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AfterEllen.com 2008 Web Series Contest

Attention all budding filmmakers and TV creators! In partnership with Q-Me Con (an annual conference focusing on queer media), we're launching a contest to find the next great lesbian/bi web series!

We want to use AfterEllen.com as a place to help launch the next 3Way, Time Traveling Lesbian, or You Can't Take Them Anywhere! While we can't give you money to make your series, we can give you a platform to expose it to a large and very passionate fan base. And since our readers include women who work in the entertainment industry at all different levels, we'll also be giving you the opportunity to showcase your writing/editing/acting skills to women who are in a position to fund your series. Or hire you. You never know what could happen!

RULES

  • You must submit at least 3 episodes, with the ability to make at least 10 if chosen.
  • Episodes can be between 3 and 20 minutes long, and may vary by episode (but should be somewhat consistent - i.e. don't make the first episode 3 minutes long, and the second one 20 mins).
  • No nudity, sexually explicit situations, or profanity is allowed. If a word can't be aired on broadcast television, don't use it in your video.
  • No use of unlicensed music or video.
  • All on-camera talent must be 18 or older.
  • The contest is not limited to Americans, but the series must be in English or have English subtitles.
  • Content that has been previously published online is still eligible.
  • All winners must sign a non-exclusive license agreement that allows us to run the episodes on AfterEllen.com and other Logo web properties.

GUIDELINES

  • The episodes should have some kind of theme or narrative connecting them
  • The series should have some kind of lesbian/bi theme, or prominently feature lesbian/bi characters or people
  • The series can be either scripted (like 3Way and Time Traveling Lesbian) or unscripted (like You Can't Take Them Anywhere!), but unscripted series should follow AfterEllen.com's general ethical guidelines for entertainment reporting. In particular, AfterEllen.com does not condone outing celebrities.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

  1. Upload at least three episodes to Veoh.com, DailyMotion.com or LiveVideo.com.
  2. Put links to all three episodes in an email, with the subject line "AfterEllen.com Web Series Contest: [Name of Your Series] and send it to editor at afterellen.com by April 15th, 2008. Please include your name and contact information in the body of the email.
  3. Winner(s) will be notified by May 1st, and the winning series will be unveiled publicly and screened at Q-Me Con on May 11th.

PRIZES
All winners will have their episodes published weekly on AfterEllen.com, but the Grand Prize Winner will also receive:

  • A feature in GO magazine.
  • A 30-minute one-on-one mentorship call with Nancylee Myatt (Emmy-winning writer, former showrunner of South of Nowhere, and current producer on the successful web series 3Way).
  • A 30-minute call with Sarah Warn to talk about video content and internet marketing strategies

Questions? Post them below, or email editor at afterellen.com. And visit www.qmecon.com to get more info about the conference or buy tickets.

beckydc's picture

I think this is gonna be a

I think this is gonna be a great contest and I think it is great that AfterEllen is supporting new talent. I just have one question, and I know that the rules clearly stated that all on screen participants must be 18 or older, but if I'm 16, I can't submit my webshow at all (myself being the on-screen lesbian)? Even with my parents written permission or somthing?

 

Thanks for your time.

~becky~

sarahwarn's picture

Over 18

We definitely appreciate our teen readers/viewers, but unfortunately, for legal reasons, you have to be over 18. Sorry about that!
beckydc's picture

Thanks

Okay, thanks Sarah, and trust me, do this again next year around the same time, I'll be 18 years old and have a kick ass vlog.

~becky~

JenCourt83's picture

Hmm...

could the subject matter be sports related?? I mean I know that's a vague question..I kinda wanted to keep the idea semi original hence the lack of me being more specific but I was just wondering if it's an option?

 

P.S.Thanks for your time. 

fatty's picture

forgive me if this is a dumb question

err, i'm good at some things in life, such as editing videos and consuming junk food, but i'm rather lacking in my ability to understand fine print.

let's say you have a web series that is on youtube already. you CAN submit it, yes, and then you don't have to take it down off it's original location if you win? i think that's what "non-exclusive license agreement" means.... but i want to be sure...

life is funny in it's timing. my friend brant and i started a web series a month ago. we filmed exactly three episodes while she was in town.

hope to hear back from ya

fatty

sarahwarn's picture

Answers

Yes, it can be about sports - it can be about pretty much anything as long as it has a lesbian/bi woman in a prominent role - and yes, it can be a series that already lives elsewhere online (and no, you don't have to pull it down off other sites if we run it on AfterEllen.com).

ShiaWoods's picture

Deadline

Can we email the webisodes anytime on April 15? Or is there a specific cut-off time?
sairasgettingnowhere's picture

:)

oh lordy! id love to do this...but i dont own a videocamera :*(

 

* saira *

afterdark69's picture

Do we have to submit video?

I was just wondering if I could submit the story(idea) or script lets say for a series, since I don't have the means to film any of it and if its something good, other ppl could film it.

Just askin :)

Thanks

sarahwarn's picture

More answers

The cut-off time on April 15th is midnight PST, and yes, you do have to submit finished videos. (Someday soon we'll have a script contest, but right now we can only deal with completed work.)
lezbn_87's picture

Just a quick question..

Sadly, I've found out about the webseries contest too late. I can not even tell you what an amazing opportunity I find this to be. I am greatly disappointed that I will miss out on participating in the contest. Seriously, if you could hear hearts break.. alright I'll stop now.

My question is: Will Afterellen.com hold another contest such as this, next year?

Thanks a ton for your time.

[GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!]

fatty's picture

woot just submitted mine

good luck everybody

 

-fatty

 

p.s. i hope we get confirmation emails so we don't have to panic for the rest of our lives. err. =)

 

update:

ok maybe that was too much to wish for. hopefully you got my submission.

everybody else can check it out here:

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6966987zC6XSTz2

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AfterEllen.com NYC Meet-Up on May 18th

We're having a get-together on May 18th in NYC for our readers, with some of our staff and vloggers, and the cast/creators of 3Way. Go here for details.

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