Levitt Wins Inaugural North Fork TV Fest TV Pilot Competition

July 24, 2018—North Fork TV Fest, in association with Stony Brook's MFA in Film (and TV Writing), announces its inaugural TV Pilot Competition winner: Kate Levitt.

First prize and $500 goes to Levitt's pilot חַי‎ (living), a one-hour dramedy that tells the story of an orthodox Jewish teenager who struggles with the conformity of his community by gaining distinction as an acid dealer--the rest of his family grapples with identity in their own ways. Set in NYC, 1995. 

Honorable mentions go to Eugina Gelbelman's script, Unicorn ,and Sam Nosratian's script, Artificial Gold. 

According to Alan Kingsberg, Head of TV Writing at Stony Brook Manhattan's MFA in Film, "Kate Levitt's pilot takes the reader into a world swirling with desire and longing, rules and repression – a place where tradition and spirituality collide with passion and ego.  Her stories are surprising and comedic, her dialogue fresh and unique."

"One of my main goals as a writer is to explore the adolescent narrative from unique angles," Levitt says. "I hope to tell coming of age stories that haven't yet been told, either because the characters are under represented or because they think, act, and feel differently than everyone else. And I want to tell these stories with honesty, but also with humor and care."

"I was nervous about writing this piece because the story is so non traditional, raw, different.  This has given me confidence that my characters and their narratives are valid. I appreciate the affirmation that not all stories have to be about the same types of people and, as someone who has always felt different, this affirmation is very important."

"This is our first partnership with North Fork TV Fest, and we're very excited with the results," says Magdalene Brandeis, MFA in Film Program Director.  The pilot was developed as part of the TV Writing curriculum at Stony Brook Manhattan's MFA in Film. The 45-48 credit MFA, located in the heart of Manhattan, prepares students to build the kind of TV writing portfolio that can launch their careers in a field that is not only in a golden age of creativity but also of opportunity.

Kate Levitt bio:

As a professional drummer, Kate has performed with musician Dan Deacon, and in bands such as Teeth Mountain. She has toured both nationally and internationally, playing festivals including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Primavera Sounds in Barcelona, Spain.

Kate is also known for pranking. One of her pranks was played on Judge Judy, where she invented a case that subsequently went viral and was widely reported, including in Jezebelle and Vice.  Kate's projects have also been profiled in Vogue Italia, The Village Voice, Pitfork.com and the Baltimore City Paper.

Kate currently curates small art shows, and publishes a bi-monthly comic for Merry Jane that she writes and artist Brian Blomerth illustrates."