First Team Rules of Participation
We’re excited to offer this unique opportunity. We expect all applicants to continue pursuing their careers and view this program as an adjunct to your career plan.
Eligibility
First Team is open to all alumni with a major or minor from the School of Cinematic Arts, including animation, critical studies, interactive media, producing, production, writing, and Marshall School of Business Entertainment Industry graduates. If you are eligible to join the SCA Network as an alum, you are eligible for USC First Team.
USC First Team is ONLY open to SCA alumni. Current students are ineligible.
Title
Each applicant must choose one title – writer, producer, or director. This choice is not limited to the division attended while at USC. Thus, writing alumni can apply as directors. Production alumni can apply as writers. Critical studies alumni can apply as producers, etc. Essentially, you are pitching yourself to fulfill that position on a potential team. While you may be qualified to do other positions, we are only accepting applications for writers, producers, and directors – no hyphenates.
Application Deadline
The application deadline is June 12th. Check out the program at‐a‐glance for more deadline information.
Limited Slots
We have limited slots for each title. Once we have reached capacity for a title, we will put applicants on a waiting list.
Selection Process
We will select a writer, director, and producer participants based on application information, applicant idea/genre, interests of our industry affiliates, the dynamics of the applicant pool, and the program size.
We will notify participants via email around June 19th. Once notified, all participants must pay a participant fee by June 26th.
Participant Fee
After an applicant is selected for the program, he or she must pay a program participation fee of $35 to the SCA Network.
Waiting List
If a participant fails to pay the program participation fee by the deadline, he or she will be disqualified. We will go to the waiting list and fill slots appropriately.
Application Process in Brief
- Read the terms and agreement. If you agree to the terms, you can proceed to the application.
- Fill out the application completely. Provide contact information, including best email to notify you of participation.
Participation Process in Brief
- Respond to participant notification by paying the $35 program participation fee to SCA Network. When you are notified of participation, you will be directed to the SCA Network with online payment instructions.
- Come to the event prepared to pitch and hear pitches. A First Team idea
can originate from any participant – writer, director, or producer. You
should be open to hearing other folks’ ideas. Expect an exchange of ideas.
- Writers – you may bring ideas from scripts you’ve already written or scripts you would like to write. You should come with a fleshed out story. With that in mind, your pitch shouldn’t be longer than 2 minutes.
- Directors – you should bring ideas and/or concepts you would like to direct. For example, you might be interested in a horror movie in the vein of “Saw” based in an insane asylum or a romantic comedy you can shoot in one house. Your ideas may be location or talent dependent. If you have access to assets like financing, locations or talent including crew, be sure to share that information on your application.
- Producers – you should bring ideas and/or concepts you would like to produce. For example, you may be interested in a horror movie in the vein of “Saw” based in an insane asylum or a romantic comedy you can shoot in one house. Your ideas may be location or talent dependent. If you have access to assets like financing, location or talent including crew, be sure to share that information on your application.
Maximize Your Experience
Come prepared to meet a lot of folks, hear ideas, pitch ideas and generally have a great time. As opposed to focusing just on one idea, think about meeting folks you click with. You’re looking for your Brian Grazer or Ron Howard. You’re looking for someone you might want to work with for the next 20 years.
Choosing Teams
Each team must consist of a writer, director, and producer. All three must agree to work on a specific project. The idea for the project may come from any member of the team. The person originating the idea must be part of the team. We encourage all teams to sign a deal memo for the project. We will hold a momentum seminar focusing on legal considerations.
After the kickoff event, teams have one month to register with First Team.