APT PitchFest: Producers Compete for Production Funds to Create Innovative Fundraising Content for Nation's Public Television Stations

Boston, August 9, 2018 -- American Public Television (APT), the leading syndicator to U.S. public television stations, today announced the launch of the APT PitchFest, an initiative designed to find strong, innovative new content for public television viewers. APT will award a Grand Prize of up to $75,000 in production funds. The inaugural APT PitchFest seeks entries for promising fundraising programs for public television. Finalists will vie for the Grand Prize at APT PitchFest Live! during APT’s Fall Marketplace in Baltimore on November 5 – 8, 2018. Fall Marketplace is the annual conference which showcases up to 100 new content offers to public television stations.

APT, the nation's longest operating distributor of content to public television stations, is looking for outstanding pledge proposals, pilots, or programs in production needing finishing funds or co-production money.

The submission period opens August 9, 2018 and closes no later than September 27, 2018. Entrants are encouraged to submit at any time during this period.

Finalists will competitively present their projects to a panel of seasoned content executives at APT PitchFest Live!, held Thursday, November 8, 2018 during APT Fall Marketplace. The finalists will be judged on multiple points, including the quality of their content, chance of success, innovative aspect, and the execution of their pitch. The winner will receive the Grand Prize with an award ranging up to $75,000 in production funds, plus assistance in bringing the content to fruition, anticipated distribution access to the U.S. public media market via APT, a free registration to APT Fall Marketplace 2019, and additional production benefits.

The winner of APT PitchFest Live! will be announced November 8, 2018 at the close of the pitch session.

“APT is committed to developing outstanding original content for television and online platforms, and APT PitchFest is one of several initiatives to increase our compelling co-production and other content investments. In future years, APT PitchFest will broaden to include other genres of content for broadcast and digital first,” said APT President and CEO Cynthia Fenneman.

Full information, guidelines (including APT’s underwriting guidelines) and the online entry form for this open call can be found at https://APTonline.org/PitchFest/Entry.

About APT:
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and one-fourth of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, fundraising programs, children’s series and classic movies. America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Chris Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Front and Center, Doc Martin, Nightly Business Report, Midsomer Murders, A Place to Call Home, Lidia’s Kitchen, Globe Trekker, New Orleans Cooking With Kevin Belton, Simply Ming, and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. Current pledge (fundraising) program successes from APT include Leonard Cohen – Tower of Song, Frank Sinatra: The Voice of Our Time, Graham Nash Live, Bee Gees: One Night Only, Age Reversed With Miranda Esmonde-White and many Rick Steves specials. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

CONTACT:
Jamie Haines
(617) 338-4455 ext. 129
Jamie_Haines@APTonline.org OR

Hunter Kossodo
(617) 338-4455 ext. 150
Hunter_Kossodo@APTonline.org