Nickelodeon has put forth the call for submissions for its 2014 global Animated Shorts Program, which is designed to identify and develop new animation talent and provide a platform for new content for children.
This year’s program marks the third year for domestic pitches and the second annual call for international submissions, continuing the search for a new set of creative voices and visionaries.
The network will choose a minimum of 10 pitches to be developed into shorts that will appear on air, on www.nick.com and on its Emmy Award-winning Nick App. These shorts also have the potential of becoming long-form animated series on Nickelodeon.
In 2013 Nickelodeon took more than 1,000 pitches worldwide for the program.
“We’re on an ongoing mission to create the funniest animated content for this next generation of kids, and find the freshest creative voices from around the world,” said Russell Hicks, president of content development and production for Nickelodeon. “The shorts program has already fueled our pipeline with new content and we’re very excited to see what comes through our door this year.”
Ideas will be accepted from a broad pool of creative talent from all quarters including artists, designers, writers, directors and comedians. Creators will be provided with the necessary artistic and production support teams to help them complete their fully animated short.
Shorts must be original, humor-based and character-driven. All animation styles are encouraged from 2-D, digital 2-D, stop-motion, CG or mixed media.
The deadline for submissions is March 14. Domestic guidelines are online at www.nickshortspitches.com; international guidelines are at signup.viacom.com/nickinternationalshorts/NickInternationalShorts.aspx.
Gary “Doodles” Di Raffaele (MAD, Metalocyalpse), discovered through Nickelodeon’s inaugural Animated Shorts Program in 2012, is one of the creators and executive producers of Nickelodeon’s brand-new upcoming animated series Breadwinners. Premiering in February, the 20-episode series, which is also created and executive produced by Steve Borst (Teen Titans Go!, MAD), follows two booty-shaking ducks as they operate a bread delivery service out of their awesome, jet-fueled rocket van.
