The Chicago Comedy TV Pilot Competition 2008

Thursday, July 17 and Friday, July 18
The Music Box Theatre
3733 N. Southport

A unique event that showcases comedy TV pilots made by Chicagoans!

The Chicago Comedy TV Pilot Competition, now in its second year, represents a partnership between the concurrent comedy shorts festival and The Chicago Film Office. One of the first TV pilot competitions in the country, and unique in that it is restricted to comedy, this event is designed to showcase sitcoms based on original ideas by Chicagoans. The jury includes TV executives from ABC, Universal and Fox in Hollywood, Comedy Central in New York, and also representatives of some of Hollywood’s top talent agencies. A $5,000 cash prize will be awarded to the jury’s top-rated pilot by the Chicago-based Alberto-Culver Company. The pilots feature a number of well-known Chicago actors and improvisers, including Angela McMahon, Matt Hendricks, and other members of the Chemically Imbalanced troupe in Judy in Disguise With Glasses; Amanda Cohen in Schooled Again; and Jacob Zachar (now starring in the ABC Family Network show Greek) in Bodega. Vivo stars Bill Arnett, Nicky Margolis, Greg Hess, Jet Eveleth and Holly Laurent. The 8:45 p.m. shows feature short talks by Chicagoans acclaimed for their creative local comedy TV shows (see details below). The 10:30 p.m. shows, as an added attraction, feature two long comedy shorts each. Actors in the short film Stalk Much include Rob Janas, Jimmy Carrane (host of WBEZ’s Studio 312), Niki Lindgren (of the NBC show Sports Action Team), and Amanda Davis. Twenty Minute Prophet stars Patrick McKenna, David Pasquesi, and Mort Burke. Shakespearean actor Stephen Spencer stars with Craig Degel in Greg’s Leg, and The Blood Debt of Master Ken stars stand-up comedian Chad Briggs and actor Kevin M. Brennan (in the Warner Bros. film, The Lake House).

Shows on July 17 and 18 at 8:45 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. – Admission price is $10 per show (See bottom of page for details on multi-show discount passes – three shows for $25)

Thursday, July 17        8:45 p.m.

Chicagoans Pat Johnson and Regina Fraser are the stars of the WTTW-11 show Grannies on Safari, which premiered in October of 2006. The popular 30-minute show follows these long-time best friends as they travel around the world on expeditions that seek the interesting, bizarre, exotic and beautiful. The show, produced by Art Explorers Inc. in association with Brave New Pictures, is distributed nationally by American Public Television, with Pat and Regina working out of Chicago – when they aren’t travelling, that is! Pat, a former arts administrator, and Regina, a former marketing executive, have between them travelled to more than 80 countries over the last three decades. They’ll describe how they came up with the idea for the show, how the idea became a reality, and about some of their most entertaining and unusual treks.

Schooled Again, Jason Czernich, 20 min.
Go to your room!
Remember your third grade teacher? How’d you like to be rooming with her, when you’re an adult? As if Jay Kovacs doesn’t have enough problems with his landlady, he’s also on the run from the mob!

Bodega, Brian Billow, 17 min.
Another fine mess!
Brandon is a guy who just can’t win. Even his attempt at armed robbery backfires – he chooses a convenience store with no money. But wait! He has a brilliant idea for turning the situation around to his own financial advantage. Or is it so brilliant…

Thursday, July 17       10:30 p.m.

Vivo, Jack Newell and Julie Pedersen, 23 min.
What’s the word for fear of phobias?
Dr. David Applebaum is a psychologist who specializes in exposure therapy. As the pilot opens, he helps a client conquer his fear of bridges. But the doctor has his own troubled waters, with a personal life that’s almost out of control. Doctor heal thyself? Easier said than done!

Assisted Living, David Miller, 30 min.
On the road again.
Dustin, a Chicago standup comedian, finds himself falling in and out of homelessness. He’s helped by a fellow open-air resident, who knows the ways of the streets, and sometimes by his sister. But Dustin’s penchant for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time is a continuing problem…

Plus two long comedy shorts:

Greg’s Leg, Chris Charles, 10 min.
Noblesse oblige gone sour.

The Blood Debt of Master Ken, Kevin M. Brennan and Chad Briggs, 10 min.
Good Samaritans aren’t always good.

Friday, July 18       8:45 p.m.

Tony Lossano and Mariana Perin are the success team behind the popular offbeat magazine-style weekly talk show, The Big Fat Nude Hippo Show, that had a 10-year run, ending as a broadcast show last year, though it is still featured online, with new weekly material, at NBC5.com. It started on cable access, and later moved to Cable 25. Local and national celebrities who showed their wacky side on the show included Ron Magers, Gallagher, Jerry Springer. In its last year, the show received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Entertainment Programs. Their role in the continuing NBC5.com show is that of producers, via their company, Lossano/Perin, Ltd. Tony and Mariana will discuss their experiences in comedy and TV in Chicago.

Judy in Disguise With Glasses, Angie McMahon and Matt Hendricks, 23 min.
How to survive from 9 to 5.
Judy McClure, an award-winning self-help author, lectures the Young Authors With Low Self-Esteem Conference. She revisits a past office job and shares with them what she discovered there – the secret of survival!

Reality Check, Casey Campbell and Chris Campbell, 30 min.
The reality behind the reality.
Is there such a thing as too much reality? Find out, in this behind-the scenes look at the production of a successful reality show, Sorority Row. Are the people who make reality shows real people, just like us? Or do their jobs change them into a breed apart...

Friday, July 18      10:30 p.m.

4 and a Half Terrorists, Olive Films, 23 min.
Lost in the translation.
Four immigrants from the Middle East, and their American roommate from a rural area, are having typical assimilation problems in the big city. Well, maybe not so typical – everyone thinks they’re a terrorist cell. Their challenge is not just finding jobs and dates – it’s staying out of Guantanamo!

Julie’s House, Phillip Weiss and Jason Demma, 28 min.
With friends like these…
Julie’s pals are impossible, and her family background is right out of Dickens. Her career involves helping people, but maybe she’s the one who needs some help!

Plus two long comedy shorts:

Twenty Minute Prophet, Johnny Bruder and Patrick McKenna, 10 min.
A skill not much in demand.

Stalk Much, Bill Baykan, 10 min.
On the street where you live…

The Chicago Comedy TV Pilot Competition is produced by Marion Sours, (312) 642-2156, in association with The Chicago Film Office, (312) 744-6415.

Information on concurrent event, The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival, can be viewed on this web-site.

Partnering sponsors:

Tickets for both the Chicago Comedy TV Pilot Competition and the Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival can be purchased at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport, on July 17 and 18 (box office opens at 2 p.m. on those days). Credit card orders accepted before the event (through 2 p.m. of show date) at TicketWeb, (866) 468-3401 or on-line at www.ticketweb.com. Specify the name of festival, day, and 7:00, 8:45 or 10:30 p.m. show when ordering. Admission is $10 per individual show; a three-show discount pass of $25 (for shows on same day) is available both at the theater and in advance via TicketWeb. Parking available at Blaine Elementary School, one block north of theater on Southport.

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