Today Tubi and The Black List announced a partnership that will work with underrepresented writers to help them get their movies and TV shows turned into original Tubi exclusives.
Through this partnership, Tubi will help produce these projects and turn them into Tubi’s original programs.
“Tubi is dedicated to telling all the world’s stories, and that starts with the art and craft of screenwriting,” said Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer at Tubi. “We’re honored to partner with Franklin Leonard and his team at the Black List who are pioneers at nurturing writers, and together we’re thrilled to discover five diverse stories that deserve to be told.”
“The best business plan has always been a great screenplay, and we’re excited to help Tubi find five to make into films for their large and growing audience to enjoy,” said Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List told Deadline. “Tubi has done a particularly savvy thing with the kinds of movies they’re targeting and supporting 200 writers in getting access to the Black List site at no cost to them.”
You can apply for this program by visiting The Black List’s website HERE.
Here is everything you need to know about this project:
In order to submit for this program, you must be logged into the website. If you do not already have a script hosted, you must be ready to upload one during the submission process.
The Black List and Tubi have partnered to discover five feature scripts for Tubi to purchase and develop, with the intent of greenlighting each script for production and distribution.
Tubi is looking for stories that appeal to a youthful audience across diverse communities. They are especially interested in science fiction, faith-based, romance and comedy movies from the LGBTQ+, Black, Latine, and AAPI communities. If a script does not fit any of the above categories, it may be submitted to the Wild Card category.
Selected scripts will first be purchased by Tubi for a predetermined amount relative to the intended film budget; from there, a Guild-minimum step deal structure will be determined with Tubi until intended greenlight and production. The Black List will also be an executive producer on each of the films.
200 fee waivers are available for this program! In order to qualify for a fee waiver, you must have a completed screenplay and identify as a writer from a traditionally underrepresented community. Fee waivers will be distributed at the discretion of the Black List and Tubi – submitting writers will be asked to elaborate on why they qualify for a fee waiver during the final stages of the program submission process.
This opportunity is open to writers at every level, WGA and otherwise, and we encourage all voices to submit their screenplay for consideration.
The selection process will work like this:
On April 1st, a long list of up to fifty scripts will be selected and the writers of those scripts will be invited to submit a resume and a personal statement. The Black List and Tubi will review those projects. On May 15th, a short list of up to twenty-five scripts will be selected from the long list and those writers will be invited to submit additional materials.
The Black List and Tubi will then identify a top tier of scripts from the short list and will interview those writers before confirming selection of the final scripts.
Important Dates
March 15, 2024 – Submissions Close
April 1, 2024 – Long List Notifications
May 15, 2024 – Short List Notifications
July 1, 2024 – Final Selection Notification