfather and together they go on a quest to discover their own identity and their other halves. |
| Pitched as: | GIRLS meets THE L WORD |
| Writer Bios: | Pantida Vanasirikul and Jason Romaine |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | LADYBOY – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | A comedy unlike any you’ve ever read. At first glance, you’re going to read it out of curiosity, needing to see how they deal with the incredibly original subject matter. By the end of it, you’re going to realize you just spent the past 30 minutes smiling, laughing, and having a hell of a ride. Forget big blanket statements, or criticisms, and judgments, this is a show that is incredibly unique and exciting, but at its core is simply about a girl trying to follow her dreams. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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LEMONS
| Logline: | A sweet, innocent and neurotic nurse sets out to make even the worst situations in her small town better, starting with the scathing Yelp review one of the inmates wrote about her care in the local municipal prison. |
| Pitched as: | MY NAME IS EARL meets ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK |
| Writer Bios: | Gini Adhikari and Kay Marvin |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Representation: | Signed with MXN Entertainment – Michelle Knudsen |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | LEMONS – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Delightful, funny and quirky. Exceptionally well written characters existing in an anywheresville world that is equally relatable and alien at the same time. Imagine if Fargo and Little Miss Sunshine had a baby. Endless potential for where these characters could go. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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LONG ISLAND
| Logline: | A 1970s suburban coming-of-age tale akin to “The Wonder Years” that follows the Sugarman family’s move from Brooklyn to Long Island from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy. |
| Pitched as: | ALMOST FAMOUS meets THE WONDER YEARS |
| Writer Bios: | Robert Weinberger |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Preferred Artists – Roger Strull |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | LONG ISLAND – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Mixing emotional and relatable characters with drama, humor and just the right amount of nostalgia to make this a weekly must watch. Great writing, strong story and the weekly reminder of who we all once were will make this a hit coming-of-age series. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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PARADISE CITY
| Logline: | Disparate perspectives on early 1980’s sensationalism and the new War on Drugs are seen through a Sunset Strip coke dealer versus the Detective who controls him. |
| Pitched as: | THE SOPRANOS meets ENTOURAGE |
| Writer Bios: | Sean Costello |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Book Ends Entertainment – Bethany Stirdivant |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | PARADISE- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | From the opening page to last word, this pilot grabs you and never lets go. You’re part of every single moment, and those moments are 50% Wolf of Wall Street, 50% Entourage, and 100% a ride you never want to end. Balancing drug use, parties, sex and the wild west of the 80s in Los Angeles, this is a series that was built to headline a Sunday night pay cabler’s next five years. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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PARADOX
| Logline: | Unbeknownst to society at large, the FBI has been preventing large scale attacks on American interests through the use of a covert, time traveling ‘jumper’ unit led by Agent Caden Hardwick. But, when sabotage puts Caden and his team at risk, his wife Sarah must use the technology to avert a disaster and find out how deep the ‘jumpers’ have been infiltrated. |
| Pitched as: | ALIAS meets QUANTUM LEAP |
| Writer Bios: | Dylan Brod |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Energy Entertainment – Brooklyn Weaver |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | PARADOX- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Incredibly smart, incredibly well written, and brimming with strong characters. This series will do for procedurals what “The Black List” just did a season ago – bring back younger viewers. With a strong female lead, and a mix of government agencies and personal dramas layered on top of some of the smartest sci-fi we’ve seen in ages, this series has all the makings of a hit on network and cable alike! |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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PASS/FAIL
| Logline: | A newly promoted, street-wise Assistant Principal with a dark past refuses to accept the benign neglect, malfeasance, and subsequent defeatism of an urban Voke school. |
| Pitched as: | BLACKBOARD JUNGLE meets NORMA RAE |
| Writer: | Caitlin McCarthy and Jim Forbes |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | PASS/FAIL- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Gritty, powerful and ready made for A-list talent. Think Michele Pfeiffer in “Dangerous Minds” on a week-to-week basis, surrounded by great drama and great characters, and packaged into a project made for networks. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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PROSPECT
| Logline: | After a massive mineral-rich asteroid crashes down in Africa and sparks a second gold rush, a fraying family movies to the African crash site in the hopes of starting a new life. But how long will they survive amidst the corporations, militaries and the daily battles for power in what has become the most valuable real estate on earth. |
| Pitched as: | DEADWOOD meets REVOLUTION |
| Writer Bios: | Max Perry |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Madhouse Entertainment – Adam Kolbrenner, Chris Cook |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | PROSPECT- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | A big event series that focuses on how far a family must go to survive amongst the different factions of an uncertain new world. Smartly written and layered with mystery, action, and geopolitics on top of an incredibly unique setting and the relatable theme of a family struggling to stay together. Intelligent and grounded sci-fi. The kind of series a network or cable company will build a night around. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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RIPPLE EFFECT
| Logline: | A financially strapped detective, stumbles into the world of the supernatural when he teams up with a genius waitress and an eccentric new-age scientist as they investigate the death of a young man who mysteriously appears on a Seattle bridge, frozen to death. |
| Pitched as: | SLEEPY HOLLOW meets FRINGE |
| Writer Bios: | Jim Simone and Sharon Cingle |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | RIPPLE EFFECT- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Fun, fun, fun. This show will do for sci-fi, what Sleepy Hollow did for supernatural. Excellent characters that fans are just waiting to fall in love with. The procedural template and excellent story design gives this series legs, and taps into a big audience waiting for a new sci-fi procedural to get behind. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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SHANGHAI’D
| Logline: | Educated in the sciences at Harvard, Joshua Cabot travels to ‘gold rush’ California from Boston in 1848 to establish an assaying office; a wife and baby die tragically, he escapes into alcohol, wakes up on a Pacific merchant ship as a shanghaied sailor. |
| Pitched as: | MACGYVER meets HELL ON WHEELS |
| Writer Bios: | Curtis Burdick |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | SHANGHAI’D- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Original, fun, smart and exciting. Centering on a fantastic main character, this show invites us into a world not yet seen in a weekly format. With a strong lead, and an endless sense of adventure, this series is built on keeping an audience engaged, excited, and eager to tune in week to week. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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SHINING CITY
| Logline: | A devoted husband and father discovers that his job, his family, and his entire life are false memory implants and that he is, in fact, a former operative holding a dangerous secret living in a giant prison masquerading as a city. |
| Pitched as: | MINORITY REPORT meets PRISON BREAK |
| Writer Bios: | Douglas Stark |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Energy Entertainment – Brooklyn Weaver |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | SHINING CITY- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Smart, thrilling and mysterious, this series is set to introduce us to a world we all think we know, and then flip it on its head. Incredibly smart, and crafted to keep you guessing every step of the way. Built to be a network heavyweight, and to invite an audience in to play the game right alongside the characters. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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SIDE BY SIDE
| Logline: | New York City, 1938. Conjoined twins Bette and Evie Grand abandon the sideshow they grew up in search of a bigger, better life for themselves. But their patchwork family proves difficult to leave behind, and their divergent dreams threaten to tear the sisters apart. |
| Pitched as: | BOARDWALK EMPIRE meets MASTERS OF SEX |
| Writer Bios: | Lily Blau |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with CAA – Olivia Blaustein Signed with Washington Square Arts & Films – Bruce Miller |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | SIDE BY SIDE- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Incredibly unique, yet brilliantly relatable at the same time. This is the type of series that brings movie stars to television for the long haul. Great writing, story, and setting all round out a place where character truly is king. This is the type of series cable, or a pay cable outlets use to launch themselves into serious contention for awards and ratings alike. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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TRIBE, THE
| Logline: | Crime drama set on an Indian reservation where an exiled FBI agent struggles to solve a series of crimes amongst warring crime factions within the Lakota nation. |
| Pitched as: | THE SOPRANOS meets SONS OF ANARCHY |
| Writer Bios: | G.D. Navarro |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Currently unrepresented |
| Details: | Semifinalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | THE TRIBE- TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | A fresh and welcome spin on the classic crime drama series. This pilot offers networks and cablers, a shot at kicking off a new series without stepping too far from the comforts of home. The series captures a glimpse behind the curtains into the mindset and customs of life on an Indian Reservation, and just how similar that world may be to the outside. This is the type of series that will run for years. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
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WINTER
| Logline: | The de-evolution of society as we enter into a modern ice age. In the year 2015, an unknown event has started severe global cooling, leading the United States to range from fertile croplands to frozen wastelands. During these times, four people struggle to hold themselves, their families and the country together, before forces of nature rip the world apart. |
| Pitched as: | THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW meets THE WALKING DEAD |
| Writers Bios: | Andy Heriaud and Kaitlin Kelly |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Representation: | Signed with Silent R – Lee Stobby |
| Details: | Finalist – 2014 Launch Pad Pilot Competition |
| Direct Link: | WINTER – TRACKING |
| Why You Should Read: | Think of all of those shows being pitched as “The Walking Dead” meets “…”. Now actually read one. An event series mixed in with incredibly strong characters, themes, and story throughout. A great reflection of who we are as a people, and how a looming event with apocalyptic ramifications will change us. Instantly relatable, yet endlessly unique, and touching on topics as big as politics and survival, while easing in tales of love and family. This show could do for networks what The Walking Dead did for AMC. |
| Read it Now: | CLICK HERE TO READ THE PILOT |
