Sundance Institute’s New Episodic Story Lab Projects Include a Few Horror Tales
Debi Moore
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Sundance Institute has announced the 11 original projects selected for its third annual Episodic Story Lab, and we have the early word on those that fall on the horror side of the fence. They include “The Wolfman of Pacoima,” the latest from Calvin Lee Reeder (The Rambler and The Oregonian). Check out the details below, and for the full list visit the Sundance blog.
Excerpts from the Press Release:
Sundance Institute is pleased to announce the 11 original projects selected for its third annual Episodic Story Lab. The spec pilots, which range from dystopian sci-fi to historical comedy, explore themes of personal and social identity, family dysfunction, political extremism, and the limits of human understanding. The Episodic Story Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute’s year-round support program for emerging television writers.
During the Lab, the 13 selected writers (the “Fellows”) will participate in individual and group creative meetings, writers’ rooms, case study screenings, and pitch sessions to further develop their pilot scripts with guidance from accomplished showrunners, producers, and television executives. Beginning with the Lab, Fellows will benefit from customized, ongoing support from Feature Film Program staff, Creative Advisors, and Industry Mentors, led by Founding Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, Michelle Satter, and Senior Manager of the Episodic Story Lab, Jennifer Goyne Blake.
“With the Episodic Story Lab, we’re continuing to identify and amplify the most creative emerging voices in independent storytelling,” said Satter. “We hope that bringing together this diverse group of Fellows, Advisors, and Mentors, with their broad ranges of storytelling experiences and perspectives, will spark conversations and learning about the writing process, navigating the industry, and how the episodic format continues to evolve.”
The Sundance Institute Episodic Story Initiative and Lab is made possible by Founding Supporters Lyn and Norman Lear and Cindy Harrell Horn and Alan Horn. Leadership Supporters are A&E; Amazon Studios; AMC and SundanceTV; BET; Netflix; RT/features; Time Warner, Turner, Warner Brothers, and HBO.
Creative Advisors for the Lab include: Chris Brancato (Co-Creator and Showrunner, “Narcos”), Daniel Chun (Head Writer, “The Office”), Chic Eglee (Writer/Producer), Kerry Ehrin (Co-Creator and Executive Producer, “Bates Motel”), Lee Eisenberg (Co-Creator, “Hello Ladies”), Ali LeRoi (Executive Producer and Director, “Survivor’s Remorse”), Glen Mazzara (Creator, “Damien”), Jeff Melvoin (Executive Producer, “Army Wives”), Erica Rivinoja (Co-Executive Producer, “The Last Man on Earth”), Meredith Stiehm (Executive Producer, “Homeland”), Liz Tigelaar (Showrunner and Executive Producer, “Casual”), and Daniel Zelman (Executive Producer, “Bloodline”).
Industry Mentors include: Bob DeBitetto (President, Brand Strategy, Business Development and A+E Studios, A+E Networks) Dante Di Loreto (President of Television, Chernin Entertainment), Susie Fitzgerald (Executive Vice President of Scripted Programming, AMC and SundanceTV), Peter Friedlander (Vice President, Original Series, Netflix), Charles King (Founder/CEO, MACRO), Zola Mashariki (Head of Original Programming, BET), Francesca Orsi (Co-Head of Programming, HBO), Katherine Pope (Head of Television, Studio 8), Gina Kwon (Development Executive, Amazon Studios), Sarah Timberman (Producer and Principal, Timberman-Beverly Productions), and David Zucker (President of Television, Scott Free).
The horror artists and projects (or those that sound sci-fi/horror-ish) selected for the 2016 Sundance Institute Episodic Story Lab include the following:
“Devil’s Due” – By Connie O’Donahue & Jeremy Nielsen
Set in the 1950’s, this alternate-history western follows a wounded veteran in the aftermath of the Second Atomic War, as he sets off across the radioactive wasteland of the new American frontier to find the men who massacred his platoon and murdered his family. In the process, he will uncover a rising political conspiracy with global implications.
“Marfa” – By John McClain
When autistic teen Tanner Wool goes missing, his alcoholic older brother, Campbell, begins his own amateur investigation into the boy’s disappearance, suspecting it may be connected to the otherworldly Marfa Lights.
“The North” – By Donald Joh
A secret police officer in a totalitarian state discovers the existence of a serial killer who targets children. He defies orders to drop the case and launches his own investigation, calling into question his deepest beliefs and threatening the life of his family.
“Winterovers” – By Nilanjana Bose & Jakub Ciupinski
In the dark polar night of an Antarctic winter, a group of scientists inhabiting a remote research station discover a perplexing anomaly in a nearby lake, setting in motion a series of events that upend their lives and their notion of reality.
“The Wolfman of Pacoima” – By Calvin Lee Reeder
A hard living 24-hour notary public has carved out a tiny unfulfilling life on the outskirts of the San Fernando Valley, but his world is transformed when he stumbles upon a portal to an alternate dimension.
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