5th Annual Comedy Writing Contest

WHAT KIND OF SCRIPTS CAN I ENTER?

We’re looking for any and all original comedy based screenplays and teleplays. 

Feature Length Screenplays:

Everything from broad comedy to rom coms to parodies to dramedies to horror comedy to indie comedies and beyond will be accepted!

Teleplays:

30 or 60 minute Original Comedy Pilots. Please no spec scripts based on existing shows. 

FEEDBACK OPTION

For an additional fee of only $49 (50% savings!) you can receive full coverage from our industry readers on your screenplay or teleplay. Just check "coverage" upon checkout. Coverage will be sent out after the winners are announced.

"I found Stage 32’s contest coverage far better than some other services I have used in the past, where I felt almost assaulted. Please thank him or her for a well-done job. It was my first try with Stage 32 but it will not be my last." - Bob C.

"Stage 32 contest coverage is even better than some of the industry coverage I received. Thank you for these invaluable notes!" - E. Robinson

"The insight from my coverage from the Stage 32 contest helped me improve my script's dimension exponentially. I had looked at the script so much that I can't believe I missed a major plot point. Thank you!!" - S. Persons

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Will be flown to Los Angeles to meet privately with the contest judges! But that isn't all! The Grand Prize winner will also meet with executives from:

• Panay Films
• Smart Entertainment
• Schemers Entertainment
• Cohn/Torgan Management
• MetaMorphic Entertainment
• Energy Entertainment Management
• The Cartel Management
• Art/Work Entertainment
• Untitled Entertainment
• Good Fear Film + Management
• Zero Gravity Management

ALL FINALISTS

Stage 32's executive team will send out your screenplay title, logline & writer bio to over 500 development executives, producers, managers & agents in an exclusive Stage 32 Lookbook! 

Unprecedented access. Better exposure. More reads. Real success!

The Stage 32 Comedy contest has resulted in numerous success stories for our winners and finalists!

Last year's winner Greg Mania met with managers from Zero Gravity, The Cartel, Art/Work Entertainment, Cohn/Torgan Management, Schemers Entertainment and executives from Smart Entertainment, Whitewater Films, and more! 

Check out his video here:

Our 2018 winner Diana Wright was signed to The Cartel and Abrams Artists Agency!

Check out her video here:

Our 2017 winners, Anthony Guidubaldi & Keith Strausbaugh (Shorebreak), were flown to LA and sent on a whirlwind of meetings with executives and production companies resulting in:

• Amasia Entertainment requested their horror comedy script and a mockumentary they produced.
• Lionsgate's LOL Network requested their animation pilot and asked for a sketch packet.
• Big Beach Films requested their short film Baby Grand.
• Panay Films is going into development on a spec pilot written by Keith & Anthony!

Lisa Benedetto - Executive Producer, Dr. Bruno Productions (Emmy-nominated ORKIN' MOMS)

Lisa Benedetto is a Canadian Screen Award-nominated television and film producer best known for her work as Executive Producer on the International Emmy-nominated comedy series, WORKIN' MOMS (CBC/Netflix). She helped develop two original series ideas under her own production company, Dr. Bruno Productions. She is additionally attached to several scripted half-hour and short-form comedy projects currently in development as Executive Producer.

Before joining the Wolf + Rabbit Entertainment team, Lisa gained experience in other genres and formats, such as drama, lifestyle and documentary, working as associate producer, producer assistant, and researcher for various projects, including AMERICAN GODS (Starz) and INTERVENTION(A&E). In addition to this, Lisa has produced seven short films. One of her original series ideas, HALF-FISHING, was selected for the IPF Short Form Series Development Program.

Her mission as a producer is to create engaging, authentic, and inclusive content that reflects the realities and challenges of modern life and is always looking for new opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate in the dynamic and evolving media landscape. Lisa specializes in creating strong comedic stories and working with top-tier talent.

 

Lisa specializes in most genres and is currently reading Drama, Comedy, True Stories, and Animation.

Jared Iacino (Judge) - Senior Vice President of Film & TV Development, Panay Films

Jared Iacino is the Head of Films and Television Production at Panay Films. Jared has been involved with the development and production of projects including HIT & RUN starring Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard and Bradley Cooper, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 starring Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry and Adam Scott, and the family adventure film EARTH TO ECHO, MASTERMINDS starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wig and Owen Wilson, and the recent CHIPS starring Michael Peña and Dax Shepard. Panay has produced WEDDING CRASHERS starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, VAN WILDER starring Ryan Reynolds, and SERENDIPITY starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.

These productions have given Panay Films the opportunity to work with other major companies including:

• Paramount
• Warner Bros.
• Relativity Media
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Open Road Films

Prior to his time at Panay Films, Jared worked in development and production at Walt Disney Studios, Red Wagon Entertainment, Storyline Entertainment and Fox Studios - affording him the opportunity to work on a diverse slate of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Film and Television projects including: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, JUNO, HAIRSPRAY, THE BUCKET LIST, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE PROPOSAL, and THE MUPPETS.

 

Jonathan Kite - Actor, Writer, Comedian,

Jonathan Kite is an American actor and comedian from Skokie, IL and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Best known as "Oleg," the hilarious, lovable, sex-crazed Ukrainian cook, opposite Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs on the CBS hit comedy, "2 Broke Girls," Kite credits Wilt Chamberlin and Ukrainian porn star Vlad, the Impaler as major influences when he created his character. In addition, he has been seen in a number of notable supporting roles on television including FOX's "Family Guy", "American Dad", "Raising Hope", and the Jamie Foxx produced sketch show "In the Flow with Affion Crockett", Netflix's "Boss Baby" and "Cleopatra In Space", and Adult Swim's, "Black Dynamite: The Animated Series" where he voiced many of the color impaired characters. 

Aside from a busy acting career, Kite is an expert impressionist boasting over 120 celebrity impressions that include: Tom Hanks, Anthony Bourdain, Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughn, Seth Rogen, Adam Driver, Christian Bale, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr., and John Lithgow.

He is also a national and international headlining comedian having performed in top clubs all over the world. He recently filmed his first stand up comedy special,"Jonathan Kite's Back to School Special" at his high school alma mater Niles North, where it all began.

Travis Mauk (Judge) - Creative Executive, Smart Entertainment

Travis is the Creative Executive at Smart Entertainment, a production and management company based in Los Angeles whose projects have grossed over a billion dollars. Most recently the company produced the wildly successful Ted franchise, with Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg, Blades of Glory starring Will Ferrell, Jenna Fischer and Amy Poehler and Anger Management starring Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson and Marisa Tomei.

Recently, Smart Entertainment branched into thrillers producing the smash hit, The Boy Next Door starring Jennifer Lopez.

These projects have given Smart Entertainment the opportunity to work with other amazing companies including DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, Universal, Blumhouse, Fuzzy Door Productions, Bluegrass Films

Prior to Smart Entertainment, Travis worked at CBS where he worked on shows including "Price is Right", "American Idol", "Baby Daddy" and "Melissa & Joey," before moving to the industry-leading talent agency Innovative Artists.

 

Sarah J. Cornelius (Judge) - Producer, Whitewater Films

Sarah J. Cornelius is a Producer at Whitewater Films in Los Angeles. Her mission is to produce film and TV that "buzz" in the marketplace and align with the cultural conversation. In her 9+years as Creative Executive and Producer at Whitewater Films(the production company owned by Oscar and Emmy-nominated Director and Producer Rick Rosenthal), Sarah has worked on such films as THE BOY BEHIND THE DOOR, which released on AMC-owned horror streamer Shudder, SMALL ENGINE REPAIR starring Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham, STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz, and more. Her creative choices are influenced by her desire to empower women and marginalized communities, acknowledge good men, and remind people that humor and beauty are often found in the most unexpected places.

 

Whitewater has produced projects for Paramount Classics, The Orchard, Showtime, CNN Films, Netflix, IFC and Samuel Goldwyn Films. Whitewater’s numerous notable films have won Independent Spirit Awards, the Sundance Directing Award, a Primetime Emmy, and audience awards at Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca Film Festivals.

 

 

Joe Ferrante - Development Producer,

Joe Ferrante is the Development Producer at Verite Entertainment.

Joe got his start in entertainment in Japan where he wrote and produced two shows for Fuji TV. He has developed for series with Comcast, MTV Networks and Warner Bros. He has sold projects and developed series with Bernero Productions, as well as writing several award winning scripts.

Verite has worked on projects with Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, and Amazon. They have produced high quality work for a long list of clients in Hollywood and around the world.

This executive has also worked in the Diversity Department of the Writers Guild of America, where he helped produce a Pitch Learning Program with the National Hispanic Media Coalition. The program became a model for teaching writers the skills needed for pitching.

Elisha Yaffe (Judge) -

Elisha Yaffe is an award-winning actor, writer, producer, and director. As an Executive Producer and Writer, he's been commissioned to write 1/2 hr comedy pilot scripts for TBS and Super Deluxe. He was the Co-Showrunner on an 8 episode 1/2 hr comedy series for go90 and Complex Networks. He's developed shows for Warner Bros. Studio 2.0, Warner Horizon, Ron Howard's NewForm, MSN, as well as an interactive show for Eko Studios. Currently, Elisha's an Executive Producer on a studio comedy project being taken out to cable networks. As an executive producer, he's found success developing and executing short films and web series with the aim of having them double as proof of concepts for long-form projects.

 

As a development executive, Elisha works with writers to sharpen their take on each project with a focus on plot and character development. He's also a highly sought after pitch coach, specializing in performance and copy editing.

 

In the short-form space, Elisha's been nominated for a YouTube Comedy Award, been awarded 5 Vimeo Staff Picks, and featured on the prestigious website "Short of The Week" twice.

 

Joe Riley (Judge) - Manager/Producer, Zero Gravity Management

Joe Riley is a Manager and Producer at Zero Gravity Management. 

Zero Gravity Management is a progressive entertainment company whose strength lies in the development and representation of screenwriters, directors, and actors. Zero Gravity maintains a list of some of the industry's most established professionals in all arenas.

The firm is also a well-respected full-service production company handling the development, finance, execution and sale of projects in film, television and new media. Zero Gravity works with all the major and mini-major studios on a consistent basis, producing feature films and TV series, selling spec scripts, and sourcing open writing, directing and acting assignments.

In the literary world, Zero Gravity’s reputation has been built upon its hands-on development process, working intimately with their clients to generate the most elevated and unique material possible. After twenty-five years of building relationships in the entertainment sector, Zero Gravity has the distinctive skills, experience, and connections to package, produce and finance projects.

They have a tremendous track record of bringing clients’ scripts to screen, and possess a relentless commitment to the projects and people they believe in.