UNSCRIPTED PITCH ACCELERATOR

Submissions open in May 18, 2026 through June 14, 2026. Applications will not be accepted after 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on June 14, 2026.

• Applicants must be legal residents of the United States. Applicants must be authorized to work legally in the United States.  Visa sponsorship is not offered to Accelerator participants. 
• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age as of June 14, 2026. 
• Material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible.
• Material must be submitted by the creator of the concept.
• Material can be submitted by a team.
• Submitted pitches and material must not be encumbered by any obligation to or option held by a third-party prior to applying to the Accelerator. Projects with any type of 3rd party attachment, whether it be rights or a 3rd party production company, will not be accepted.
• Applicants must disclose if the project is talent-led or based on protected IP, and written agreements and/or attachments must be secured with the proposed talent and/or IP rightsholders by the time of submission.        

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only. 

Those applying must submit a complete application package which includes the following required items:

• APPLICATION must be completed in its entirety.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• SHOW TITLE AND LOGLINE (One to three sentence description that succinctly conveys the concept)

   

• ONE-PAGE PITCH DOCUMENT

This one-sheet may include the following:

• the premise and overall description of the project
  • overall style and feel of the series
  • format beats (if concept is a formatted show)
  • gameplay (if concept is a gameshow)
  • description of the world and possible storylines (if concept is a docu-soap or occu-soap)

  • list of key characters (if concept is talent-led)

     

• TREATMENT/DECK is a more in-depth version of the one-page pitch going into more detail about the overall concept of the show (not to exceed 10 pages). 

In addition to the details outlined in the One-Page Pitch Document above, this Treatment/Deck may also include:

• Detailed key character descriptions (for talent-led concepts)
  • Description about one’s connection, inspiration, and intention for the concept, as well as one’s access to the story
  • Description of the concept’s cultural relevance (e.g., why tell this story now?) and the concept’s originality/uniqueness
  • If the project is talent-led or based on IP, indicate whether you have secured written agreements or attachments with the proposed talent, their story, or the IP at the time of submission, as that is required.     
  • If the project is a true crime series or premium documentary series, indicate who you have access to and who can help tell the story.

  • Description of the creative or creative team involved in the project.

     

• RELEASE FORM must be completed, signed, and dated for submissions to be accepted.  An incomplete release form will result in disqualification.  Digital signatures are accepted.

   

• RÉSUMÉ outlining chronological paid employment history (may include entertainment and non-entertainment positions) and any entertainment-related honors/awards.  Positions must have been held within the past 10 years (two pages or less).  Only list compensated positions with the exception of entertainment industry internships and full-time volunteer work at non-profits.  If listing entertainment projects, only include projects that were produced and/or optioned.  The applicant’s resume will provide us an understanding of their work history and insight into their individual life experiences.    

   

• CHARACTER REELS are REQUIRED for talent-led series, such as docu-soaps and occu-soaps that center around a specific family, group of friends, or business. 

Character reels are short videos about 3-5 minutes in length, featuring the proposed talent of the show and showcasing the world they live in.  Skype and FaceTime reels will be accepted, and reels must be in .mov format.  Talent-led pitches without character reels will not be considered.

Any application that does not meet the aforementioned criteria will be disqualified.

Additional Information

There is no limit to the number of concepts an individual may submit.  However, a separate application must be submitted for each individual pitch.

Your proposal may be similar or identical to, in whole or in part, existing or future ideas, concepts, proposals, or other material of any kind submitted to or independently developed by NBCUniversal Media LLC (“NBCU”), and you agree that NBCU’s use of such similar or identical material does not entitle you or any third party to any rights, compensation or negotiation if NBCU has an independent legal right to use such material.

Notification

Due to the volume of submission, only those applicants who are selected to participate in the Accelerator will be notified.  Applicants who are not selected will not be notified.  Please check our social media pages for updates on the selection process.

We reserve the right to amend the Program at any time.