The festival was founded in 2005, and is held in venues across New York City.[2] Its main event is the Independent Pilot Competition,[3] which showcases independent television pilots to industry executives and producers.[4][5]HBO, NBC Universal, A&E, and many other networks, have all made regular appearances at the festival, while pilots in the competition have received development deals.[6] In addition to the pilot competition, the festival hosts parties, seminars, and other events to honor television as an institution and as an art form.[1]
Reception
New York Magazine dubbed the festival "small screen Sundance".[7] In 2017, Tubefilter described the festival's competition slate as "diverse", noting that "44% of all selected projects feature people of color as either creator, writer, or director" and that "71% of the projects feature at least one woman in a core creative role".[8]