Seng, Peters’ dating show pilot competes in NY Fest

“Love Spitters” creators Nicholas Peters and Rich Seng

Love Spitters,” an offbeat win-a-date TV pilot created by Rich Seng, the digital communications visionary behind Gigity.tv, and Nicholas Peters, founder of ButterViZion Productions, will premiere at the New York Television Festival’s Independent Pilot Competition Oct. 20-25 at the Tribeca Cinemas.

It will be among 62 competing pilots from indie writers, producers and actors across the US, including 10 entries from the UK and Australia. Twenty-seven deals are being guaranteed by NYTVF development partners. 

The pilot features four bachelors who compete for a date with a mystery bachelorette: they answer questions, she picks one. While it’s a basic dating show premise, that’s where any similarity to traditional TV ends.

In Seng and Peters’ take on the genre, the guys attempt to charm the lady by expressing themselves in personalized spontaneous musical verse, aka freestyle rap. More often than not, they end up trying to ridicule one another as intensely as they try to impress her. 

“It’s in many ways very grimy,” says Seng. “If they need to say something raw, they’ll say it.”

The spirited competition reflects an art form that Seng has championed since the early 2000s, when he founded and produced “Rhyme Spitters,” a series of rap competitions held in clubs and city parks throughout Chicago.

“In the freestyle battle,” he explains, “you take something someone said to you and you flip it.”

Peters, a DP, editor and self-proclaimed “rap battle nerd,” had spent years filming rap battles on the national stage. He also knew about the New York Television Festival through a number of “sketch comedy people” who had submitted work to it in the past.

Seng tried to apply the format to a dating style show in 2006, but it didn’t take. He put the idea on hold until 2013, when Peters approached him. 

Peters urged Seng to rework “Rhyme Spitters” with an improv comedy twist “that everybody, not just hip hop fans, would be interested in.”

“Love Spitters’” submission pilot was taped at the Double Door. It had three rounds and a climactic rap battle. Contestants flirted and dissed one another with the help of relationship-based scenarios and a box full of props.

Emcee was P.R.ism, an associate of Seng’s since the Rhymespitter days. DJ SKOR, another longtime partner in rhyme, spun the beats.  Peters led a camera team of four and edited.

Subtitles were added during post to help viewers understand what Seng refers to as their “verbal gymnastics.”

“These guys are brilliant,” he says. “Pop culture references, sports and cartoons… You need subtitles to understand it all.”

“We’re not sure what’s going to happen,” he continues “but we’re going to make the most of it.”

All development awards will be presented at the NYTVF Awards Show on Saturday, Oct. 25.