FinishLineScriptComp

I could not be more thrilled to have HBO Max & Deadline reveal this news. 2022 winner Matt Thomas’ pilot Debbie is on its way to the small screen, packaged by Finish Line. Huge Congrats to Matt. We’re all very excited. Enter the right competition, you just might get a tv show made.

Great news for our 1st runner-up, Bobby Ellroy and his TV pilot, THE OATH. We have attached show runners, fresh off a Netflix show and who have had shows on CBS and ABC prior. Now, we can get to work, prepping this pilot for early 2027 pitches. All of last season's have now gotten repped/have producers attached to their material. Feeling good.

“Greatness comes from humble beginnings; it comes from grunt work. It means you’re the least important person in the room — until you change that with results.” ― Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy

Finish Line Latecomer Submissions coming to an end in 10 days! -- You can order notes and resubmit new drafts by December 14 (at no extra cost) -- You can have 1 on 1 Zoom calls with our founder, a former literary manager. -- Or you can just send us your script as is. We're so excited to read your work

“If no one sees your art, it is still a revolution. You freed yourself did you not?" - Jaiya John

Every writer has heard of the note "show, don't tell". There is, of course, room and purpose for both in storytelling. Telling handles pace. If every single detail in a piece were shown rather than told, the writing would collapse under its own weight, be exhausting to read with no sense of which moments actually mattered. Everything would have received the same dramatic, scene-level treatment. Showing handles weight. The moments that are supposed to matter, the emotional turn, the decision, the loss, those are where showing earns its keep. Those are the moments where you want the reader doing the work of arriving at the feeling themselves, rather than simply being informed of it. Latecomer Submissions open.

I want to thank all the writers who have entered Finish Line year after year. Now in our 11th season, it's a pleasure to see how so many of you have learned, changed and grown in your writing. When you're writing the right script, seeing the improvement is really beautiful.

Write to free yourself Write to express yourself Write to explore yourself Write to challenge yourself Write to challenge the oppressive systems Write to grieve Write to document Write to leave your mark Write because you can Write because it is your right Write because it is art Just write.

Ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances.

PLEASE RT! If you were given a discount a few months ago because you placed in another competition, there are about 2.5 weeks left in this season's Finish Line Comp, so please enter. If you have placed in a comp this year & want a discount to enter Finish Line, please let us know! AFF, Shore, Page, etc...As always, we are looking for great pilots, screenplays & short film scripts!

It's almost irrelevant if I am interested in the subject matter of script you are writing. It does matter if I care about the theme and the character development. If I can relate in some way to your characters and what they're suffering through and learning, you're on the path to doing good job, regardless of other issues with the script.

PLEASE RT! If you were given a discount a few months ago because you placed in another competition, there are about 2.5 weeks left in this season's Finish Line Comp, so please enter. If you have placed in a comp this year and want a discount to enter Finish Line, please let us know! AFF, Shore, Page, etc...As always, we are looking for great pilots, screenplays & short film scripts!

I've been reading many pilots lately that need a lot of work structurally. Remember, this is one of what you hope will be 5+ years of a series. Pacing and structure can be different for different genres but in general you don't want to give away too much in the first episode. In fact, withholding information can be the engine of the show. A strong pilot sets up the central puzzle regardless of genre, plants a few fair clues, develops main characters in action and ends on a turn that makes viewers want episode two.

Getting closer to the end of this year’s Finish Line Script Competition. Latecomer Submissions open! finishlinescriptcomp.com