The survey is free to complete and takes 20-30 minutes. Download the preview first so you can plan your answers in advance. Must be in English.

Download this preview to see all the questions and plan your answers before you submit the final registration survey.

A collaboration with the Innovation Station at the United States Department of State

In partnership with Careers in Entertainment founded by the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation

​

A Catalyst international showcase advancing new voices & storytellers from 10 countries on 6 continents

​

Up to 5 finalists & 10 semi-finalists professionally

selected from each country

​

Free registration until March 31, 2021

Read more details about the program including which countries are participating and the awards & benefits of being selected.

Optional: Donations to Catalyst's scholarship fund are used to help artists-in-need attend the institute. Donations are not required to register.

Download this preview to see all the questions and plan your answers before you submit the final registration survey.

The registration survey takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete

Now accepting submissions from the following countries:

​

• Algeria

• Brazil

• Canada

• Germany

• Hungary

• Mexico

• New Zealand

• Nigeria

• South Korea

• Switzerland

Fee

Free

Deadline

March 31, 2021

​

Selections announced

May 31, 2021

What is Storieroad?

Who can register?

What kind of content is accepted?

What do the selected artists receive?

​

Scroll down for more details....

What is Storieroad?

Catalyst's Storieroad is a step-by-step pathway of meetings, workshops, seminars, festivals, and social events designed to showcase your stories to the industry, advance your career opportunities, and grow your trusted professional network.

​

Catalyst is where relationships are made. Participants have gained jobs, signed with agents, sold projects, and made career partnerships through Storieroad.

​

​

Who Can Register

• Creators, writers, & producers with an independent series idea

• Each person must register individually

​

​

​

Types of Content Accepted

• Narrative/episodic/serialized content of any genre, length, style, and type: comedy, drama, thriller, scripted, unscripted, documentary, limited series, social media, influencer, short form,"half-hour", "hour-long", radio, podcast, reality, talk show, game show, animation, kids, gaming, VR, mobile, etc.​​

​

• Projects can be in any stage of development: pitch, script, in-production, post-production, or completed.​

​

• Your projects can have any number of episodes. Projects with an average runtime of 15 minutes or less per episode will be considered "short form".

​

​

Types of Content Not Accepted

• Feature films

​

​

How It Works

• Register here before March 31, 2021

• Our team of industry professionals will select up to 5 finalists & 10 semi-finalists from each country

• Selections will be notified no later than May 31, 2021

​

• Finalists will receive:​

  • A showcase event in their home country celebrating their honor and displaying their work

  • One full scholarship to Catalyst Storieroad for 1 year

  • A meeting with Catalyst's Executive team to discuss your career path & goals

  • A creative meeting to discuss your project idea

  • Access to pitch seminars & virtual educational events

  • Your project will be automatically selected to be screened & presented at the annual Catalyst Content Festival in Duluth, Minnesota, USA

  • 4 free VIP passes to the Catalyst Content Festival

  • Your career profile & project info will be listed in our content database for industry executives to search & discover throughout the year

​

• Semi-finalists will receive:

  • A virtual meeting with Catalyst's Executive team to discuss your career path & goals

  • A virtual creative industry meeting to discuss your project idea & receive feedback

  • 2 free VIP passes to the Catalyst Content Festival

  • Please note: semi-finalists do not present at the showcase and are not screened at the festival

​

​

Do You Have Stories to Tell?

Storytelling is core to who we are. It's how we learn, it's how we connect, it's how we inspire - and it's how we shape the world into becoming the better place we want it to be.

You've come to Catalyst because you have stories to share and you're looking for the easiest path to have them funded, produced, and distributed to the world.

​

​

Setting Expectations

When it comes to the business of storytelling & production, your story falls into one of two artistic formats: (1) it's either a series, meaning that it is an open-ended story world designed for the viewer to watch over the course of multiple episodes, or (2) it is a film, meaning that it has a pre-determined beginning, middle, and end designed to be watched in one sitting (typically under 3 hours).

​

Catalyst focuses only on series, not films.

​

​

The Truth About Making a Series

The risks are much greater when investing in a series.

Because your story is in a series format, it is not good enough for you to just be talented and have a good story idea. You need to simultaneously build a network of people who believe in your ability to create an entire series that doesn't exist yet. Maybe you've already written or shot a few episodes but it's very unlikely that you have made a completed series to sell. Creating your show is as much about who YOU are as a person as it is about the story you're telling.

In contrast, when you bring a film to a festival, you're selling a completed project. The buyers do not have to wonder about your ability to complete the project, they can see exactly what they are buying.

​

This is why the series side of the business can seem so much more difficult to breakthrough - because it's all about relationships and trust. And that takes time (years) and opportunity.

​

​

Cost

Free to register

​

​

Catalyst Scholarship Fund

If you would like to support our scholarship fund, you can make a donation below.

​

​