Minute to Win it

16 FEB 2021

William Horberg

Screen Producers Australia (SPA) and TikTok today announced the three finalists for the ‘Got a Minute?’ pitching competition at SCREEN FOREVER.

With an animated series about inanimate relationships, a choose-your-own adventure first-person POV horror story and a high school comedy about a secret crush, the finalists showcase how talented Australian creators can capture audiences with big, bold and uniquely Australian stories in just 60 seconds. 

“It is fantastic to see local storytellers exploring new platforms like TikTok to hone their craft and establish new pathways to audience. We are excited to work with TikTok to provide tangible support for these creators as they grow their careers in the screen industry and look forward to learning more about the three projects next week at SCREEN FOREVER,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with SPA on the 'Got A Minute?' storytelling competition. It was extremely difficult to select our three finalists from the submissions we received across genres including horror, documentary, comedy, and drama. 

“The competition demonstrates that compelling stories can be told in a minute with opportunities for real time viewer engagement and that TikTok provides a place where diverse and under-represented voices within the wider community can be heard," said Felicity McVay, Director of Content Partnerships, TikTok AUNZ.

The three finalists are:

  • Sam Cotton - Ani-Mates
  • Katia Mancuso - Beneath the Darkness
  • Hannah-Rae Meegan and Monique Terry - The Formal

Honourable mentions also go to:

  • Maaz Khalil - Dianthus
  • Kauthar Abdulalim - Matched
  • Ryan Cauchie - Midnight Stories 
  • Jasminetxo - #BeautyIsYOU
  • Mary McGillivray - Picture This: The Melbourne Heist

The finalists will take part in a live pitch at SCREEN FOREVER tomorrow, with the winner taking home $15,000 in funding from TikTok to help turn their pilot into a 10-part series and both runners up receiving $5,000 each in addition to a slew of other great prizes.

You can watch all the entries on TikTok by searching #SCREENFOREVER #GotAMinute.

Register for SCREEN FOREVER here.