

The world of independent television remains a complicated one with no easy path to success, but many creators are finding that the best way to sell their visions is to make the pilots themselves. And a festival like SeriesFest, held last week in Denver, Colorado, can be a powerful opportunity to put that vision on display.
Read More: SeriesFest 2017 Awards: Prison Drama ‘Up North’ Leads Winners
From reality-soaked drama to heartfelt comedy to genre fare, the range of projects was remarkable. IndieWire took note of the promising projects while attending the festival, and the eight below are the ones which stood out immediately as potentially ready for wider exposure.
“Up North”
Network That Should Buy It: HBO
[SeriesFest Award Winner: Best Drama, Best Directing of a Drama, Best Actor, Audience Award] A tonal cousin to “The Wire,” but with an intimate and personal core to it, the heart of “Up North” is centered around an innocent teenager arrested for a crime he didn’t...
Read More: SeriesFest 2017 Awards: Prison Drama ‘Up North’ Leads Winners
From reality-soaked drama to heartfelt comedy to genre fare, the range of projects was remarkable. IndieWire took note of the promising projects while attending the festival, and the eight below are the ones which stood out immediately as potentially ready for wider exposure.
“Up North”
Network That Should Buy It: HBO
[SeriesFest Award Winner: Best Drama, Best Directing of a Drama, Best Actor, Audience Award] A tonal cousin to “The Wire,” but with an intimate and personal core to it, the heart of “Up North” is centered around an innocent teenager arrested for a crime he didn’t...
- 7/6/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire


The third season of SeriesFest culminated today in an awards ceremony recognizing some of the best independent television currently in production.
In the drama category “Up North,” created by Emil Pinnock & Damaine Radcliff, picked up four awards including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Pilot, while also winning the overall Audience Award (voted on by festival attendees). The pilot digs into the brutal reality of the New York prison system, as an innocent teenager gets arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.
Read More: Morgan Spurlock, Tim Heidecker, and TV Sneak Peeks Set For SeriesFest 2017
In comedy, the original series “Giving Up,” created by Kris Lefcoe, was recognized for Best Pilot and Best Director, while Brian Jordan Alvarez’s “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo” won the award for Best Writing. “Ppl: Wizard Oz” was the winner of the inaugural Unscripted prize.
In addition, the digital shorts...
In the drama category “Up North,” created by Emil Pinnock & Damaine Radcliff, picked up four awards including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Pilot, while also winning the overall Audience Award (voted on by festival attendees). The pilot digs into the brutal reality of the New York prison system, as an innocent teenager gets arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.
Read More: Morgan Spurlock, Tim Heidecker, and TV Sneak Peeks Set For SeriesFest 2017
In comedy, the original series “Giving Up,” created by Kris Lefcoe, was recognized for Best Pilot and Best Director, while Brian Jordan Alvarez’s “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo” won the award for Best Writing. “Ppl: Wizard Oz” was the winner of the inaugural Unscripted prize.
In addition, the digital shorts...
- 7/2/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
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