User-generated content already dominates many video and streaming sites on the Web, but Fox Network and MySpace are teaming up with the Producers Guild of America to take it one step farther.
Beginning in September, MySpace will host The Storyteller Challenge, which invites civilian moviemakers across the Net to submit 5-7 minute television pilots of their own creation. These pilots will be judged by visitors to the site, as well as a panel of professionals and film students organized by the Producers Guild. The top two pilots will earn $25,000 each (winners to be decided in January), and their creators will also get a shot at a development deal with Fox.
The Storyteller Challenge didn’t come out of thin air. This summer, Fox ran a show called “On The Lot,” a reality TV-style contest about theatrical directors competing on the air, but the show lost out in the ratings. MySpace has also done something similar before: “Prom Queen,” a webisode-based show that got 15 million streams and is preparing for another season. The Storyteller Challenge is a mix between the two.
Producers Guild of America chief Marshall Herskovitz had this to say about the upcoming challenge:
“Producing will always be a difficult and competitive job, but I’m proud that our Storyteller Challenge will give unique new voices the chance to find their audience. You never know where the next great storyteller will come from.”
There’s no denying that user-generated content is on its way to the top of the Web entertainment sphere, especially with all the new streaming sites rising in prominence. All that remains to be seen is whether Fox and MySpace can tap into that interest to generate not only a contest, but possibly a dynamite TV show as well.
(Source: Variety, Tech Crunch)
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