4th Annual Stage 32 TV Writing Contest

THE WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN!

It's almost the most magical time of the year. You know what I'm talking about. All the bright lights, the festive decorations. That's right!

Pilot season.

Which means we're happy to announce our 4th Annual TV Writing Contest! Stage 32 contests, simply put, are the best in the industry - giving you unparalleled opportunity for exposure. 

• Disney-ABC (Scandal, The Conners)
• Emmy-winning HBO's Veep
• Rosey TV (AMC's Hell on Wheels)
• Industry Entertainment (Amazon's The Other F Word)
• Reel One Entertainment (SyFy's Haven, Sundance Channel's Cleverman)
• The Cartel (Writers on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych, Bones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Newsroom)
• Paper Plane Entertainment (Founderd by former UTA TV executive)
• Development Executive for Facebook's Paging Dr. Patel

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

• Flight to Los Angeles to meet with executives from Disney-ABC, HBO's Veep, Rosey TV, The Cartel, Industry Entertainment, Paper Plane Entertainment, and Reel One Entertainment.
• Logline sent to over 500 industry executives, managers, agents and producers
• Script title and logline listed on Stage 32

2ND PLACE / RUNNER UP

• Two Skype meetings with an industry executive
• Logline sent to over 500 industry executives, managers, agents and producers
• Script development notes from a Stage 32 executive
• 2 Stage 32 Happy Writers online pitch sessions
• Free Stage 32 Next Level Webinar
• Script title and logline listed on Stage 32

ALL FINALISTS

• Will have their loglines shared with over 500 industry executives, managers, agents and producers

Nathan Varni (Judge) - Executive Director, ABC Current Network Programming, ABC - Disney

Nathan Varni is Executive Director, Current Programming, ABC Entertainment Group/Disney.

Mr. Varni oversees all creative and day-to-day management on ABC’s primetime series including Will Trent, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Conners and General Hospital. In past seasons, Mr. Varni served as the covering executive on Alaska Daily, The Company You Keep, Rebel, The Baker and the Beauty, How to Get Away with Murder, Grand Hotel, Once Upon A Time, Scandal, Cristela, The Middle, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, the revival of Roseanne and also serves as the network/studio executive on ABC’s long-running daytime drama series, General Hospital, currently celebrating 60 years on-air, where he has oversaw 3000+ episodes of the series, including multiple Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding daytime drama series. Mr. Varni joined ABC in comedy current programming working in development and current programming and worked on a vast number of both comedy and drama series including According to Jim, Samantha Who?, Better off Ted, Cougar Town, Castle, V, 666 Park Avenue and three seasons co-covering Happy Endings.

Prior to joining ABC, Mr. Varni worked in series development at Regency Television (Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show). While at Regency Mr. Varni assisted with the creative coverage of NBC’s Windfall and FOX’s New Amsterdam. Prior to his time at Regency TV, Mr. Varni worked in reality series as a story assistant for series such as America’s Next Top Model, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, High School Reunion, For Love or Money and The Next Great Champ. Game show experience includes working on 65 episodes of GSN’s Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck. Mr. Varni served as a production assistant and then Exec Producers assistant on the CBS sitcoms Listen Up and How I Met Your Mother.

Michael Rosenberg (Judge) - Executive Producer, Rosey TV

Michael Rosenberg opened his Rosey TV production shingle in April 2015 after seven years overseeing US television for global studio Entertainment One. Under his tenure at eOne his credits included HBO’s hit series Hung, AMC’s Hell on Wheels, Discovery’s first-ever scripted mini-series Klondike, DirecTV/HBO Canada’s Call Me Fitz, Rogue for DirecTV’s Audience Network and MTV’s racy drama Skins based on the hit UK series of the same name.

Prior to his stint at eOne, Rosenberg served as Head of Television at Blueprint Entertainment where he produced Testees for FX. He also founded and served as President of Maverick Television where he brought together Eddie Izzard and Dmitry Lipkin to create FX’s critically-acclaimed The Riches, and produced the MTV unscripted series I’m From Rolling Stone.

Rosenberg brings 4 decades of baggage, manipulation and less than exemplary social standing to all of his endeavors. He got his start as a concert promoter in San Francisco though he originally hails from LA. But most importantly, please don’t call him Mike. He goes by Rosey.

Adam Fratto (Judge) - Producer & Executive, Reel One Entertainment

Adam Fratto is a seasoned producer and creative executive with proven track records in TV development & programming, production, and features. With a specialty in genre storytelling, he is experienced in crafting international business models and launching creative strategies.

Adam recently launched a series division for international distribution and production studio Reel One Entertainment. There, he has rapidly built a serious presence in the drama space, hiring experienced executives and assembling a buzzy slate of high profile projects, including a multi-platform adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s SCREAMERS and a UK series based on award-winning Belgian format TEAM CHOCOLATE. Before that, he was Head of Drama for Pukeko Pictures, affiliate of New Zealand's Weta (LORD OF THE RINGS, AVATAR, DISTRICT 9). The first of these, the award-winning CLEVERMAN, airs on Netflix, SundanceTV, BBC3, and Australia's ABC.

As an independent producer and consultant, Adam consulted with clients from tech startups to established networks. He Executive Produced YA movie SEA CHANGE and was co-EP of HAVEN, a hit supernatural drama based on Stephen King’s “The Colorado Kid," for Syfy.

Originally from New York, Adam is a graduate of Harvard College and USC’s graduate program in Film & TV Production, where he produced Emmy-winning documentary WALKING WITH GIANTS.

After starting his exec career at Michael Douglas's Furthur Films (WONDER BOYS, SWIMFAN), Adam joined Piller/Segan as V.P. in 2002, working on hit series THE DEAD ZONE, WILDFIRE, GREEK, and indie feature BICKFORD SHMECKLER’S COOL IDEAS. From 2008 to 2011, Adam helped launch Atticus Entertainment, managing sports icon Jim Lampley’s HBO-based operation.

He is a member of the TV Academy, HRTS, and the Producers’ Guild. He is also co-Founder of Harvardwood, a group of 7,000+ alums in arts, media and entertainment (harvardwood.org). A lifelong sinophile, he has lived in Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong.

Michael Tapia (Judge) - Development Executive, Facebook's "Paging Dr. Patel"

Michael Tapia is an independent television Development Executive, with more than 10 years of experience in entertainment. Tapia specializes in the creation, development and production of scripted, unscripted and digital content. He recently sold the pilot “Paging Dr. Patel” to Facebook and currently consults for Electus, Objective Productions, and GRB Entertainment, and has working relationships with CAA, WME, APA and Innovative Artists.

Electus is the distribution and production company behind the CW's "Jane the Virgin" and "No Tomorrow" and Netflix's "Flaked". Objective Productions is headed by Ben Farrell and Andrew O'Connor, which produced "Witless" for the BBC, "The Peep Show" and "Toast of London" for London's Channel 4, "United Shades of America" for CNN, and "Fresh Meat" for Netflix. GRB Entertainment is another production company, whose credits include BAD NIGHT, "Intervention", and "Growing Up Gotti".

Before going independent, Tapia served as an executive at Bischoff/Hervey Entertainment where he helped developed series including: "See Dad Run" for Nickelodeon, "The Devils Ride" for Discovery Channel and "I (Heart) Nick Carter" for VH1. While at BHE, Tapia served as associate producer on “See Dad Run” where he worked with executives and alongside the writers.

Tapia got his start in the industry as the Director of Development for feature-film director Rupert Wainwright’s (BLANK CHECK, STIGMATA, THE FOG, “The Outer Limits") Breathless Films.

Audrey Knox (Judge) - Literary Manager, The Cartel

Audrey Knox is a TV literary manager at The Cartel - a management and production company. Audrey most recently staffed her client on the series SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, GINNY & GEORGIA, P-VALLEY, GROWN-ISH, HACKS, and UPSHAWS for Netflix.

Audrey recently signed a writer she met through a Stage 32 Script Service consultation. The writer's Feature project was produced by The Cartel -- CRUSHED, is currently available to watch on Tubi!

Audrey has a background in both scripted and unscripted television, on set, in production, and in writers’ rooms. Prior to joining The Cartel Audrey worked in development at WME and Lighthearted Entertainment and in the literary department at Gersh. In television Audrey’s worked in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation writer’s room and was the showrunner’s assistant for the hit Bravo show Millionaire Matchmaker.

 

Matt Kniaz (Judge) - Manager, Industry Entertainment

Matt Kniaz is a Manager at Industry Entertainment, one of the premier production and management companies in the industry with on-screen talent including Alisha Mullally ("13 Reasons Why"), Krysten Ritter ("Jessica Jones", "Don't Trust the B"), Jeff Goldblum (JURASSIC PARK, INDEPENDENCE DAY), Laura Prepon ("Orange is the New Black", "That '70s Show"), Jimmi Simpson ("Westworld", "House of Cards"), Summer Glau ("Firefly", "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Arrow"), Jared Padalecki ("Supernatural"), and more!

Industry Entertainment also represents some of the biggest talent behind the camera and on the page including:

• Gary Dauberman (IT, ANNABELLE)
• Jonathan Herman (STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON)
• Jane Espenson ("Game of Thrones", "Once Upon a Time", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
• Santa Sierra ("Narcos")
• Harley Voss ("Orange is the New Black", "Mad Men")
• Michael C Martin ("Lethal Weapon", "Hell on Wheels")
• David Handelman ("The West Wing", "The Newsroom")
• Rita Hsiao (MULAN, TOY STORY 2)
• Angela Nissel ("Scrubs", "The Boondocks")
• Adam Kane ("American Gods", "Star Trek: Discovery", "Daredevil")
• Gustin Nash (YOUTH IN REVOLT, CHARLIE BARTLETT)
• Nick Adams ("New Girl", "People of Earth")
• Lawrence Kaplow ("House", "Law & Order: SVU")
• JaSheika Ashel James ("Empire", "Revenge")

Matt Kniaz came to Industry Entertainment from CAA after working in the talent/television packaging department. Before that, he was at ICM in the motion picture talent department.

Industry Entertainment has already signed 3 Stage 32 members!

Jon Stahl (Judge) - Script Coordinator, Veep (HBO)

Jon Stahl is the Script Coordinator at HBO assigned to the DGA, SAG, WGA and Emmy Award-winning comedy series "VEEP", starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale and Anna Chlumsky, and created by Armando Iannucci (THE DEATH OF STALIN, "The Thick of It").

Jon began his career in production, working on projects like YOUNG ADULT, "The Big C", and "Maron". In 2013, he produced Season 1 of the Emmy-nominated series "Eastsiders", before getting his first high-profile writers’ room position on the NBC network sitcom Mr. Robinson with Universal Television. Jon went on to work in the writers' room at Nickelodeon on "Game Shakers" before his current role at HBO, where he works alongside some of the best writers in television comedy.

Jon grew up with a deep sense of admiration for well-written television. Shows like "Seinfeld" and "The Simpsons" painted his perception of what a great comedy could be, and impressed on him an irreverent, madcap style that shines through in his own work.

 

Brandon Drea (Judge) - VP of Production, Paper Plane Entertainment

Brandon is the VP of Production at the bi-coastal management and production company, Paper Plane Entertainment. He has a diverse background in the Entertainment industry, working as an actor and producer for more than a decade. Brandon began his career in representation working in the Talent Department at The Gersh Agency and, before moving on to the TV Literary Department at the United Talent Agency.