Imagine-Impact boot camp

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  • Imagine-Impact boot camp

    Imagine is running a creative boot camp for two months. A 5k per week stipend is awarded for each creative team/ or person. They get first look at your draft/pilot/bible.

    Applications are open from JULY 9-22.

    Looks like it's free to enter.


    The Deadline announcement:

    https://deadline.com/2018/07/imagine...er-1202423561/

    The application link:
    https://www.imagine-impact.com/

    Good luck to anyone entering.
    Last edited by figment; 07-10-2018, 03:10 PM. Reason: added more info

  • #2
    Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

    Luckily, I have a thread that I started in the screenwriting forum that made me check into the site, because otherwise, I could have missed this post.

    Figment did the DD community a huge favor by pointing this out. This is a great opportunity for the non-pro screenwriter and TV writer. This, opportunities, is one of the reasons why it's important to read the trades on the entertainment industry, i.e., Deadline, Varity and Hollywood Reporter. As the years passed by, I stopped reading the trades.

    Imagine Entertainment, with partners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, are top-tier producers. I love their boldness and aggressiveness in innovating a new way to find and develop material. They didn't let the tedious vetting process, or potential risks of lawsuits hinder them, though they do realize that story ideas could overlap from what they receive and what they already possess that they do require a detailed legal release to be signed in order to protect themselves.

    Ron Howard says:

    "As much as content and platforms have evolved, the way that we develop content has largely remained the same. As the demand for premium content is exploding around the world, we believe that now is the perfect time to innovate the way we develop. We believe that creating a dynamic and collaborative new development system that connects amazing voices from all realms to world class screenwriters and showrunners will generate high quality content, faster, which in turn will give artists more leverage in the marketplace and creative control over their projects.-

    Brian Grazer says:

    "We believe in dreams. Storytellers are dreamers who have the ability to influence people's lives, impact culture and even change the world. Identifying and partnering with incredible creators and developing material together in a new way is an investment that we are incredibly excited to make.-

    It's a two month boot camp where the creator must move to LA where he'll be teamed with a top screenwriter to act as a mentor. They would meet twice a week for one-on-one two hour meetings.

    To help with living expenses the creator will receive a weekly payment of $5,000 for a total of $40,000 over the two month period. In return, Imagine Entertainment receives a 6 month option on the project to either buy at a fair-market rate, set-up with another buyer, or pass.

    Anyone is eligible to fill out an application. With the way Imagine Entertainment has recently acquired and partnered with TV production companies, TV writers applying should be a valuable commodity to them.

    I tried to ascertain what type of screenwriting projects that they could be looking for, i.e., genre, budget, themes, etc., but all they said on their site was that there will be interviewing creators whose project is a "particularly good fit,- and then it would be narrowed down to the selected 20 who were "particularly stellar.-

    A hint for what they're looking for is in one of their questions in their application: "Are there any films or TV shows that are similar to your idea? If so, what sets yours apart?-

    In order to be safe, they're looking for a familiar hit that's different. Also, this familiar film informs them of your story's tone, genre, potential characters, marketability, etc.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

      Originally posted by figment View Post
      Imagine is running a creative boot camp for two months. A 5k per week stipend is awarded for each creative team/ or person. They get first look at your draft/pilot/bible.

      Applications are open from JULY 9-22.

      Looks like it's free to enter.


      The Deadline announcement:

      https://deadline.com/2018/07/imagine...er-1202423561/

      The application link:
      https://www.imagine-impact.com/

      Good luck to anyone entering.
      Thanks for sharing, Figment! I just threw my hat into the ring.
      FADE IN:
      PERSEVERANCE OVERCOMES ADVERSITY
      NEVER FADE OUT.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

        Originally posted by figment View Post
        Imagine is running a creative boot camp for two months. A 5k per week stipend is awarded for each creative team/ or person. They get first look at your draft/pilot/bible.

        Applications are open from JULY 9-22.

        Looks like it's free to enter.


        The Deadline announcement:

        https://deadline.com/2018/07/imagine...er-1202423561/

        The application link:
        https://www.imagine-impact.com/

        Good luck to anyone entering.
        To be clear, this is for both features and TV.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

          Is the project you submit the one they're developing during the bootcamp? I wasn't too clear on if they are picking ideas or scripts from their online application.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

            Your guess is as good as mine, but...

            It seems like you're supposed to pick the one that you'll be developing during the boot camp. So it kind of sounds like it could be an idea or a script.

            -- it could be a well-developed idea that you've worked out, and have the basics down. So you're ready to bang it out in two months.

            -- or it could be an underdeveloped script draft that you recognize would benefit from the guidance provided to do notes and rewrites, in order to make it complete.

            Further down the application it also asks for OTHER projects that you could work on -- so it seems there is some flexibility in terms of "done-ness", should they like a different project of yours better than the one you specify at the start.

            I say just do your best to pick the thing you have the most passion for, provided it still needs work.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

              Originally posted by figment View Post
              Your guess is as good as mine, but...

              It seems like you're supposed to pick the one that you'll be developing during the boot camp. So it kind of sounds like it could be an idea or a script.

              -- it could be a well-developed idea that you've worked out, and have the basics down. So you're ready to bang it out in two months.

              -- or it could be an underdeveloped script draft that you recognize would benefit from the guidance provided to do notes and rewrites, in order to make it complete.

              Further down the application it also asks for OTHER projects that you could work on -- so it seems there is some flexibility in terms of "done-ness", should they like a different project of yours better than the one you specify at the start.

              I say just do your best to pick the thing you have the most passion for, provided it still needs work.

              I wish the deadline was a month from now. This is literally the first time I am hearing about this. Not really much time to significantly polish any script.


              How competitive do you think this contest is going to be? I know contests are competitive. And the TV fellowships are several notches more competitive.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                Originally posted by Friday View Post
                I wish the deadline was a month from now. This is literally the first time I am hearing about this. Not really much time to significantly polish any script.


                How competitive do you think this contest is going to be? I know contests are competitive. And the TV fellowships are several notches more competitive.
                I have no clue how competitive it will be. I haven't seen it promoted like other contests so far.

                This is their twitter for it: https://twitter.com/ImpactImagine
                And even there, it doesn't look too busy.

                I think I would concentrate more on if it's a viable project -- do you think your idea has the potential to sell; can you see it being a movie -- than whether or not it's ultra polished.

                FWIW, I think the contest caught everyone off guard, so everyone is in the same boat. You'll do fine, Friday.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                  .
                  Last edited by boobtubenewb; 10-08-2018, 05:37 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                    Originally posted by Friday View Post
                    How competitive do you think this contest is going to be?
                    I suggest not to think of this as a contest, but as an opportunity to pitch to a production company. It doesn't matter if you have an agent, manager, or had been option or sold in the past. They're very open to new writers, which is amazing. And by new, that doesn't necessarily mean the writer just started writing. It could also mean a writer who has been writing for 10 years, but just hasn't been discovered yet.

                    What matters is that you have a story idea that excites them and that you show you have the ability to execute that story idea into a polished script after working on it full time for a two month period.

                    Their application is detailed with questions about the major elements of your story that will demonstrate to them whether or not if your story is a particularly good fit for them, and that you know your story well enough to execute it.

                    You don't need a completed screenplay to pitch. Imagine Entertainment is hoping, though not required, that the 20 creators (writers) selected will have a polished script by the end of the two month period.

                    After the two month period, they'll be a two day pitch event where the creators will pitch their story to Imagine Entertainment and a few specially selected buyers where it would be decided on whether or not to buy, set up with another company, or pass.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                      Originally posted by figment View Post
                      I have no clue how competitive it will be. I haven't seen it promoted like other contests so far.

                      This is their twitter for it: https://twitter.com/ImpactImagine
                      And even there, it doesn't look too busy.

                      I think I would concentrate more on if it's a viable project -- do you think your idea has the potential to sell; can you see it being a movie -- than whether or not it's ultra polished.

                      FWIW, I think the contest caught everyone off guard, so everyone is in the same boat. You'll do fine, Friday.

                      Nice words, Figment. Thanks for being helpful on this board. I read somewhere that they are hoping to do this several times a year, which would be awesome because if you're not ready, you can wait till a few months later. I am wondering if they are evaluating this on the idea or the writing sample. If the writing sample submitted can be different than the idea submitted.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                        Originally posted by boobtubenewb View Post
                        It's a) open to international applicants, b) free to enter, c) there's $40k up for grabs, and d) you don't need a script, just an idea. It's been posted in every writing group/forum I'm on so it's definitely known.

                        That said, the application is pretty in-depth so it might scare some people off. As there is a drop-down option to put your reps in I could see them filtering for repped writers first, but who knows. Definitely worth entering in my opinion.

                        Good luck.

                        The only requirement that gives me pause is the video. I'd rather spend my time writing... it would seem time consuming to come up with something clever to say on camera. You think they are evaluating on the strength of the idea? I wasn't too clear on how developed the material should be since it asks how far along it is...but doesn't require that it be finished. I imagine it will still be highly competitive since almost everyone will have done very well in contests to dare enter this thing.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                          Originally posted by JoeNYC View Post
                          I suggest not to think of this as a contest, but as an opportunity to pitch to a production company. It doesn't matter if you have an agent, manager, or had been option or sold in the past. They're very open to new writers, which is amazing. And by new, that doesn't necessarily mean the writer just started writing. It could also mean a writer who has been writing for 10 years, but just hasn't been discovered yet.

                          What matters is that you have a story idea that excites them and that you show you have the ability to execute that story idea into a polished script after working on it full time for a two month period.

                          Their application is detailed with questions about the major elements of your story that will demonstrate to them whether or not if your story is a particularly good fit for them, and that you know your story well enough to execute it.

                          You don't need a completed screenplay to pitch. Imagine Entertainment is hoping, though not required, that the 20 creators (writers) selected will have a polished script by the end of the two month period.

                          After the two month period, they'll be a two day pitch event where the creators will pitch their story to Imagine Entertainment and a few specially selected buyers where it would be decided on whether or not to buy, set up with another company, or pass.

                          I am not used to this. I am used to reworking and reworking a draft. Coming up with something great in two months sounds like a lot of pressure. How are they making the selection? They love an idea and select the person, even if they don't like the sample. Or they love the sample and then choose the people who have good samples with the best ideas?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                            Originally posted by Friday View Post
                            Coming up with something great in two months sounds like a lot of pressure.
                            Sounds like you don't have full confidence in your ability as a screenwriter just yet. Yes, you can wait because supposedly this, pitch and development process, will be an ongoing endeavor, but what if this turns out to be too much of a headache, or failure for them. They may not continue with accepting pitches in the future.

                            If you're afraid of pressure, then I suggest that you give up on the idea of being a professional screenwriter and just write for personal satisfaction because this business is loaded with pressure such as, meetings, pitches, rejections, deadlines, implementing industry peoples' notes, etc.

                            I know the majority of writers would just like to be left alone in a room and write, but if a writer wants a career as a professional screenwriter, he must be able to perform on the business side of it as well.

                            Friday, I suggest that you take your best shot and pitch them a story idea that you feel will be a good fit for their production company. If you happen to be selected, don't fear, you'll have a top screenwriter working with you as a mentor to help guide you. The mentors will also help the selected writers with their pitch at the end of the two month process.

                            You may ask, what's a good fit? What are they looking for? I can only suggest to look at their past produced films. They've done comedies, bio pics, adventures, etc., and who knows, a writer may present a story idea that they haven't done before, but it excites them enough to see it through.

                            As for me, I'm gonna send them the High Concept, Adventure/Drama/Action story idea from the pages I posted in my "Voice (Descriptive Narrative)" thread. It's no where near completion, and I would love to have more than two months, but when opportunity knocks, you open that f#cking door -- naked if you have to.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                              Originally posted by Friday View Post
                              I imagine it will still be highly competitive since almost everyone will have done very well in contests to dare enter this thing.
                              Quoting Ron Howard tweet:
                              "So exciting to see applications pouring in for @impactimagine! I encourage writers and creators of all experience levels to apply and have a chance to be a part of this innovative content creation program. https://www.imagine-impact.com/ "

                              https://twitter.com/ImpactImagine

                              So, to me, when the founder of the program says they want ALL experience levels to apply, it sounds as if they WANT a mix of more experienced people and less experienced people.

                              Having said this, I am struggling to come up with even an idea to send them at all -- Imagine has read four of my spec scripts over the last few years (by me cold querying them/I don't have reps). Including one earlier this year that I have yet to hear back on. I now have NO scripts to send them, because they've already rejected the ones I thought a good fit.

                              My writing notebooks look like a madman has entered my head and taken over, as I am frantically trying to find SOME DAMN IDEA that I can enter with before the deadline. You know, so that this time I can be PAID for them to reject me!

                              Regardless, they just seem like lovely people. And because they're providing mentors to help you sort things out, it seems as if it will be a nurturing, rather than stress-filled environment. If you've ever read articles about Howard, he appears to be an optimistic person that is forward-thinking. I'm sure that will trickle down into the program.

                              I think as writers, we're so used to rejection that we don't fear it anymore. It's when someone presents a pathway to succeed that we are suddenly seized by anxiety -- like, wait, what? You're going to pay me to write, and pitch you, and give me a mentor too? Ack!!

                              Comment

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