You could be forgiven for thinking free to air TV is a closed shop these days, with just a handful of production companies securing most drama series and docu-dramas. But our next generation of TV scriptwriters are looking outside the usual outlets. Streaming services are constantly looking for the next big thing to lure subscribers, and overseas that's where just about all the ground-breaking dramas are coming from. So far New Zealand on Air hasn't dipped its toe into co-productions with the likes of Lightbox and Netflix, though it does fund web-series and multi-media projects. Now Script to Screen wants to encourage new TV writers to try new things with its pilot programme Episodic Lab Aotearoa - the first programme of its kind in New Zealand. Both NZ on Air and Lightbox are supporting the project. Script to Screen's Executive Director Esther Cahill-Chiaroni talked with Lynn Freeman about why now is the right time for a specialist TV writing project.
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