Nickelodeon Animated Shorts Program

 

Sherley Ibarra - manager of talent outreach and development.

Jill Sanford - vice president of animation development

The past Friday, the Academy - in conjunction with Tea Time - was proud to invite Nickelodeon's own Jill Sanford (VP of Animation Development) and Sherley Ibarra (Manager of Talent Outreach and Development), to share with us what the Nick Shorts Program is all about and tell us exactly what they are looking for in 2014.

Nickelodeon's Animated Shorts Program was started back in 2012 to find and assist the development of a new generation of content creators (that's you). Now, going onto its third year, the program has seen well over a thousand pitches and produced a total of 22 shorts for Nickelodeon's website and app.

So, what are they looking for?
The Animated Shorts Program is looking for comedies that target children ages 6 to 11 with entry points for both boys and girl -- Nickelodeon feels that this demographic is right at the core of the company; they prefer to focus on making cartoons that are character driven, warm, and playful. They aim to be silly and 'smart funny', while still being immature (in the way it is to be a kid); Unique, exciting, and surprising stories with kid-relatable issues.

Nickelodeon is not:
Weird for weird's sake, excited by stories that are too traditional and safe, trendy (as it crosses over into the teen age group), or looking for stories that are oriented around gimmicks.

Interested? Here are some of the finer points:
Your pitch should be limited to two minutes, primarily in one setting, and with a total of 2 or 3 characters.  Materials to submit include:

• Concept treatment (a writeup of who the characters are, what the story is about, and where the setting is)
• Character descriptions - written/and or drawn with a preference to have both
• 2 minute rough story boards or outline/script (more info is better)
• Signed submission release form which can be found on the website

The short can be produced in any medium such as  2D, 3D, and/or stop motion. What is important is that the shorts must be comedic, character driven, and have kid appeal. You do not have to do everything yourself; the pitch submitted can be a collaborative project with people working on concept art, storyboards, character designs, etc., but ultimately, if it's your idea, you should bring the pitch yourself. There is no limit to the number of pitches that can be submitted and this program is open to everyone. Don't try to guess at what Nickelodeon wants to see. They want to hear your voice! Authenticity and uniqueness is what makes a story stand out and often times that comes from something personal. 

The deadline for submissions is March 14th, 2014. The winning pitches will be chosen approximately 2 weeks after the closing. Once the pitches are chosen, preproduction begins immediately with the goal of a  finished short by the end of the year. 

As the story creator, you will be working with Nickelodeon's production team to realize your vision and be able to give feedback and suggestions as the company seeks to support the creator. While working with Nickelodeon to produce the short, you will not necessarily be at the studio. There will be check-ins and meetings that may happen over the phone, Skype, or e-mail, but you mainly only shows up to the studio for key check-ins, such as voice recordings. While the 'gig' is paid, it is far from a livable wage. You should not consider this a full-time job; they will work around your schedule. (Of course if the short does extremely well and gets picked up for a series then you may have to reconsider your job at Starbucks.)

Don't be shy about sharing your stories! We know that it can be intimidating to think about how many other people are submitting ideas. Don't let the "they will never pick me" mentality take over. If you think that, probably everyone thinks that, and that means there are even less people competing and even better chances that you will get picked. Think about it.

Best of luck and Happy Animating! 
We'll see you Friday.


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