Optus and MTV launch push to find budding TV makers
Optus and MTV Networks have brought back the One80Project competition aimed at finding aspiring local TV makers.
Now in its fourth year it will for the first time be held in association with BlackBerry and Event Cinemas. Last year handset maker LG Mobile was involved and in 2007 Optus worked with Samsung Mobile.
Entrants to the competition are asked to upload an 180 second pilot on a website to be shortlisted to 10 by an industry panel of judges.
The public will be be able to vote for their favourite entry, and a second winner will also be chosen by the judges.
Previous judges have included Australian actors Noah Taylor, Abbie Cornish, Alex Dimitriades and Nash & Joel Edgerton.
The short-listed pilots will be able to be viewed by Optus mobile customers on their 3G smartphone or mobile phone via the Optus Zoo Mobile TV site and they will also be streamed from the competition website.
Viewers will be able to vote for their favourite pilot via a short code sent to their mobile phone or at the competition website.
Jim Jaques, marketing director at Optus Consumer, said: “The Optus One80Project allows us to offer our customers entertaining and interactive content across mobile, internet and TV platforms while supporting talented Australian TV makers with an opportunity to break into the industry.
“More and more of our customers are turning to their mobiles and the internet as a source of entertainment and the Optus One80Project is another way we are delivering content to meet this demand.”
The finalists’ entries will be screened at the Optus One80Project Festival to be held on 18 April, 2010, where the two winning entries will also be announced.
Both winners will receive a prize package including a share in $20,000 cash and a BlackBerry. In addition, the Judges Choice winner will get the chance to work with MTV to develop their original pilot into a full-length multi-platform drama.
The completed final episodes will be shown on the Optus Zoo web and mobile portals and later on MTV Australia.
Entrants have until 12 February 2010 to upload their work.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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