BET and Paramount Players Announce "Project CRE8"

BET Networks and Paramount Players Announce Nationwide Search for America’s Next Undiscovered Writer/Director with the Launch of “PROJECT CRE8”

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks and Paramount Players are giving aspiring, undiscovered filmmakers the opportunity to produce an original film with the launch of a nationwide competition titled, “PROJECT CRE8.” The search was announced during Blackhouse’s panel “Killer Creativity: The New Breed” at Sundance. Mentored by a team of industry professionals, the filmmaking-hopeful must deal with the pressures of delivering a viable movie -- on schedule and on budget. BET will purchase the winning screenplay and work with the winner and Paramount Players to produce a feature film with a million dollar budget. The Network will follow and document the winner’s journey in a one-hour companion special. Submissions can be made through BET.com/Cre8.

“As an established brand in the entertainment space, it is our responsibility to give new voices an opportunity to create engaging and provocative stories,” said Connie Orlando, Head of Programming and Production, BET Networks. “This partnership with Paramount Players opens this door and displays our ongoing commitment to the expansion of diverse voices within the creative community.”

“In a world where the barriers to the craft of filmmaking are less than ever before, we are thrilled to be part of this opportunity to find and nurture the next great filmmaking talent,” said Paramount Players President, Brian Robbins.

Key Dates:

Round One:
Submissions

    January 20, 2018 – Submissions Open
    March 3, 2018 – Submissions Close

Top fifty (50) screenplays determined
After judging, only fifty (50) submissions will advance to Round Two.

Round Two:
Top ten (10) screenplays determined
BET and Paramount Players narrow down the top fifty (50) submissions to the top ten (10) for Round Three. The top ten (10) will be given $2,500 and one month to create a 2-3 minute scene for their screenplay.

Round Three:
Online Voting: Public Voting on the produced scenes by top ten (10) Begins
The scene receiving the greatest number of votes from the public will automatically advance to the next round. Judges from BET, Paramount players, and other independent judges will determine four (4) additional contestants for the Final Round, to complete the top five (5).

Final Round:
Pitch and Interviews
The top five (5) finalists pitch their film to multiple panels of successful filmmakers, writers and executives.

Winner Announced

    Summer 2018 – Winner Announced

For more information on “PROJECT CRE8” and for contest rules go to BET.com/Cre8. Join the conversation on Social Media by using and following the hashtag #ProjectCRE8.


About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIA)(NASDAQ:VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, France and South Korea. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.

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