THE CHICAGO COMEDY TV PILOT COMPETITION, designed to burnish Chicago’s international reputation for comedy, returns for the third year July 22, with six half-hour pilots competing for a sizeable cash prize and a chance for Hollywood recognition.
Produced by Marion Sours Wit’s End and the Chicago Film Office, the competition was one the very first to recognize TV pilots.
Its purpose, says Sours, “is to spotlight Chicago’s outstanding comedy talent.” The competition when launched in 2007 was one of the first TV pilot contests and possibly the first devoted exclusively to comedy.
Competing for the $5,000 prize, donated by the Alberto-Culver Co. are “Ruby’s Rules,” by Sasquatch Shorts; “Today’s Special,” Leah Gotcsik; “The Kari Files,” Greg Grabianski and Kari Keillor; “In Between,” Justin Allen; “Lowering the Bar,” Kenneth Yoder and “Domestically Challenged,” Ben Olson.
The TV Pilot Competition will be followed the next day, July 24, by the 12th edition of the Chicago Short Comedy Video & Film Festival. Thirty-nine shorts, selected from among about 90 submissions, will screen.
Tickets are $10. Call 312/458-9643 to reserve. See
