The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) has found its first 2016 development partner in Bento Box Entertainment, the studio that produces “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Awesomes,” among other animated content.
Through the new partnership, Bento Box guarantees that it will award a development deal to a producer or production team selected from the official artists participating in next year’s festival.
This year, Bento Box co-founder and executive producer Joel Kuwahara will be presenting “Animation 101: De-mystifying Primetime Animation in the Digital Age” — a panel discussion at the Helen Mills Theater in New York City. That event is slated for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2:15 p.m.
“Some of the most talented creators of animated programming can be found in the independent television community, and while we have worked with past partners to recognize this work, this is the first time an animated studio has teamed up with us to guarantee a development deal through the Festival,” said NYTVF founder and executive director Terence Gray. “With the television ecosystem now including more buyers than ever before, we always tell our artists that it’s not about the platform, but the art form.”
He continued: “Bento Box Entertainment’s track record across broadcast, cable and digital make them an ideal partner for 2016, and we are looking forward to working with them to encourage more, great animated storytelling by independent artists.”
“Bento Box Entertainment is thrilled to partner with the NYTVF. We look forward to connecting with the many talented independent creators who bring their work to the Festival,” added Scott Greenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of Bento Box Entertainment. “We hope that our expertise in animation will encourage up-and-coming artists and comedy writers to participate in 2016, and we can’t wait to see their work.”
Winners of this year’s development opportunities will be recognized on Saturday during an awards reception to close the Festival.
Previously-announced 2015 development partnerships include the A+E Networks 360° Unscripted Development Pipeline, AMC-Channel 4 Drama Co-Development Award, History Unscripted Development Pipeline, Lifetime Writers Project, Red Arrow and Left/Right Comedy Award, Starz Rising Talent Award, truTV Greenlight Award, as well as additional development deals offered by Channel 4, Comedy Central, FYI, H2, Red Arrow/Fabrik Entertainment and WE tv.
Last year, the 10th annual NYTVF hit a record number of development deals.