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Writing scheme that gave rise to Extraordinary reopens

Writing scheme that gave rise to Extraordinary reopens

ExtraordinaryThousand Films and Grey Seal Media have launched the latest iteration of the pilot scriptwriting scheme from which Disney+ comedy Extraordinary emerged, while expanding its remit into funded development.

 

The Thousand Films pilot script scheme seeks TV drama and comedy pilot scripts from writers in the UK and Ireland who don’t have agency representation.  
 

The programme was set up four years ago to discover new writers from underrepresented backgrounds. 
 

All scripts submitted to the process undergo a benchmark reading process, whereby new writers’ work is blindly assessed alongside a sample of professional writers’ scripts.

This measure has enabled Thousand Films to shortlist writers who have gone on to take almost 30 original projects into development with indies in the UK and around the world, with a third of those projects taken into funded development by major broadcasters and streamers.  
 

The latest iteration of the scheme also expands its remit into funded development, selecting the best scripts to be taken into its newly established in-house development slate. This expansion is a joint venture with Grey Seal, a specialist media advisory company.  
 

Charles Dawson, chief executive of Thousand Films, said: “We’ve spent several years refining a process which finds the best new writers for TV and film. Our next objective is to become a development home for new talent, and a place that the industry trusts to bring new voices into the market.”   
 

To lead the in-house development push, Thousand Films has appointed industry expert Katie Langridge, who is known for discovering under-represented voices during her 13 years as a literary agent at Knight Hall.   
 

She said: “I am thrilled to join Thousand Films, returning to my roots as a producer, and I can’t wait to start building a slate to launch the careers of the best unrepresented writers. We’re going to find some very exciting voices, and we’re going to take their best work to networks, streamers and all TV commissioners who support new talent.”   
 

Clare Hardwick, founder of Grey Seal Media, stated: “When I saw the sheer number of scripts submitted, and how Thousand Films’ reading process identifies those rare scripts that hold their own beside the work of established professional writers, I saw the commercial viability immediately. This is not a scheme that finds ‘good amateurs’, but writers that need to be taken seriously as professionals.”  
 

The first cohort of the scheme unearthed Emma Moran’s pilot for Broadcast Digital Award-winning comedy Extraordinary, about a woman without powers in a world of people with super abilities. Produced by Sid Gentle, the first series launched on the SVoD earlier this year, with production on its second run completed.  

 

This article first appeared on our sister site, Broadcast. 

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